Flat tire

[masam]

It appears that my MX has a major leak from one of the tires. Reading through some of the posts on this forum it looks like the tore might need to be replaced. Does anyone in the Boston area have any advice on how to proceed ?
Thanks !

 

[kort677]

get to your service center who will hopefully have the tire in stock

 

[masam]

And I assume that the only thing that can be done is to replace the tire. No repairs ?

 

[tga]

And I assume that the only thing that can be done is to replace the tire. No repairs ?

A tire can leak from 4 basic areas - (1) the rim/sidewall interface, (2) a leaking valve, (3) sidewall damage, or (4) tread damage. 1 can be anything from a dirty or bent rim, damaged tire, etc. Not likely on a new vehicle (unless you whacked a pothole hard and bent the rim). 2 is a trivial repair (replace valve stem). 3 is new tire time (can't safely fix sidewall damage). 4 can often be fixed by any competent shop (depending on the degree of damage), often for free. I would expect the service center would fix it free.

 

[kort677]

And I assume that the only thing that can be done is to replace the tire. No repairs ?

that all depends on where the damage is and which tires your car has, if you have the newer tires with the foam liners I am sorry to have to inform you that those more than likely cannot be repaired.

 

[tliving]

When I had a leak in my Model S 19" tire early on I just took it to a like tire shop and they plugged it. That was like 40K miles ago and it's been fine. Depends on the damage/issue but there's no real need to go to Tesla for basic Tire stuff if you can find a local Tire place that's reasonable. I stressed over finding one of those, but eventually found one I'm very happy about. It's way outside of Boston so I doubt that would help most people. Its Crothers Tire in Whitinsville if anyone is interested.

 

[Solarman004]

if you have the newer tires with the foam liners I am sorry to have to inform you that those more than likely cannot be repaired.

Actually, someone has posted earlier the pdf repair instructions from Continental for the ContiSilent tires with foam. It involves the repair facility removing a section of foam from the inside, then patching.
I keep a copy of these instructions in my car.
It may be true that a plug repair, keeping the tire on the wheel, won't work with the foam, but I don't know that for sure. May be worth a try as long as it is a puncture in the tread, not the sidewall.

 

[masam]

Well, turns out there's a screw in the tire. Luckily it's not in the sidewall. I might just end up taking it to a tire shop. The tires I have are the Continental Cross Sport LX Conti-Silent. These are the ones that supposedly cannot be patched. (I did find the link to the repair instructions that Solarman mentioned)

Anyone have experience with these guys : My Tire Guys - Premier Mobile Tire Shop Apparently they will come to your house and fix a flat.

Thanks !

 

[Solarman004]

View attachment 200132 Well, turns out there's a screw in the tire. Luckily it's not in the sidewall. I might just end up taking it to a tire shop. The tires I have are the Continental Cross Sport LX Conti-Silent. These are the ones that supposedly cannot be patched. (I did find the link to the repair instructions that Solarman mentioned)

Anyone have experience with these guys : My Tire Guys - Premier Mobile Tire Shop Apparently they will come to your house and fix a flat.

Thanks !

@masam , this looks repairable. Good luck and don't forget to set the car in "Jack Mode" before the Tire Guys try and lift it. Please report back on the results.

 

[masam]

@Solarman004 Thanks for mentioning the "Jack Mode" - I had not known about it

To report on my experience - Jack from "My Tire Guys" (My Tire Guys - Premier Mobile Tire Shop) came to my house and patched the tire. He was very professional and has worked on the Tesla Model S. He knew about putting the car in "Jack Mode" (again, something I had no idea about until I read about it here). Took around 45 minutes for the whole thing. It would probably have been faster had it not been for the foam lined tires. After ~50 miles of driving, the tire is holding up just fine - Tire pressure is still up to spec and the car feels just like it did before the tire was punctured. He's definitely the one I'm going to call next time I have any tire issues. Can't beat the convenience and the great service.

 

[Solarman004]

@Solarman004 Thanks for mentioning the "Jack Mode" - I had not known about it

To report on my experience - Jack from "My Tire Guys" (My Tire Guys - Premier Mobile Tire Shop) came to my house and patched the tire. He was very professional and has worked on the Tesla Model S. He knew about putting the car in "Jack Mode" (again, something I had no idea about until I read about it here). Took around 45 minutes for the whole thing. It would probably have been faster had it not been for the foam lined tires. After ~50 miles of driving, the tire is holding up just fine - Tire pressure is still up to spec and the car feels just like it did before the tire was punctured. He's definitely the one I'm going to call next time I have any tire issues. Can't beat the convenience and the great service.

So, did he plug the tire without removing it from the wheel, or did he remove the tire and patch from the inside?
Sounds like a great company. I'm glad it worked out for you without replacing the tire.

 

[masam]

He removed it from the wheel and patched it from the inside. Had to take some of the foam out as posted on the instructions found on this forum. He did confirm with Continent independently that it could be done

 

[travwill]

Another reference point for anyone with a flat that needs a new tire.

$487 here in Chicago, from Tesla, to replace one rear tire that was punctured. Ouch, but they did a good job with free towing to SC and service as usual.