Tesla Roadside Assistance Does Not Have Loaner Wheels For The Y

[Nakk]

Warning for Y owners in the Portland area: Tesla roadside assistance has no loaner wheels for the Y in the area. (Do they have them anywhere yet?) Got a flat yesterday after hitting a pothole. Sidewall puncture so no fix. Four hours from flat tire to assistance arriving in Portland. Tesla RA told me help would reach me in an hour with a loaner wheel. 50 minutes later I got a text that help was almost there and to stay by the car. 40 minutes after that I texted back to see where help was. Turns out they didn't have a loaner wheel yet for the Y so they decided not to come. WTF? Four hours after flatting the tow truck finally shows up. What really sucks is that if they would have just told me they didn't have a loaner wheel, I could have called a tire shop and had their mobile service replace the tire and I would have been on my way. By the time they decided to tell me, the tire shops were closed-until Monday. So they towed the car to my house where it sits with a flat.

Lesson learned. At least carry a plug kit to get you moving. No, you shouldn't count on a plug in the sidewall. But you could find yourself in a situation where that's your only option. If I had to use it, I'd keep my speed under 25 mph. But at least I'd be moving.

 

[secondclaw]

What type of tire was it ? I have hit potholes many times on my 17" mercury Mariner SUV and the only issues I ever had were road nails from nearby construction. Are tires that Tesla is using thinner?

 

[Nakk]

What type of tire was it ? I have hit potholes many times on my 17" mercury Mariner SUV and the only issues I ever had were road nails from nearby construction. Are tires that Tesla is using thinner?

The Model Y PUP tires are 255/35-21 in front, so yes, those are much shorter sidewalls.

 

[Reeler]

Many car brands are including roadside assistance. My daughter had a similar experience in her Mitsubishi PHEV. Ended up calling AAA who had it flat-bedded to a tire shop in minutes. Just a sales gimmick now and not to be relied upon.

 

[newtnyc]

Trying it in this thread since it is somewhat relevant. Have a nail in the tire and Service Center has to order one - who know when that comes. Car can be driven - gets down to about 35PSI and I refill. Is there any way to get a new 19" tire soon? Am in the tri-state area.

 

[ScotteZ]

Trying it in this thread since it is somewhat relevant. Have a nail in the tire and Service Center has to order one - who know when that comes. Car can be driven - gets down to about 35PSI and I refill. Is there any way to get a new 19" tire soon? Am in the tri-state area.

You might have a tire shop look at it and do a plug / patch if possible. I took a nail in my BMW shortly after getting it - BMW wanted me to buy a new tire since they didn't repair tires ($1000). My tire shop plugged it for $35 and all was fine after that.

 

[newtnyc]

Thanks. Do you know if these are run flat for the 19inch Gemini?

 

[Pilot1226]

You could also try one of those modern spare solutions for this type of thing.

 

[acarney]

The Model Y PUP tires are 255/35-21 in front, so yes, those are much shorter sidewalls.

Whelp, could have called that one. This was literally what kept me from stretching the budget to a Performance vehicle. Those damn Uberturbines; between the summer only tires that come with it and the size I just couldn't justify buying the car and immediately needing to buy a second set of wheels for winter tires (~$3k from a 3rd party) and then probably buy another set with all season or summers because I don't want to be on a road trip and destroy a tire or wheel on a pothole. I shopped around a little trying to sell the Uberturbines brand new for the cost of some TSPortline wheels and tires (so $3k) and people kinda laughed at me with that price and said they were closer to $2k.

Buy a new more expensive car and then have to spend more for wheels and tires, no thanks. If Tesla offered a 19 inch wheel I probably would have an order for a Performance right now rather than the LR....

 

[newtnyc]

So, these tires - at least the Continental 255/45 R19 104W are not patchable. They have some sort of noise insulating foam on the inside - got a first hand look. Do not even know if these are available in the market for purchase. Service center ordered them since they have none, and until then, have to make do. The nail is small and the tire just needs air frequently. This is not ideal.

 

[acarney]

Trying it in this thread since it is somewhat relevant. Have a nail in the tire and Service Center has to order one - who know when that comes. Car can be driven - gets down to about 35PSI and I refill. Is there any way to get a new 19" tire soon? Am in the tri-state area.

Certainly have a tire shop look at it. Most things like that can be patched unless it's on the edge of the wheel near the sidewall. You don't want to be on the middle of a drive to the store or something and have drastic pressure loss where you have to pull over on the side of a busy road or freeway. Feel lucky that it was a slow leak that didn't leave you stuck somewhere.... now don't tempt fate by putting yourself in that position over and over again. Shop around some local shops to see if they can fix it, or cough up the money to order another tire in, TireRack probably can get it to you in 3 days or less and then you can have any tire shop mount it.

 

[acarney]

So, these tires - at least the Continental 255/45 R19 104W are not patchable. They have some sort of noise insulating foam on the inside - got a first hand look. Do not even know if these are available in the market for purchase. Service center ordered them since they have none, and until then, have to make do. The nail is small and the tire just needs air frequently. This is not ideal.

Have you asked a shop about patching it? It doesn't seem like rocket science...

Repairing ContiSilent Tires with Quiet Foam – TechLink.

I would assume this is pretty much the same industry wide... it's just some foam that is probably spray glued to the inside of the tire. As long as a large chunk isn't thrown away or crumbled apart as they pull it out I doubt it would cause the tire to be unbalanced too much, and a proper mount/balance should be able to correct for any minor balance issues...

Edit: TireRack could get this to me (in Washington state) by Tuesday if I ordered one now. It's comes from Sparks, NV so if you're on the East Coast maybe Wed/Thur for you. If Tesla can't tell you how quick they can get it in, maybe it's worth ordering from TireRack instead...
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tire...020&autoModel=Model Y Long Range&autoModClar=

 

[frankvb]

Thanks. Do you know if these are run flat for the 19inch Gemini?

None of the OEM tires (19/20/21") are run-flat.

 

[acarney]

Most manufacturers also recommend replacing the run-flat tire if you drive on it with very low pressure or completely flat. The forces involved can damage the tire and leave it unsafe when driving afterwards. So while run-flats might be nice in the sense that you aren't stuck on the side of the road or maybe limp to your destination on a road trip, they're not really "money savers" in the sense that you just keep fixing the tire and jumping back on the road. As long as you're in an area with decent cell service, I would probably opt to have normal tires and just call for a tow to a tire shop if you have an issue. Now if you're heading to remote areas like a national park, camping, the mountains, etc, then maybe run-flat would make the trip better in peace of mind that you won't be stuck on the side of the road somewhere.

 

[newtnyc]

Have you asked a shop about patching it? It doesn't seem like rocket science...

Repairing ContiSilent Tires with Quiet Foam – TechLink.

I would assume this is pretty much the same industry wide... it's just some foam that is probably spray glued to the inside of the tire. As long as a large chunk isn't thrown away or crumbled apart as they pull it out I doubt it would cause the tire to be unbalanced too much, and a proper mount/balance should be able to correct for any minor balance issues...

Edit: TireRack could get this to me (in Washington state) by Tuesday if I ordered one now. It's comes from Sparks, NV so if you're on the East Coast maybe Wed/Thur for you. If Tesla can't tell you how quick they can get it in, maybe it's worth ordering from TireRack instead...
https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Continental&tireModel=ProContact+RX&partnum=545WR9PCRXXLCOSI&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Tesla&autoYear=2020&autoModel=Model Y Long Range&autoModClar=

THANK YOU!!!! This is hugely helpful. I am going to a different tire shop tomorrow, and will actually show them the video. Finding the tire to help someone on a forum is far beyond the call of duty or discretion. Tesla has no idea when the tire comes. If I have to replace it, at least I can order tomorrow and get it in predictably.

 

[acarney]

THANK YOU!!!! This is hugely helpful. I am going to a different tire shop tomorrow, and will actually show them the video. Finding the tire to help someone on a forum is far beyond the call of duty or discretion. Tesla has no idea when the tire comes. If I have to replace it, at least I can order tomorrow and get it in predictably.

TireRack is great with tires, absolutely great. I've ordered winter tires from them and replacement all season tires for years and they always show up pretty quick and have pretty good prices. They have user generated feedback ratings for each tire but what I love is that select tires they will actually test with the same car and same in house drivers, so you can see which tire stops in a shorter distance in the wet or snow etc. Spend some free time looking around the site one day before you need to order tires or if you think about getting winter tires. Just be sure to call your local tire shop first to make sure they'll mount and balance the tires for you if you bought them from online. Most shops should, but I've had a couple bitch about it (probably because they want to sell the me the same tire for +$100/each). Discount Tire has mounted them no problem for me though and are reasonable, ~$100 for a set of four mounted and balanced.


(I don't work at TireRack and I'm not sponsored by them or anything, just seriously have been buying tires from them for years for two or three family cars and never have been disappointed with shipping times or prices, lol)

 

[EggyB]

So, these tires - at least the Continental 255/45 R19 104W are not patchable. They have some sort of noise insulating foam on the inside - got a first hand look. Do not even know if these are available in the market for purchase. Service center ordered them since they have none, and until then, have to make do. The nail is small and the tire just needs air frequently. This is not ideal.

I just found a screw in one of my tires (20” inductions) yesterday and plugged it using a basic kit, which seemed to fix it. I drove to work today (90 km return) and didn’t have any problems and no apparent issues with the balancing. Hopefully I am not in for some kind of future disaster, but I’m not planning to do anything else...

 

[newtnyc]

TireRack is great with tires, absolutely great. I've ordered winter tires from them and replacement all season tires for years and they always show up pretty quick and have pretty good prices. They have user generated feedback ratings for each tire but what I love is that select tires they will actually test with the same car and same in house drivers, so you can see which tire stops in a shorter distance in the wet or snow etc. Spend some free time looking around the site one day before you need to order tires or if you think about getting winter tires. Just be sure to call your local tire shop first to make sure they'll mount and balance the tires for you if you bought them from online. Most shops should, but I've had a couple bitch about it (probably because they want to sell the me the same tire for +$100/each). Discount Tire has mounted them no problem for me though and are reasonable, ~$100 for a set of four mounted and balanced.


(I don't work at TireRack and I'm not sponsored by them or anything, just seriously have been buying tires from them for years for two or three family cars and never have been disappointed with shipping times or prices, lol)

They just made a fan out of me - thanks to you. Chatted with someone on their portal, and the they will get it to me by Tuesday if I actually need it, or cancel the order if it hasn't shipped in case I can get it fixed. Thanks again.

 

[newtnyc]

I just found a screw in one of my tires (20” inductions) yesterday and plugged it using a basic kit, which seemed to fix it. I drove to work today (90 km return) and didn’t have any problems and no apparent issues with the balancing. Hopefully I am not in for some kind of future disaster, but I’m not planning to do anything else...

Guys I went to today did not seem confident that patching was a good solution. The nail in my tire is close to the outer tread. I will try the patch solution at a different place again tomorrow.

 

[acarney]

I just found a screw in one of my tires (20” inductions) yesterday and plugged it using a basic kit, which seemed to fix it. I drove to work today (90 km return) and didn’t have any problems and no apparent issues with the balancing. Hopefully I am not in for some kind of future disaster, but I’m not planning to do anything else...

Still go to a tire shop and have it correctly fixed. It should be removed from the wheel and patched from the INSIDE. I believe they basically volcanize the rubber and adhere a one piece plug and patch so the patch on the inside is air tight and the plug on the outside is sealing the tire from water and road grim. Last I had a tire repaired it was like less than $50 and took maybe 45 minutes or less. Tires are the most important safety feature of a car. They are literally the only thing touching the ground. The best brakes, reaction time, driving skill, etc goes out the window if your tires suck or if you have a blow out/flat. Spend the time and money to make sure the car is as safe as can be with the tires.