BC or WA? I bought my tires at Costco in Vancouver, WA on 192nd. They said they did tires for several Teslas a week.
-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Fixing a nail in the tire at Costco
- Thread starter shah007
- Start date
BC or WA? I bought my tires at Costco in Vancouver, WA on 192nd. They said they did tires for several Teslas a week.
JPoldo
Member
Town Fair Tire located in the northeast fixed 2 slow leaks in my MS75. Their published price is $14.95 and frequently offer an $8 discount. When opening my wallet to pay, the tire advisor said no charge, "we enjoyed working on your car."
James99
Member
ucmndd
Well-Known Member
Very few “reputable” tire shops will patch a puncture on the outside tread block that close to the sidewall these days.
Not saying it’s right - about 95% scam to sell more new tires - but a very common response.
Not saying it’s right - about 95% scam to sell more new tires - but a very common response.
Sandollars
I bleed Cardinal
I would say that is a pretty broad statement considering there are 770 Costco warehouses and most of them have tire shops. I went to one near my Utah house and they were clueless on how to handle my car for a simple tire rotation and wanted me to sign a waiver. Needless to say, I moved on....
I am happy to know your Costco has a tire center that knows what they are doing with Teslas.... I am sure it will get more common as we continue to grab market share and they become more commonplace.
Sandollars
I bleed Cardinal
Cost to repair a flat at Costco: 11 bucks
The health benefits obtained from the exercise of doing it yourself: PRICELESS!
True, Washington is something like #3 or #4 in the US for electric car adoption. The Costcos in this part of the world see enough Teslas there aren't a lot of surprises, though when I got tires there they under-inflated the tires.
But a tire repair is pretty basic. When I got a big piece of metal in my tire and had to have the car towed, I had it taken to the local place that used to work on my ICE. They do both car repair as well as tires. They hadn't seen a Tesla before, but they figured it out without and problems. They were able to put a plug in it, but because it was a large hole and the tires were worn they recommended getting new tires a bit sooner than I had planned. That's when I went to Costco, they had the best price on the Michelin MXM Primacies.
JPoldo
Member
My SC claims they are only allowed to repair a puncture if it is within 1" of tire center line. It feels like a scam when they say only solution is to buy a new tire for $ 388. Maybe their position is to avoid a law suit when a tire repair fails and causes injury. It wouldn't surprise me if tire stores have a disclaimer in their invoice saying customer assumes all risk. The SC, factory owned, can't offer the disclaimer.
I would never ever take a tire to a place like that unless I had taken the wheel off in advance, same if you have a smoker you love (996/991 911 4C). The halfwits they employ there are capable of serious damage.
The mom and pop tire shop in my town has been in business for 50 years and they are very careful, even allowed me to show the mechanic the lift points and battery pack edges when I was due to . A crushed battery pack is a huge boo boo, could even result in a fire.
The mom and pop tire shop in my town has been in business for 50 years and they are very careful, even allowed me to show the mechanic the lift points and battery pack edges when I was due to . A crushed battery pack is a huge boo boo, could even result in a fire.
Last edited:
JPoldo
Member
My tire repair is performed at Town Fair Tire stores. Before accepting them, I asked if they had special jack stand to eliminate battery housing damage and how many Teslas they have worked on. They assured me a savvy tech would work on it. So far, very pleased with their work. Agree, you must be very careful servicing a Tesla.
The outer edges of the tread area flex more than the center and flex in multiple axis that is why most places won't repair tires with punctures near the edge. It is valid practice not just fundraising.
I am not some academic who only knows how to read a manual, I do as many of my own repairs as possible on all our vehicles, keep plug kits on hand, the guy at the tire shop has even asked me about helping do engine modifications on his car. My hands on experience says don't patch stuff near the sidewall, now what is near depends on size of puncture and some.judgement calls, that is where it gets fuzzy.
I am not some academic who only knows how to read a manual, I do as many of my own repairs as possible on all our vehicles, keep plug kits on hand, the guy at the tire shop has even asked me about helping do engine modifications on his car. My hands on experience says don't patch stuff near the sidewall, now what is near depends on size of puncture and some.judgement calls, that is where it gets fuzzy.
StealthP3D
Well-Known Member
You have to know what you are doing to service any car safely. A Tesla is actually easier to service than an ICE car (in general) and no easier or harder in terms of tire repair but you have to know what you are doing. That's it, you just have to know how.
Some popular tire shops can't even properly jack a VW or a Volvo (don't ask me how I know). It comes from paying such low wages that you are guaranteed to get some of the least capable humans in the world (and then being too cheap to give them proper training).
Last edited:
StealthP3D
Well-Known Member
My observations of auto/motorcycle work over the decades leads me to believe that an academic who actually reads up on the proper procedure is miles ahead of the shade tree mechanic who has "got this". Yes, practical knowledge can be a good thing but following proper procedures is underrated.
I've seen too many jobs go south because the person doing them assumed they knew what they were doing and either didn't have the time to read up on the proper procedure (or had such poor reading skills that they couldn't).
I do my research first but then put it into practice. Well enough to have landed an engineer title at work with no school past HS. Meanwhile a huge number of our engineers who bought the title probably couldn't figure out what end of a screwdriver does what since it isn't in the manual.
StealthP3D
Well-Known Member
A lack of critical thinking skills is due to a failure of upbringing/life experience and/or a poor education. Even a person of below average intelligence can be taught good critical thinking skills. So a lack of practical ability is not an indication that good education itself is not a good thing, it more speaks to whether that person applied themselves to the necessary learning. And, yes, an intelligent and driven person can do amazing things without formal education. Look at Elon Musk - he has no degree in rocket science and yet he is a bonafide rocket scientist - more so than many with degrees in the applicable fields. Because he self-educated himself in the necessary areas and he had an upbringing and educational background that encouraged that sort of thing.
Sandollars
I bleed Cardinal
I don't know about the Costco Galactic policy but Costco where I live, and Kal-Tire, Fountain Tire... all the serious shops... if you bought tires and mounted them there, they'll do free for life flat repair... it's a competitive "must do" to get the business. I thought it would be this way everywhere but hearing differently on this thread. They'll charge about $25 if you didn't purchase from them.
When I got a simple nail puncture repair at Fountain, was told it will take both plug AND patch as a matter of course. I asked if plug was really necessary, he said it was the only way they'd do the repair, policy. By doing a plug they have to somewhat enlarge the tiny puncture hole and rough it up to get the plug in and adhere correctly. They won't do plug-only. Off comes the tire and patch on the inside too.
When I got a simple nail puncture repair at Fountain, was told it will take both plug AND patch as a matter of course. I asked if plug was really necessary, he said it was the only way they'd do the repair, policy. By doing a plug they have to somewhat enlarge the tiny puncture hole and rough it up to get the plug in and adhere correctly. They won't do plug-only. Off comes the tire and patch on the inside too.
Gridlok
Member
Too true! Had a young lad do a simple re-torque on a new set of tires, (big tire chain and old ice vehicle). But he was doing it wrong! I stopped him and taught him how. He looked at me like I was from Mars!
