Tesla service center will not NOT install aftermarket wheels

[Allante]

Those of you who have TSportline or other aftermarket rims, where did you go to have them installed? My Tesla store in Washington, DC refused to do this, and I can't fathom the idea of going to a Merchant's Tire and Auto Center type of place to do this.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

 

[systemcrashed]

Most high-end tire shops have a Road Force Balancer, this and an experienced technician is all that is needed. Just put the suspension in Jack Mode before lifting it.

 

[Allante]

Most high-end tire shops have a Road Force Balancer, this and an experienced technician is all that is needed. Just put the suspension in Jack Mode before lifting it.

Thanks. Any examples of high end tire store? Around Washington DC, we have places such as Sears, Merchants, Goodyear stores, but I don't know of any high end stores. How would I go about finding one?

 

[balefire]

High end tire stores are usu small mom and pop shops that often cater to racers. For big chain stores, Firestone has worked well for me. I would look to see if teenagers or adults are techs back there

 

[systemcrashed]

Give them a call first and check that they have a Road Force Balancer then ask when their senior tech will be there.

 

[Allante]

Thank you both for your excellent advice.

 

[Juan Burgundy]

Have you asked TSportline if they have any recommended installers?

 

[Zroiron]

Those of you who have TSportline or other aftermarket rims, where did you go to have them installed? My Tesla store in Washington, DC refused to do this, and I can't fathom the idea of going to a Merchant's Tire and Auto Center type of place to do this.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Ask Tirerack if they can recommend someone in your area.

 

[mjeagent]

I use Abe with Designo Motoring in Sterling, VA. He does all of the auto work for Skins, Wizards and Caps players so you know you can trust him. He does everything in house - wheels, xpel, wraps, sound, etc. Tell him Esposito sent you and he will take care of you.

 

[XHokie]

Those of you who have TSportline or other aftermarket rims, where did you go to have them installed? My Tesla store in Washington, DC refused to do this, and I can't fathom the idea of going to a Merchant's Tire and Auto Center type of place to do this.

Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

@Allante Did you ever find a reliable place to get your wheels installed? I just ordered a set of TSportline wheels and would like recommendations on where to get them installed, as our local Tesla Service Centers do not install aftermarket wheels. I'm going to check out Designo Motoring in Sterling based on the recommendation above, but if you have found any other places that have experience with Teslas, could you please let me know?

TIA!

 

[Allante]

@Allante Did you ever find a reliable place to get your wheels installed? I just ordered a set of TSportline wheels and would like recommendations on where to get them installed, as our local Tesla Service Centers do not install aftermarket wheels. I'm going to check out Designo Motoring in Sterling based on the recommendation above, but if you have found any other places that have experience with Teslas, could you please let me know?

TIA!

@XHokie -- yes I found a great place, which coincidentally Tesla also uses when necessary for overflow work: Executive Tire, 750 E Gude Dr, Rockville, MD 20850, (301) 294-8820. They have more experience doing tire/wheel work on Teslas than anyone else with whom I spoke, including Designo. If you want to shop around in your area, be sure to verify whether a shop is being honest about its experience working on Teslas. The shop should be familiar with how to put the car in "Jack Mode," as well as Tesla's recommendation to manually tighten lug nuts instead of using an impact wrench. Almost everyone with whom I spoke failed one or both of these tests, except Executive Tire.

Are you planning to keep the OEM wheels for winter/summer use? If so, you will need to purchase a second set of TPMS sensors from Tesla ($200). The hard part is finding a shop to program them. Fortunately Executive Tire can do this, but very few others can.

Good luck!

 

[goneskiian]

The hard part is finding a shop to program them. Fortunately Executive Tire can do this, but very few others can.

Good luck!

Program them? I was under the impression that the car will just see the new sensors after a few miles of driving and connect to them. No need to have them programmed.

 

[Canuck]

If so, you will need to purchase a second set of TPMS sensors from Tesla ($200). The hard part is finding a shop to program them. Fortunately Executive Tire can do this, but very few others can.

I didn't buy the Tesla ones for my winter rims and tires. I only bought the centre caps from Tesla, 1010Tires sold me compatible ones that work just fine. The vehicle also programs them (its in the settings and takes about 5 to 10 minutes of driving). You just need to make sure that you get the correct version of compatible sensors depending on your VIN number since Tesla changed the TPMS sensors in late 2014. I got estimates from both Kal-Tire and 1010Tires up here and they both knew about Tesla sensors, asked for my VIN (after 56000 the sensors changed) and they both quoted me the compatible ones rather than Tesla's ones.

 

[Allante]

Program them? I was under the impression that the car will just see the new sensors after a few miles of driving and connect to them. No need to have them programmed.

@goneskiian -- The Tesla service center rep told me that they need reprogramming, which he claimed requires "specialized software and hardware." He said he would charge me one hour of labor to do it, or $150.

But a Google search confirms exactly what you said -- I should just reset the sensors from the touch screen, and in a few miles of driving, the new sensors will be picked up.

I hope this is just a case of an honest mistake by an uninformed Tesla service rep, and not something more serious.

 

[XHokie]

@XHokie -- yes I found a great place, which coincidentally Tesla also uses when necessary for overflow work: Executive Tire, 750 E Gude Dr, Rockville, MD 20850, (301) 294-8820. They have more experience doing tire/wheel work on Teslas than anyone else with whom I spoke, including Designo. If you want to shop around in your area, be sure to verify whether a shop is being honest about its experience working on Teslas. The shop should be familiar with how to put the car in "Jack Mode," as well as Tesla's recommendation to manually tighten lug nuts instead of using an impact wrench. Almost everyone with whom I spoke failed one or both of these tests, except Executive Tire.

Are you planning to keep the OEM wheels for winter/summer use? If so, you will need to purchase a second set of TPMS sensors from Tesla ($200). The hard part is finding a shop to program them. Fortunately Executive Tire can do this, but very few others can.

Good luck!

Thank you @Allante !! I am planning to keep the OEM wheels, but not sure if I will swap them out during other seasons. I'm hoping to use the gloss black ones I got from TSportline year around. Do you not recommend doing that or was the only reason you were asking due to the second set of TPMS sensors I would need to get?

 

[goneskiian]

@goneskiian -- The Tesla service center rep told me that they need reprogramming, which he claimed requires "specialized software and hardware." He said he would charge me one hour of labor to do it, or $150.

But a Google search confirms exactly what you said -- I should just reset the sensors from the touch screen, and in a few miles of driving, the new sensors will be picked up.

I hope this is just a case of an honest mistake by an uninformed Tesla service rep, and not something more serious.

That's what service folks tend to do I'm afraid. I know Elon has said he doesn't want Tesla Service Centers to be like other car dealerships and be a profit center, but he would have to be an idiot not to have them at least cover their costs plus a little bit. Besides, he as to hire folks with auto service knowledge and they come from tradition auto service backgrounds.

Then again, I think they actually made a software change at some point in the last year or so that allowed the sensors to be updated by the user. I remember reading about early Model S folks having to get them reprogrammed at the SvC. Perhaps the tech you talked to wasn't aware of this software update.

 

[dmd2005]

I swap my rims/tires myself on both my Model S's and it only takes about 1.5 hours to swap both cars. Make sure you have a good torque wrench/ratchet to properly torque lugs to specs. When you drive for about 5 minutes after the swap, a message on my S appears and asks if the swapped wheels are 19" or 21". I have a set of 20" aftermarket wheels and aftermarket non-Tesla senors and I just select 21" and the vehicle recognizes the tpms. The diff between 19" and 21" selected is that the monitoring system requires a higher tire pressure in the larger wheel/tire combo than the smaller set...I had to air up past 40 lbs for the tpms warning lights to go off with the 21" set. When I ran the 21" at 38 lbs the tpms warning light came on.

Select the size and the tpms will be automatically sense the new swapped wheels. You don't need to hook up to any OBD tire pressure module to reset the sensors.

Pretty basic if you are able to operate a hydraulic jack, torque wrench and lift approximately 50 pounds (much lighter than my 100 lbs truck wheels).

 

[Allante]

Thank you @Allante !! I am planning to keep the OEM wheels, but not sure if I will swap them out during other seasons. I'm hoping to use the gloss black ones I got from TSportline year around. Do you not recommend doing that or was the only reason you were asking due to the second set of TPMS sensors I would need to get?

I recommend keeping both sets of wheels. My initial plan was the same as your current plan -- keep one set of wheels and do seasonal tire swaps, and sell the OEMs for $1200. But after adding up the costs of mounting and balancing twice per year, over 7 years I determined it was cheaper to keep both sets of wheels and simply switch them during the winter/summer. Some folks also think there is greater risk of rim/tire damage by mounting/balancing twice each year.

 

[Allante]

@dmd2005 -- in the Vehicle -- Settings menu, do you have an option to "Reset TPMS"? Many S owners here have stated that like you, they also swap wheels, and they reset the TPMS each time. Unfortunately, my X does not have that option. Wondering if that means that Tesla does, in fact, have to program the new sensors the first time they are used.

 

[dmd2005]

@dmd2005 -- in the Vehicle -- Settings menu, do you have an option to "Reset TPMS"? Many S owners here have stated that like you, they also swap wheels, and they reset the TPMS each time. Unfortunately, my X does not have that option. Wondering if that means that Tesla does, in fact, have to program the new sensors the first time they are used.

Yes, there is a service reset section in the control menu you can manually reset the tpms on the Model S. I have Tesla and non-Tesla rims for my Model S's and never needed Tesla service to program the tpms to the car.

I just ordered a set of 20" TST Gloss Black wheels and tires package from TSportline with the Black Friday discount for my Model X being delivered 2017 Q1. I'm hoping that the Model X will just recognize new sensors are on the vehicle if there is no tpms reset option in the service menu section. I'll email TSportline and ask how Model X recognizes the tpms and if they need to be programmed or not.