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Model 3 has no spare tire

Discussion in 'Model 3' started by jumper4000, Jan 15, 2019.

  1. Daniel in SD

    Daniel in SD Well-Known Member

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    It boggles the mind that people think it's ok to have a flat tire require a trip to the service center and more than 4 hours of your time. But yeah I wouldn't expect Tesla to change. They seem completely incapable of stocking parts.
     
    • Like x 2
  2. alt7070

    alt7070 Member

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    I've heard that you can plug a leak in both front & rear tires w/o jacking up the car. It seems like this is possible (although awkward if it's the rear wheel close to the centerline of the car). Any feedback? I'm thinking of getting the Porsche scissor jack mentioned in another thread if necessary, but haven't pulled the trigger... TIA.
     
  3. Dana1

    Dana1 Supporting Member

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    Yeah, you squeeze the goo in, it should seek the hole. Inflate with air compressor. It’s a very temp fix just to get to tire shop, home, SC, whatever.
     
  4. Glamisduner

    Glamisduner Active Member

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    Does slime work with the foam in the tires?
     
  5. YisSerL

    YisSerL Member

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    They gave me 2 spare tires when I pick up the car at delivery. I must have yours?
     
    • Funny x 5
  6. alt7070

    alt7070 Member

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    Sorry, should have mentioned I have a plug kit (like this one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G252DCC). My main concern is accessing the leak with the tools. For the fronts, I figure I can roll forward and steer appropriately to expose it, but for the back, it will require some stretching. I'll probably do a dry run to see how bad it is and buy a scissor jack if necessary.

    I've heard that they don't work well with tires that have noise reducing foam -- even though Tesla sells a compressor with "slime" in it. Looks like it may ruin the tire? I personally wouldn't use it.
     
  7. EVnut

    EVnut DARΞLL

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    Yeah, I've heard some bad reports. Thinking through the process needed for the goo to work, I have to imagine that the foam is in the way.
     
    • Like x 1
  8. T34ME

    T34ME Active Member

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    Hot -diggity, we got us a winner here! [​IMG]
     
  9. T34ME

    T34ME Active Member

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    So what's the big deal? How old are you?
     
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  10. Glamisduner

    Glamisduner Active Member

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    After my flat, and despite getting good service. I decided to buy a second VIAIR 88P (I keep one in my UTV too), A bag for it, some LED flares, Some Slime Rubber Cement (it dries up once you open the bottle to plug a tire), and some more needle nose to pull nails and to keep in the car.

    $150 later damn....
     
  11. Atari2600

    Atari2600 Active Member

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  12. Trevor B

    Trevor B Active Member

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    #92 Trevor B, Jan 16, 2019
    Last edited: Jan 16, 2019
    Indeed. He comes off as an overly pompous and entitled whiner.

    And yet Tesla is outselling Mercedes ...

    It's not like you were in the middle of nowhere ... get a life and move on.
     
  13. Glamisduner

    Glamisduner Active Member

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    That's a fancy tire kit, no rubber cement though? The 88P does not auto shut off like others but gets the job done quickly... While cig plug or battery operated are easier, I hate poping fusing or having issues with cigarette plugs and don't trust myself to keep the batteries charged. On the downside I'd have to connect it to the 12v battery though, but the hose is pretty dang long.
     
  14. Atari2600

    Atari2600 Active Member

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    I have never had a leak without the rubber cement, whatever is on those strips seems to work. edit: and some of these tires I kept for years after plugging them.

    The air compressor has three power sources
    • 3 power sources for inflation on a jobsite and on the go (20-Volt MAX battery, 12-Volt DC or 110-Volt AC)
    I have two batteries I keep in a lipo bag because I hate cords that much. I bought all my Dewalt tools when they had a get a tool get a free battery sale so I own way too many batteries.
     
  15. Daniel in SD

    Daniel in SD Well-Known Member

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    Mercedes sold more than 2 million vehicles last year. This forum has more fake news than Facebook.
     
    • Disagree x 1
  16. Trevor B

    Trevor B Active Member

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    • Disagree x 1
  17. Daniel in SD

    Daniel in SD Well-Known Member

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    * in the US, not worldwide
    Also Mercedes sells a ridiculous number of vehicles built on the same platform that count as different models. People are cross shopping the Model 3 with a big variety of vehicles because it’s the best EV.

    The point is that if you’re not going to include a spare which you can change in 10 minutes then you better have a system better than Tesla’s current system. I’m 99% sure that if I go in to a Tesla showroom and ask about the lack of spare they’ll say it’s no problem because roadside assistance will bring you one. They won’t say you’ll have to wait 3.5 hours to get your car towed and then be out of a car for day and then waste your time at a service center.
     
    • Like x 4
    • Love x 1
  18. jumper4000

    jumper4000 Member

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    THANK YOU! Exactly! All these people saying I'm acting entitled because I'm complaining about waiting for 3.5 hrs for them to get to me, and then having my car towed overnight, and then having to Uber to work, and dealing with all sorts of nonsense, all because of an insanely common issue like a flat tire, are working against their own interest. By saying this sort of service is acceptable, they're enabling Tesla to behave even worse. If you're going to take the spare tire away, then ur alternative solution should at least be somewhat comparable. I was close to home, so it didn't turn out to be too horrible, but if you're far away and something like this happens, you're totally screwed.

    By the way, maybe some of you guys that are super active here know Teslas don't have spares, but I asked three other people at work today who've had their Teslas MUCH longer than I have, and 2 of them had no idea their cars have no spare. The other person thought the car has run-flat tires, which it obviously doesn't.
     
    • Like x 3
    • Disagree x 1
    • Funny x 1
  19. jumper4000

    jumper4000 Member

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    Caaaaalm down, princess. What if I was stuck in the middle of nowhere, and what if you were, and what if someone's wife, kid, or mother was?? It's ridiculous that you and some other people think it's acceptable to wait 3.5 hrs for Tesla to get to you and then be without a car for almost 24 hours over a measly flat tire. According to yourself, this is supposed to be a luxury car (barely). What kind of ridiculous service is that for a luxury car? I'm sure even if I rented one of those little scooters off the corner of a street and got stranded somewhere, they'd get to me faster than Tesla.
     
    • Funny x 4
    • Disagree x 2
  20. chronopc

    chronopc Active Member

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    • Like x 3

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