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Going in for a couple punchlist items 2 weeks post delivery and tried to add to the appointment at the SC. They told me they would not do the install and that it is something Tesla Corp instituted within the last couple weeks (no aftermarket installations).
Has anyone heard if the alloy gators, or any other aftermarket products, have any effect on the warranty? My SC is advising against the rim guards (even if installed by someone else) but more for safety issues (they are advising against putting anything between the rim and tire). Was curious though on many of the posted aftermarket additions and their effect on the Tesla warranty.
It's hard to see how alloy gators would have any effect on the warranty, as they only contact the wheels. The MF law states that the manufacturer has to prove any aftermarket item did the damage. Of course, if the manufacturer is difficult to work with, you may have to take them to court and that's usually why the manufacturer wins without going to court. It's often more trouble and expense to go to court than it is to pay for the fix.
I'm not real keen on putting anything between the tire and the wheel because of balance and vibration concerns over the life of the tire. I also wouldn't use them on a track as the bead seating might be compromised (Doing the bounce is no fun--Denise did that last week and she wasn't even at the track.)
For street use however, the 21" tires are short life tires (currently anyway) and so I doubt they would have a lot of time to set up a bad wear pattern. If they were 40,000+ mile tires I would be more strongly against it, but at 12,000 to 25,000 miles it's unlikely to reduce the life by much even if a bad wear pattern does start. That said, a bad wear pattern may cause the tire to be very noisy at the end of its life.
I've got nearly 10K on the gators and I see no sign of unusual wear. in fact, the high performance tires are holding up much better than expected. everyone has to make their own call in judging the risk potential, but I have no hesitation in recommending these. Putting them on yourself is not actually that big a deal, it does take some fiddling and heft, but well worth it. I love the performance rims and they would be shreaded already if not for the gators. the learning curve (curb) is brutal and the gators help a lot!
CarlK
Active Member
Here are my reasons for not wanting to have one installed. The extra cost, the inconvenience for installation and it makes the rims look smaller and less cool (kind of like people puting covers on new couch or car seat). I have quite a bit of rim rash on my 6 yrs old Porsche but I hardly noticed them other than when I'm washing the car. I could still have an alloy gator installed now to mask it up or better yet I could take it to the dealer to get it fixed for $200 if it bothers me.
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Conversely the silver AlloyGators don't make the wheels look any smaller, aren't really noticeable once installed, and an entire set of 4 (plus a spare) protects all 4 rims for less than half of the repair cost of one rim.
Food for thought...
I went with Rimblades. They are easy to install, don't detract from the rims to any degree IMO, and seem to have held up very well so far at 2500 miles in 7+ months.
I have the gray rims with the black AlloyGators. Everyone comments how well they look. And it woks well. A few days ago I was in a shopping center parking lot. Moved to the right near an intersection to make it easier for cars to turn in. When I then turned right, the rear wheel clipped the curb. The AlloyGator got the curb rash, while the tire and wheel were protected.
I was just informed that the SC won't do my Alloygators when I bring my car in for a warranty issue. Dissapointed, but they say "they are currently considered a non-Tesla accessory and cannot be warranted". 
I am willing to pay fee to have them do the work (nothing is free in this world).
Anyone got someone they trust in the south bay to do this?
I am willing to pay fee to have them do the work (nothing is free in this world). Anyone got someone they trust in the south bay to do this?
teslasguy
MSP P#1117
To each his/her own. But I've had the black Alloygators on my 21" black wheels for around 4000 miles and they've saved my wheels a few times already. I gets lots of compliments and they've seen lots of 3 digit speed time at the dragstrip. I wouldn't be without them. I did them myself. Not a big deal.
Thanks for all the feedback. I'm going to look around for someone to install them. I have the silvers on silver rims so not concerned about negative appearance. Just not handy enough to trust my own installation.
If you're interested, come by and let's take a stab at installing them. I'm not a mechanic, but have taken apart and put together my S2000s, BMW's, and other cars quite handily (and have a bevy of tools to do it). Otherwise, I'd recommend taking it to A&L Autobody in Palatine. They work on Porsche's, Ferraris, Maserattis, BMW's all day long. Talk to Anthony and let him know Urmil sent you.
