Frustrating experience at Discount Tire - HELP!

[SammichLover]

I took my M3 to Tesla and they wanted $75. I said no thanks and haven't yet decided on where I will take it now since this forum has scared me. I did order jack pads (per the recommendation earlier in the thread) and received them the other day, so I am grateful to have learned I need them and will always stow them in the trunk.

Having your own pads help a lot. A great prop that help legitimize "let me show you where to jack it up".

So you have a full set of 4? That should allow the shops to use a lift, as long as it has adequate clearance for you to drive onto it and for the corners on the lift to get under the jack pads.

 

[Glamisduner]

I take the wheels off my car and take them to the tire shop to get mounted and balanced. Maximum paranoia


You're assuming that the battery has support members distributed through it. Why does everyone want to lift the car from somewhere other than the jack points? It's not that complicated...

nice, I would have to make 2 trips to the tire store though, and wait twice ouch!

 

[Daniel in SD]

nice, I would have to make 2 trips to the tire store though, and wait twice ouch!

I don't have to wait at all. I drop the tires and wheels off and then pick them up later or if they're not busy I wait once.
It does require a vehicle that can fit 4 wheels and 4 new tires though.

 

[AOK1]

Having your own pads help a lot. A great prop that help legitimize "let me show you where to jack it up".

So you have a full set of 4? That should allow the shops to use a lift, as long as it has adequate clearance for you to drive onto it and for the corners on the lift to get under the jack pads.

Yes, $29 per this link provided by RKOROMA SALE [SR] Billet Aluminum Tesla Model 3 Jack Point / Pad Adapter Tool BLACK Qty4 | eBay

 

[SammichLover]

Yes, $29 per this link provided by RKOROMA SALE [SR] Billet Aluminum Tesla Model 3 Jack Point / Pad Adapter Tool BLACK Qty4 | eBay

Thanks for the reminder. I've been meaning to order a set of those. I'll probably still pack and use my Murphy Law pad for single jack use, but I do have a place where I want to get my car up on a lift and those are lot cheaper than ordering another three Murphy Law pads.

 

[Glamisduner]

I don't have to wait at all. I drop the tires and wheels off and then pick them up later or if they're not busy I wait once.
It does require a vehicle that can fit 4 wheels and 4 new tires though.

I don't have jack-stands for the 3. I guess I could rotate in the stock wheels while I have them though.

 

[Daniel in SD]

I don't have jack-stands for the 3. I guess I could rotate in the stock wheels while I have them though.

I have a lift
I also have two sets of wheels.
I didn't say it was the most practical solution for most people. The best thing for most people is to run screaming into the service bay when they start trying to jack the car up by the battery.

 

[RedModel3]

Hey guys, don't forget that some of us are women. I don't plan to do my own rotations any time soon. But after two flats in 3 months (thank you, Nashville construction boom) I have to start looking for someplace besides Tesla for tire service before I go broke buying tires. First thing is to buy my own jack pucks, so thanks for the link.

Any suggestions for tire stores in the Nashville area who can do full tire service? And is rotation really now suggested at 10K?

 

[SageBrush]

Hey guys, don't forget that some of us are women.

Simple mechanics has long since stopped being a matter for brawn and is one of brain. Mostly leverage.

Brain deficiency is not restricted to men or women.

 

[RedModel3]

Simple mechanics has long since stopped being a matter for brawn and is one of brain. Mostly leverage.

Brain deficiency is not restricted to men or women.

No, I’m not stupid. I just don’t want to go through another rotator cuff repair. I don’t have the leverage.

 

[SageBrush]

No, I’m not stupid. I just don’t want to go through another rotator cuff repair. I don’t have the leverage.

YOU are not the leverage.

 

[SammichLover]

No, I’m not stupid. I just don’t want to go through another rotator cuff repair. I don’t have the leverage.

Ouch. Don't do it like that! Sorry to hear about the injury. But men have rotator cuffs that blow out, too. That ain't gender limited.

P.S. My mechanic's assistant is my daughter, training her up right. I look forward to the day I'm sitting in the shade of the tree sipping my mint julep while she does daddy's wheel swap all by herself.

 

[SageBrush]

P.S. My mechanic's assistant is my daughter, training her up right. I look forward to the day I'm sitting in the shade of the tree sipping my mint julep while she does daddy's wheel swap all by herself.

Good for you !

I encouraged my twins (boy and girl) to join me under the car and to use tools at every opportunity. The were mostly not interested, but it was not from any gender role nonsense.

 

[SammichLover]

Good for you !

I encouraged my twins (boy and girl) to join me under the car and to use tools at every opportunity. The were mostly not interested, but it was not from any gender role nonsense.

Yeah, my daughter was the only one that took me up on the request to join me. We'll see if it really bites in long term, but she did enjoy it and was competent at learning some new things so good chance of it.

P.S. She's also the one that has decided to label my weekend hobby "barely legal racing".

 

[RedModel3]

Oh really, I didn't mean for this to turn into a discussion about gender roles. I'm just saying that there are a lot of women, and even men, who choose not to, or cannot, rotate their own tires, for any number of reasons. My dad was a machinist, and I know my way around all sorts of tools. There are a lot of things I can do, but rotating my own tires is not what I choose to spend my time or energy on. I work with my hands (and arms) for a living, and I can't take the chance of smashing a finger or slicing a thumb.

Let's move on, shall we?

 

[SammichLover]

Let's move on, shall we?

I think we can move along just find after you consider and understand why as someone that has a daughter that has to swim through a daily sea of "women don't/can't do this" feces I found your post extremely off-putting.

My wife of course has to deal with all that on a fairly regular basis. She can fight that battle for herself, but no way I'm going to sit by and have someone re-enforce this potential-limiting nonsense with excuses when my kid is facing the fallout.

Simple as instead of "because I'm a woman" it is "because I've got a shoulder injury and don't want to risk re-injuring".

One of those works towards hurting others, closes doors for them. Please don't do that.

 

[Watts_Up]

FYI, Discount Tire damaged my Performance Model 3 back in October.
They lifted it with 4 floor jacks, but the rear passenger side slipped off (wasn't even on the lift point)
and crushed (what would normally be called the rocker panel) under the rear passenger door.
I left them instructions on the seat and talked to the crew as they pulled my car into the bay to start working on it.
I then stood outside and saw it happen.

I had to take it to a body shop and finally got it repaired about 3 1/2 months later. They paid for the repairs and a rental car for part of the time it was in the shop, but that was it...barely an apology, and no monetary refund or discount (pun intended!) on the tires. I WILL NEVER SHOP AT DISCOUNT TIRE AGAIN. Pretty sad, since that had been my go-to tire store for quite a while.

I regret the whole ordeal....I rushed my plan to put on all seasons when the weather turned cold, nearest service center is an hour away, and Tesla had no winter tire package for performance at the time. I now know that Tesla will install 3rd party wheels/tires, and I will either have them do tire/wheel stuff or do it myself (hope to get a second set of wheels to put my original summer tires on).

Well, at least they used some pad (see the 2" yellow cylinders on each picture)
but they did not center correctly the one on the rear passenger side.
I guess, there was no little knock on the top to center the pads.

My advice would be:

1. Put a white scotch tape to indicate, when you look below, the location of the lift points, which are kind of hidden.

2. Before going to a shop, I would insert my own pads and taped them to keep them tied.

I think this would have been helpful for avoiding the mentioned issue and damage.

 

[Watts_Up]

A couple of people have said they don't cross the tires when they rotate. Why not? I thought that was the usual way to do it.

Since most of the cars that I can see parked in the street have their passenger side wheels damaged when hitting a sidewalk curb,
I quite understand that you might not willing to have the driver side wheels getting the same treatment.....

 

[Watts_Up]

This is definitely something to watch out for. The one thing isn't exactly the other.
For example if they are looking for, or asking for you to engage "Jack Mode"
that's a sure sign they don't have any Model 3 experience.

Well you will have a similar situation if you need to give your Model 3 card to a valet parking instead of a key or a fob.
You might have to give a little of explanations on how to open, start the car, back up, lock the doors.

In fact the mechanic asking this question has a good point.

When you install new wheels you want to be sure that the wheel rotate normally
without making any friction noise to check for worn out bushing or bearing and so on...

When in 'Park', the front wheels can rotate freely, however the rear wheels are locked.

You could put the car in 'Neutral' to free the wheels, but a driver need to be sitting inside, which is not recommended when lifting a car.

So the alternative is to put the car in 'Transport' mode, which is ONLY accessible from the Controls > Service > Towing menu.

 

[RedModel3]

I think we can move along just find after you consider and understand why as someone that has a daughter that has to swim through a daily sea of "women don't/can't do this" feces I found your post extremely off-putting.

My wife of course has to deal with all that on a fairly regular basis. She can fight that battle for herself, but no way I'm going to sit by and have someone re-enforce this potential-limiting nonsense with excuses when my kid is facing the fallout.

Simple as instead of "because I'm a woman" it is "because I've got a shoulder injury and don't want to risk re-injuring".

One of those works towards hurting others, closes doors for them. Please don't do that.

I obviously hit a nerve for some reason, but that's certainly not what my comment was about. I'll try to read your mind in the future before responding to you to be sure I don't upset you.