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Brining jack pads to 3rd party garages necessary?

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Specifically with Discount Tire? My first tire rotation is coming up and I know lifting a Tesla is different than a regular car. Should I buy a set of jack pads and install them in the parking lot when I go somewhere like Discount Tire? My biggest fear is an employee that is rushing or doesn't know how to lift the car properly and damaging the battery.
 
Buy a pair and bring them with you to the service center. Take photos of the underside of your car before the service. Talk to the counter agent and confirm they know the procedure to lift the car. Ask them if they have their own pucks / lift equipment to handle a Tesla and/or if they have lifted Teslas before. If all seems well, you may have the option of watching them like a hawk when they start working on your car (most shops have rules that customers cannot enter the shop floor but you may be able to watch from a distance). Be sure to read any of the fine print in the work contract and see what they will and will not cover as it pertains to damage done to your vehicle while it's in their hands.

If it turns out they did some damage, you'll have both the evidence (photos) and verbal confirmation that they should have known what they were doing. That should be good enough to "win" your case and have them pay for any damages. That's small comfort if you car is going to be out of service but it's the best I think you can do.

I have my own pucks in the sub-trunk. They have never been used as the times the car has been lifted it's been at Tesla Service for work. This used to be common things to ask when I first got my car (July 2018) but with the amount of cars now on the road, you'll have to be at some remote / rural location for there to be any worries. I'd say that Discount Tire in and around JAX have probably seen more than a couple of Model 3s....
 
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Specifically with Discount Tire? My first tire rotation is coming up and I know lifting a Tesla is different than a regular car. Should I buy a set of jack pads and install them in the parking lot when I go somewhere like Discount Tire? My biggest fear is an employee that is rushing or doesn't know how to lift the car properly and damaging the battery.

I take my car to America's Tire Company (same company as Discount Tire, different name in different markets). I don't have to tell them anything, they already have the jack pads and they have to use the bay using jack stands and not the lifts.

Maybe in smaller markets where Teslas aren't as common it would be a good idea to mention it.
 
But don't count on everyone to have them or know that your car needs them or even look for the correct lift points.

There are definitely places and employees that don't know / don't care... and there are new people being born like that every day. Be your own advocate.
You can do what you want but I'd roll my eyes and groan at a friend who came over to my home garage for a project and I only work on cars for fun. Someone who does this as their job all day every day will smile and nod at you but probably won't think positive thoughts when you come in and declare you know little about cars but are going to remind them how to do their job. People love that. I see this as similar to bringing in your calculator to your accountant at tax time and reminding them to deduct your mortgage interest. You think the shop which has $100K in equipment for mounting tires and another $100K+ in inventory and lifts 50+ cars a day does not have $30 jack pads?
 
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You can do what you want but I'd roll my eyes and groan at a friend who came over to my home garage for a project and I only work on cars for fun. Someone who does this as their job all day every day will smile and nod at you but probably won't think positive thoughts when you come in and declare you know little about cars but are going to remind them how to do their job. People love that. I see this as similar to bringing in your calculator to your accountant at tax time and reminding them to deduct your mortgage interest. You think the shop which has $100K in equipment for mounting tires and another $100K+ in inventory and lifts 50+ cars a day does not have $30 jack pads?
People made similar points in other threads, but it's trivial to find shops that damage Teslas when lifting, even when they apparently have a lot of money in equipment and inventory.

Here's one of Discount Tire (the exact chain the OP was planning to bring it to) puncturing the battery with coolant leaking only 5 months ago:

The pucks are actually unnecessary if you have a competent tire tech working on it and they have a jack or lift with a completely a completely flat pad that are aligned on the jack points. Unfortunately there are many places that don't have people working there that can do this right every time and not all shops have their own pucks. All the pucks do is provide an easier reference point to avoid the issues pointed out above.
 
Another option is to have Tesla's mobile service rotate your tires for you. I did that last October when my 2020 M3 was due for it's two year service. For $143 they replaced the cabin air filter, checked the brake fluid level and cleaned the calipers in addition to rotating the tires.
 
Discount Tire will almost certainly have the pads. They run a pretty tight ship. I had tires replaced on both of my cars within the last two months. I was impressed with their efficiency and thoroughness. They get a printout on every car outlining the procedures and also the correct inflation, lug tightening pattern and wheel bolt torque. And they do it correctly.

If you do it by appointment their goal is 15 minutes in and out. And they do it pretty close.
 
Someone who does this as their job all day every day will smile and nod at you but probably won't think positive thoughts when you come in and declare you know little about cars but are going to remind them how to do their job.

I definitely agree with this, and don't love having to do it either... but I've been through it myself at several big tire chains and sometimes it was very clear that they didn't know and wouldn't have done it if I hadn't mentioned. At least one occasion they used *my* jack pads, which I also keep in the under trunk.
 
I'd cast another vote for 'have your own pads'.I went to a local tire chain (similar in size to Discount Tire but different). On my first visit they said "we're committed to EVs" "we'll always have the pads" " you don't have to worry about it".
Then when I went back 6 months later for a rotation the guy behind the counter this time asked if I had my own pads. I responded "last time you swore you'd always have them". The tech answered "we did; somebody lost them". Luckily I did have my own in the car. For a small price you can have peace of mind.
 
I'd cast another vote for 'have your own pads'.I went to a local tire chain (similar in size to Discount Tire but different). On my first visit they said "we're committed to EVs" "we'll always have the pads" " you don't have to worry about it".
Then when I went back 6 months later for a rotation the guy behind the counter this time asked if I had my own pads. I responded "last time you swore you'd always have them". The tech answered "we did; somebody lost them". Luckily I did have my own in the car. For a small price you can have peace of mind.
Looks like if I want to be on the safe side, my best bet is to buy a set of jack pads and install them myself in the parking lot so I know whoever are the employees working that day will see them when they place it on the lift. Any recommendations for good quality pads to buy?

I'd rather avoid Tesla Service if I can since they seem to be on the pricey side for tires. The reason I brought up Discount Tire is they price match any tire deals you find and offer free rotations if you buy from them. Tesla quoted me $70 to rotate my tires which I plan on doing every 6k miles.
 
Looks like if I want to be on the safe side, my best bet is to buy a set of jack pads and install them myself in the parking lot so I know whoever are the employees working that day will see them when they place it on the lift. Any recommendations for good quality pads to buy?

I'd rather avoid Tesla Service if I can since they seem to be on the pricey side for tires. The reason I brought up Discount Tire is they price match any tire deals you find and offer free rotations if you buy from them. Tesla quoted me $70 to rotate my tires which I plan on doing every 6k miles.
Here's the ones I bought. They seem to work okay. https://www.amazon.com/Chirano-Lift...lja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1
 
I'd cast another vote for 'have your own pads'.I went to a local tire chain (similar in size to Discount Tire but different). On my first visit they said "we're committed to EVs" "we'll always have the pads" " you don't have to worry about it".
Then when I went back 6 months later for a rotation the guy behind the counter this time asked if I had my own pads. I responded "last time you swore you'd always have them". The tech answered "we did; somebody lost them". Luckily I did have my own in the car. For a small price you can have peace of mind.
I contributed to a similar thread a while ago. My earnest plea in unchanged by anything I have heard and read.

Carry jack pads at all times.

Do not be embarrassed or feel patronised by the wry smile of garage hands or their manager when you discuss your concerns.
Changing a tire is not the work of brain surgeons or rocket scientists and so is not done by them. I do not intend any pejorative slur........rocket scientists are doing their best😀
 
I contributed to a similar thread a while ago. My earnest plea in unchanged by anything I have heard and read.

Carry jack pads at all times.

Do not be embarrassed or feel patronised by the wry smile of garage hands or their manager when you discuss your concerns.
Changing a tire is not the work of brain surgeons or rocket scientists and so is not done by them. I do not intend any pejorative slur........rocket scientists are doing their best😀
P.S. A note of Tesla wheel nut torque could also come in handy.