Within a month of picking up our new Model 3 last December, either me or my wife scuffed the right front wheel on a curb resulting in a fairly minor (3-inch long) wheel rash :-( Anyway, sometime in February I noticed a small bulge (about the size of a quarter) in the sidewall of the OEM 235/40R19 tire right above the scuffed wheel mark. In our socially distanced condition since then, we haven't really done much driving and the bulge hasn't gotten any bigger. But last week I finally got around to contacting Tesla about it and they told me the new-car tire warranty was covered by Continental. I contacted the Continental Service Department and they directed me to my nearest Discount Tire store that would have the authority to decide if the tire bulge was caused by a pothole/curb or possibly in the manufacturing process. Discount Tire was very polite and explained that "most of the time" a sidewall tire bulge like mine was caused by hitting a pot hole or scraping the sidewall along a solid object like a curb, especially since the bulge was less than an inch from the wheel rash. But in the end, they called Continental who offered me a "good relations gesture" of 50% off the cost of a new mounted and balanced Continental replacement tire. Since I had already convinced myself I was going to foot the entire cost for a new tire, I snapped them up on their offer. I guess I'm pretty happy it only cost me $140 for a new tire vs $278+. I will say that Tesla, Continental, and Discount Tire were all very polite and professional throughout the whole thing.
