No spare tire caused a huge inconvenience

[slave0418]

Never (before Tesla 3) in my life i did drive a car without a spare tire, always had one or self made one. In most recent one (Camry V6) I did replace a small spare with full size one and sold it with it. In my previous life in the USSR we had tires with inner tubes. On one of my 800 miles trips I had 6 spare inner tubes, I used ALL of them and last 200 miles was driving on spare tire

. We did not have any road service over there then. For my 28 years in in the USA I never had flat tire on road trips (some of them over 2000 miles one way). But just yesterday I have ordered "Modern Spare" (it is cheaper to buy tire direct from them -$280+ $45 shipping) and now I feel much happier since I purchased Tesla 3 in August 2019. ...............................P.S. ...So, now I have all of those in my car on long trips- spare, Porshe Scissor lift, lift pads, Wrench, sockets, compressor, repair kit).

 

[OCR1]

How do you deal with roadside assistance requirements after the four year warranty expires?

 

[tvad]

How do you deal with roadside assistance requirements after the four year warranty expires?

AAA Premier (or similar through auto insurance).
Modern Spare for Tesla.
Tire Plug Kit.
Portable 12v Air Compressor.
Combination of the above.

 

[OCR1]

AAA Premier (or similar through auto insurance).
Modern Spare for Tesla.
Tire Plug Kit.
Portable 12v Air Compressor.
Combination of the above.

Yup, I guess that’s about all your can do. It would be nice if Tesla offered a subscription service for roadside assistance after the warranty expires.

Probably need to add a few hockey pucks to the list as well.

 

[tvad]

Yup, I guess that’s about all your can do. It would be nice if Tesla offered a subscription service for roadside assistance after the warranty expires.

Probably need to add a few hockey pucks to the list as well.

I don't know of any manufacturer that offers subscription roadside service after warranty. Even if they did, it'd be subcontracted to towing companies that contract with AAA.

Once when I called Porsche roadside service (while under warranty), the towing company truck had a big AAA sign painted on the doors.

 

[OCR1]

I don't know of any manufacturer that offers subscription roadside service after warranty. Even if they did, it'd be subcontracted to towing companies that contract with AAA.

Once when I called Porsche roadside service (while under warranty), the towing company truck had a big AAA sign painted on the doors.

I’ve never used roadside service from Lexus, Mercedes or BMW even though I’ve had all of them available to me. The only reason I care about the Tesla service is they keep loaner tires around. Buying a modern spare is a no big deal, but committing to keeping it in my trunk and taking up space is not ideal. When I go to Costco to shop I need all the space I can get. I just don’t want to give up that much space to a spare tire. This is the first time I’ve had a car without a spare so it is a new experience for me.

 

[tvad]

I’ve never used roadside service from Lexus, Mercedes or BMW even though I’ve had all of them available to me. The only reason I care about the Tesla service is they keep loaner tires around. Buying a modern spare is a no big deal, but committing to keeping it in my trunk and taking up space is not ideal. When I go to Costco to shop I need all the space I can get. I just don’t want to give up that much space to a spare tire. This is the first time I’ve had a car without a spare so it is a new experience for me.

I understand completely. Aren’t you an owner who keeps a spare wheel/tire at home? This seems like a good alternative for relatively close tire problems...being towed home.

 

[Skotty]

Even if your Tesla had a spare your situation wouldn't have been much different. Almost all spares now are limited service spares for short distances at low speeds, enough to get you to a tire shop. You still would have run into the same issue of no replacement tire being available locally to get you back on your way. Sure you might have saved the wait for the tow truck, but that would be about it.

That's just because of CYA. Sure, you have no spare when using the spare, and vehicle performance is compromised and not as safe. But you can generally run on a pancake spare for far far longer than recommended without any critical failures. My redneck brothers and sisters in Missouri prove it on a regular basis.

 

[dmurphy]

That's just because of CYA. Sure, you have no spare when using the spare, and vehicle performance is compromised and not as safe. But you can generally run on a pancake spare for far far longer than recommended without any critical failures. My redneck brothers and sisters in Missouri prove it on a regular basis.

Depends - I remember blowing out a donut in 1/2 mile after blowing out a regular tire. Thankfully, I had yet another donut stuffed in the basement back then.

These days, not so much ... my last several vehicles haven't had a spare either.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

I’ve never used roadside service from Lexus, Mercedes or BMW even though I’ve had all of them available to me. The only reason I care about the Tesla service is they keep loaner tires around. Buying a modern spare is a no big deal, but committing to keeping it in my trunk and taking up space is not ideal. When I go to Costco to shop I need all the space I can get. I just don’t want to give up that much space to a spare tire. This is the first time I’ve had a car without a spare so it is a new experience for me.

I leave the tools in the trunk and keep the Modern Spare at home. If I am at the store and I get a flat, it's not hard to get a hold of the spare, even if I have to Uber it or ask a family member to bring it in its handy bag. I would rather do that than wait for roadside assistance.

For road trips, it goes in the trunk.

 

[tvad]

I leave the tools in the trunk and keep the Modern Spare at home. If I am at the store and I get a flat, it's not hard to get a hold of the spare, even if I have to Uber it or ask a family member to bring it in its handy bag. I would rather do that than wait for roadside assistance.

For road trips, it goes in the trunk.

Using a ride share service to bring a spare is a clever idea.

 

[OCR1]

I understand completely. Aren’t you an owner who keeps a spare wheel/tire at home? This seems like a good alternative for relatively close tire problems...being towed home.

Yes, I keep two spares in my garage so for local flats I’m somewhat covered. The problem is on road trips. I’m always debating whether to throw a spare in the trunk and lose all that space or take my chances. I probably over analyze it but I don’t like worrying about it.

When I was on a road trip to the Bay Area last weekend I got a low pressure warning on one tire. I was able to add air at the Tesla Supercharger in Kettleman City but there was no dial on the machine so I just had to guess how much air I needed. I needed up overfilling it by about 5 psi assuming the TPSMS sensor was accurate, so I found myself pulling over to the side of the ride, letting some air out, then driving a few miles and waiting for the new reading on the TPMS sensor, and then repeating this three different times until I got it right.

That’s what prompted me to purchase a rechargeable tire inflator and a high end tire pressure gauge, which I now keep in my frunk.

 

[tvad]

^ Road trip + no spare = no bueno

 

[BobAbooey]

Tesla Roadside Assistance offers wheel loaners - at least for the Model S. I don’t see why it wouldn’t be available for the Model 3 as well.

Basically, Tesla Roadside Assistance will find a local tow company that will drive out to you with a spare wheel and tire. You then just have to bring your wheel back to a local SC after your personal fire is repaired or replaced to return the loaner wheel.

It’s odd no one mentioned this as an option for you. Would have been the best way to address your situation.

last night thats what happened in with my 3, I wish now that i just put the flat tire in the truck of my car so i could get it fixed locally. Tesla is telling me i have to wait for a service appointment the first is Feb 12th...