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Comment by JohnJamesRambo | Hacker News Reader

This is why I will probably sell my Tesla when it gets even close to the 50k bumper to bumper warranty. Used car prices for Teslas are awesome, I could sell it to Carvana for more than I paid for it I think right now.

I'm already having a load of trouble this morning getting a flat fixed because it has a slow leak and the tires have the acoustic foam inside them that prevents using green slime. Tesla wants $81 to fix it- if I drive an hour and a half to a service center.

I love the gas savings but I don't want to drive a John Deere that can't be worked on when things go wrong.

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> getting a flat fixed because it has a slow leak and the tires have the acoustic foam inside them that prevents using green slime

I had the same issue with Costco and another tire shop refusing to patch a nail in my 2020 Model Y tire.

I tried a Discount Tire - they fixed it within a few hours for free, with a smile. They only asked I consider purchasing from them when I'm in the market for new tires.

Thank you for your comment.

I called Walmart and they said they could do it, we shall see...

Patches can be dangerous. Most shops nowadays recommend replacing the tire, it's not in bad faith.

8 minutes, and someone already hit the downvote button? Parent isn't wrong, a patch (and especially a plug) does decrease the structural integrity of the tire, no controversy there. From my previous life as an auto mechanic, many times some of the strands of the steel belt(s) will be broken. And what used to be a solid sheet of rubber now has a hole in it. IIRC, plugging a tire at a minimum knocks off a speed rating.

That's not to say I haven't driven a plugged tire until it's bald. And that's not to say that I wouldn't tell my sister to go ahead and get that pricey tire patched. But if you think that repaired tire is now as good as new, you are wrong. Would I do a track day on a repaired tire? Would I whip my Tesla up to ludicrous speed on a patched tire? Would I ride a plugged motorcycle tire any further than I have to? Fuck no. If I can afford a track day, I can afford a new tire.

HN seems to be getting worse with the feels>facts lately. As have the downvotes with no rebuttal. Just slides closer to reddit every day.

And I agree if it's not in the sidewall or something it would definitely at least get you by. until you get a cheap tire.

Why can’t tires do away with air and use some dense, never flat material? I’ve always wondered, I’m sure there is a good outside physics answer though surely.

Mostly due to weight, but absorbing impact is another big feature. An air filled tire can absorb a lot of minor road imperfections, a solid tire bike or roller blades can give you an idea of wat a solid tire care would be like.

Your keyword there is "dense". Rotating weight on a vehicle is basically: bad. But nothing is lighter than air, amirite?

John Dunlop didn't invent the pneumatic tire, but he put it into production. Dunlop's son was getting headaches riding his tricycle, so John D. softened the ride (as pointed out by sibling comment).

And so using air gives us three things that apparently haven't been found with any other material in combination: minimal weight, cushioning, and it can support the weight of the vehicle. If it needs replacing, one need only find an air compressor.

I’d question the motivations behind that first… hint: money.

Patches when done correctly are more than safe enough for 99%+ of drivers.

I've patched many a tire myself with a kit from Wal-Mart. I have never had a bit of trouble out of any of them.

I took option to have the Tesla mobile tire service come to my house. I had several screws in one of my tires, and one was too close to the sidewall to plug. The guy in the van showed up to my house and had the full tire removed/mounted/balanced in about 15-20 minutes. I had to pay for the tire and service fee (obviously) but it was incredibly fast and convenient for me. I found the whole process impressive.

I agree, i would just use their mobile service. they can fix everything minus software/sensor issues as far as i know.

That must be ridiculously expensive compared to using a generic tire fixing shop?

I would argue, fairly, that a person who drives a Tesla is not too wound up about ridiculous costs.

The tire needed to be replaced regardless, and no shop around me had the exact tire in stock, so I would have had to wait and I needed to be able to drive safely (without screws in my tire) for work travel requirements. Most shops won't give you a discount on a single tire anyway, and Tesla's price on the tire was cheaper than Discount Tire Direct on eBay. The fee to replace the tire was $20, which is in line with a normal tire shop (mounting and balancing 4 tires is usually $60-80 in my experience).

The Tesla rep on the phone said I am out of the area for that service. I don’t think I would have paid the extra anyway. I’m too cheap to pay such a markup for fixing a flat out of principle alone.

Can you not plug the flat with one of these? Does the foam prevent it from working?

https://www.amazon.com/ITW-GLOBAL-BRANDS-1034-HANDLE/dp/B00P...

That requires actually removing the wheel, breaking a sweat, and getting dirty...

I know you're probably kidding, but plugging a tire doesn't require removing it, and while lying down on dirty ground might be helpful, it's not a terribly sweaty activity either .

It certainly does on my car, we don't all drive vehicles with pickup truck levels of wheel well clearance...

And the few times I've aided others with installing a plug, attempting it without removing the wheel first just made it more difficult, sweaty and dirty, than had we just taken the wheel off for better access.

hm. kay. I've not had any reason to use my plug kit myself so far, but the 2 times I had a slow leak, on front tire they just had me turn it at a nice sharp turn for good access, and on the rear one, they jacked it up nice and high without removing it.

It's a different story in a gas station parking lot with just your space saver jack. Personally I'll always prefer working from above a removed wheel where I have more mechanical advantage and can avoid laying on the ground.

Sometimes you do get lucky on the fronts though, if the puncture is near the outside edge. Especially if your vehicle has a lot of caster presenting more of the wear surface at full lock.

But either way, we're deep in the realm of "sounds too much like manual labor to me" for someone drawing the line at attaching a can of green slime to the valve stem and pressing down the button. Wheel on or off, it ain't happening.

There's nothing really magical about the tire foam that is Tesla specific. Shops should be able to fix them by cutting out a piece, but some don't want to for one reason or another.

I definitely would try to avoid going to the service center for it. Discount Tire tends to be better.

A few more years of depreciation and getting hit with a bill like this could mean your insurance company salvages your title. Probably good to pass this live grenade of a car to someone else before that happens.

We had the same issue in the middle of Montana and a Les Schwab shop fixed it for us for free YMMV

You can get your tire fixed anywhere that's willing to work on tires with acoustic foam.

> Used car prices for Teslas are awesome, I could sell it to Carvana for more than I paid for it I think right now.

That's true for most used cars right now.

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