Tesla Tire Repair Kit same as Slime Tire Repair Kit?

[lloyd123]

I bought a M3 a couple of months back and bought a Slime Tire Repair Kit as the Tesla Tire Repair Kit was out of stock plus the Slime kit was much cheaper. They seem very similar - at least that's what I thought at the time. But now I'm too sure as I discovered this on the Slime Q&A page:

Can Slime tire sealant be used in quiet tires? | Slime FAQs

We do not recommend installing Slime sealant into quiet tires. The tread area of a quiet tire is coated with a layer of foam. If the sealant is installed, it will be instantly absorbed into the foam, rendering it unable to reach and treat the puncture. The sealant will also likely result in tire vibrations. Additionally, there is no way to remove the sealant from the foam and the tire will likely need to be replaced.

As far as I know don't all Tesla's come with quiet foam filled tires? Does the Tesla kit use a different sealant?


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[afadeev]

Tesla doesn't sell "tire repair kits".
Part of the reason for that is that Tesla (foolishly) installs OEM tires with a layer of foam inside, to dampen the sound waves. Whether that does much good for road noise is unclear, but it definitely prevents slime from getting to the hole in case of a puncture.

Once you replace OEM tires with foam-less rubbers, you can start using slime-type repair kits.
Or better yet, get one of the Dynaplug kits that can help you now:

https://www.amazon.com/Dynaplug-Tubeless-Repair-Aluminum-Xtreme/dp/B00DSCN3E2/ref=d_pd_sim_sccl_2_4/136-8984746-7114314?pd_rd_w=yqXk9&content-id=amzn1.sym.eb616d98-73b6-4f12-8913-a35cc29165e9&pf_rd_p=eb616d98-73b6-4f12-8913-a35cc29165e9&pf_rd_r=0C34EVM71RZNJTFX5BBV&pd_rd_wg=CCPKK&pd_rd_r=47640798-2dae-446d-ba7e-231a4cb1d343&pd_rd_i=B00DSCN3E2&th=1

 

[DomDeWild]

Sorry, but now I'm confused. I bought a "Tire Repair Kit" from Tesla's website for $70. Now you're saying Tesla doesn't sell tire repair kits. If so, what's that Tesla thing with the air pump and sealant that's now in my trunk?

Tire Repair Kit

The Tire Repair Kit contains an air compressor to regularly top off your tire pressure and a one-piece sealant canister to patch punctures. Simply attach the transparent hose to the tire valve and connect the plug to your vehicle's 12V outlet to begin repairing the hole and filling the tire. The...

shop.tesla.com

 

[zoomer0056]

Sorry, but now I'm confused. I bought a "Tire Repair Kit" from Tesla's website for $70. Now you're saying Tesla doesn't sell tire repair kits. If so, what's that Tesla thing with the air pump and sealant that's now in my trunk?

Tire Repair Kit

The Tire Repair Kit contains an air compressor to regularly top off your tire pressure and a one-piece sealant canister to patch punctures. Simply attach the transparent hose to the tire valve and connect the plug to your vehicle's 12V outlet to begin repairing the hole and filling the tire. The...

shop.tesla.com

People, such as myself at times, are convinced they know everything. I have realized that I know only half of everything.

Anyway, I also bought that tire repair kit from Tesla. I had to return it because the 12V accessory plug fell apart in my hand. To the point about fix-a-flat slime. I've read many posts on TMC about flats and can't remember one that used the Tesla slime with success, or even non success. I replaced the Tesla kit with a Harbor Freight compressor and some plugs. Without direct experience, I believe the disclaimer you read for Slime would also apply to the Tesla version. It makes sense to me.

 

[Gumball]

Both kits are the same in the meaning that they are both pretty much useless.

 

[toolman335]

Just get an old school tire repair kit with a portable air compressor. I've taken out several nails in my Tesla over the years. Amazing how that technology doesn't change lol.

 

[lloyd123]

Just get an old school tire repair kit with a portable air compressor. I've taken out several nails in my Tesla over the years. Amazing how that technology doesn't change lol.

The only problem with this approach - at least when traveling away from home - is that while a Slime/Tesla repair kit wouldn't require the tire to be removed, an old school repair kit would most likely require the tire to be removed unless you were real lucky to see the actual puncture and have access to it. Removing a tire would require carrying a jack and the tools to remove the lug nuts. Tesla lug nuts are set to 129 ft/lbs so probably need a breaker bar as well.

 

[john5520]

Just get an old school tire repair kit with a portable air compressor. I've taken out several nails in my Tesla over the years. Amazing how that technology doesn't change lol.

Yep. I bought a Slime deluxe tire plugger kit (with the cement) from AutoZone and a 12-volt compressor. I have a plugged tire that's been going strong for almost a year.

The only problem with this approach - at least when traveling away from home - is that while a Slime/Tesla repair kit wouldn't require the tire to be removed, an old school repair kit would most likely require the tire to be removed unless you were real lucky to see the actual puncture and have access to it. Removing a tire would require carrying a jack and the tools to remove the lug nuts. Tesla lug nuts are set to 129 ft/lbs so probably need a breaker bar as well.

I picked up a Modern Spare tire kit (comes with a spare and a jack) and I keep the jack, 12-volt compressor, a 4-way wheel spanner (perfect for the tight lug nuts), a torque wrench, a portable led lantern, and a plug kit in the car at all times. Sounds like a lot of stuff but they all fit in the trunk cubby holes. I take the spare on long trips. I would not trust the slime sealant over a plug, and definitely not over a spare on long trips.

 

[stopcrazypp]

People, such as myself at times, are convinced they know everything. I have realized that I know only half of everything.

Anyway, I also bought that tire repair kit from Tesla. I had to return it because the 12V accessory plug fell apart in my hand. To the point about fix-a-flat slime. I've read many posts on TMC about flats and can't remember one that used the Tesla slime with success, or even non success. I replaced the Tesla kit with a Harbor Freight compressor and some plugs. Without direct experience, I believe the disclaimer you read for Slime would also apply to the Tesla version. It makes sense to me.

It's not that hard to find people using it with success. That doesn't answer the question for the OP whether the sealant is different (like for example is it formulated for tires with foam), but there are people that have used it successfully.

No Spare Tire - I Have a few Questions

Can you recommend a brand? Or do you know/remember which one you have? I suspect I will be very lucky if I can plug like you. You sound like you're in great condition; keep it up! Thanks, -TPC I have used this one successfully a few times. https://shop.tesla.com/product/tire-repair-kit...

teslamotorsclub.com

Is Tire Sealant Effective On Tires With Acoustic Foam?

I travel long distances across rural parts of the west, day and night and I don't really like the prospect of being stranded for hours on one of these trips with a simple tire puncture, so I want some way to repair the most common tire damage. After having this discussion with a Service Advisor...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[zoomer0056]

It's not that hard to find people using it with success. That doesn't answer the question for the OP whether the sealant is different (like for example is it formulated for tires with foam), but there are people that have used it successfully.

No Spare Tire - I Have a few Questions

Can you recommend a brand? Or do you know/remember which one you have? I suspect I will be very lucky if I can plug like you. You sound like you're in great condition; keep it up! Thanks, -TPC I have used this one successfully a few times. https://shop.tesla.com/product/tire-repair-kit...

teslamotorsclub.com

Is Tire Sealant Effective On Tires With Acoustic Foam?

I travel long distances across rural parts of the west, day and night and I don't really like the prospect of being stranded for hours on one of these trips with a simple tire puncture, so I want some way to repair the most common tire damage. After having this discussion with a Service Advisor...

teslamotorsclub.com

If you follow the conversation up, you can see the guy that's recommending the Tesla tire kit has never used the slime part of the kit.

The second link also has more questions about effectiveness on foamed tires. Even Tesla service people did not know. The last entry dated 2018 said success but did not say if it was a foamed EV tire.

 

[afadeev]

Sorry, but now I'm confused. I bought a "Tire Repair Kit" from Tesla's website for $70. Now you're saying Tesla doesn't sell tire repair kits. If so, what's that Tesla thing with the air pump and sealant that's now in my trunk?

Tire Repair Kit

The Tire Repair Kit contains an air compressor to regularly top off your tire pressure and a one-piece sealant canister to patch punctures. Simply attach the transparent hose to the tire valve and connect the plug to your vehicle's 12V outlet to begin repairing the hole and filling the tire. The...

shop.tesla.com

I stand corrected - Tesla appears to be selling a tire repair kit now (and might even include them in the most recent builds?), alas, it wont work on tires with foam inside.
Do the most recent Model 3 builds still use foam-filled tires?
Older ones certainly did!
I ditched mine for regular tires (Michelin PS4S) as soon as OEM ones wore out.

The only problem with this approach - at least when traveling away from home - is that while a Slime/Tesla repair kit wouldn't require the tire to be removed, an old school repair kit would most likely require the tire to be removed unless you were real lucky to see the actual puncture and have access to it.

You don't need to remove the tire to patch it with Dynaplug (or similar).
Step 1: find the offending nail/screw/staple that made hole in the tire. You might have to slowly move the car and allow the tire to rotate different areas into view to succeed (works best with a buddy behind the wheel who can follow directions).
Step 2: remove the offending object. You might need portable pliers to succeed here.
Step 3: patch the puncture with Dynaplug inserts (or similar)
Step 4: pump the tires back to the proper pressure with a portable air pump.


HTH,
a

 

[stopcrazypp]

I stand corrected - Tesla appears to be selling a tire repair kit now (and might even include them in the most recent builds?), alas, it wont work on tires with foam inside.
Do the most recent Model 3 builds still use foam-filled tires?
Older ones certainly did!
I ditched mine for regular tires (Michelin PS4S) as soon as OEM ones wore out.

As far as I know, almost all the base Tesla's come with foam tires, as such I don't buy that the kit explicitly does not work with those tires. Anyone have one and see if there is an equivalent warning?

 

[Randy-12]

The problem with slime is that it will mess up your TPMS and that will need to be changed out.

I carry the Tesla compressor/slim kit along with a plug kit just in case. If I have to use the slime I will. Rather use it than be stuck.

I think the slime is the same or very similar between Tesla’s and the other brands. As Tesla doesn’t make this themselves.

 

[lloyd123]

My daughter had Tesla's Mobile Service at her house today to fix a window problem on her new M3 so I asked the technician about the Tesla/Slime tire repair kit. He said it will work but only to use as a last resort as it will ruin the tire and probably the TPMS sensor as well.

 

[hashashyin]

I can confirm that the Tesla Tire repair kit is useless with the foam filled tires. I had a flat tire on the highway (~60 miles from the closest town). First, the sealant side would not work. A little bit of research online showed this is a known issue - use a small aluminum piece to connect the metal plates. Once I was able to do that, I pumped the sealant into the tire. When the bottle was empty, I removed and tried filling up air - no luck! Not even a single psi. I had to get my car towed to the nearest Tesla service center (~54 miles away). When I arrived there, the service advisor said the foam material absorbed all the sealant and hence it did not work. What's worse - since the physical integrity of the foam could be compromised and so they had to remove the entire layer; just in case it comes loose and starts rattling inside the tire.

5 hours, $122 later I'm traumatized and worried when the next incident might happen. Basically, it's a stupid design that will cost Tesla owners a sh*t ton of money. My tires only have ~3000 miles on it. But I'm already debating about getting them replaced with non-foam. Stupid Tesla designers.

 

[stopcrazypp]

I can confirm that the Tesla Tire repair kit is useless with the foam filled tires. I had a flat tire on the highway (~60 miles from the closest town). First, the sealant side would not work. A little bit of research online showed this is a known issue - use a small aluminum piece to connect the metal plates. Once I was able to do that, I pumped the sealant into the tire. When the bottle was empty, I removed and tried filling up air - no luck! Not even a single psi.

This may not seem obvious when doing it, but did you roll the car tire so that the puncture is at the lowest point of the tire? The sealant relies on gravity to work, so if your puncture is so severe you can't even pump air (usually even without sealant, the air compressor should be able to pump up the tire), you must do this to allow the sealant to seep into the hole. Otherwise it will just pool at the bottom and do nothing.

The typical application actually assumes your tire puncture is small enough that you can still pump it up even with no sealant. After doing so, you are supposed to drive around 0.2 miles to spread out the sealant. If you can't pump up the tire, most likely the sealant wouldn't work anyways.

I had to get my car towed to the nearest Tesla service center (~54 miles away). When I arrived there, the service advisor said the foam material absorbed all the sealant and hence it did not work. What's worse - since the physical integrity of the foam could be compromised and so they had to remove the entire layer; just in case it comes loose and starts rattling inside the tire.

5 hours, $122 later I'm traumatized and worried when the next incident might happen. Basically, it's a stupid design that will cost Tesla owners a sh*t ton of money. My tires only have ~3000 miles on it. But I'm already debating about getting them replaced with non-foam. Stupid Tesla designers.

 

[afadeev]

This may not seem obvious when doing it, but did you roll the car tire so that the puncture is at the lowest point of the tire?

This should not matter. "Slime"-style repair instructions do not require any particular tire/hole positioning, since the sealant will get sloshed around inside the tire once the wheel rotates. That is, as long as the sealant can find its way to the tire carcass and the hole. For the record, I've used sealants successfully in the past, but only as a second layer of repair AFTER removing the nail/screw/debris with pliers, and THEN filling the hole with a Dynaplug (-s). If the hole is big enough, it make take 2-3 plugs to fill it properly.

That's where foam gets in the way. It not only absorbs the sealant, but critically, prevents it from reaching the carcass of the tire where the hole is leaking air. Thus, the sealant can't reach the area that it designed to seal.

The sealant relies on gravity to work, so if your puncture is so severe you can't even pump air (usually even without sealant, the air compressor should be able to pump up the tire), you must do this to allow the sealant to seep into the hole. Otherwise it will just pool at the bottom and do nothing.
The typical application actually assumes your tire puncture is small enough that you can still pump it up even with no sealant.

Sealant relies on centrifugal force to reach the puncture area. You have to drive on the tire and get it to rotate for the sealant to reach the hole.
Therein lies the vulnerability of the "Slime"-only approach. If the hole is big enough (which it will be if you caught a screw or a large nail), you will never be able to inflate the tire to drive one it and put "slime" to use. You should not drive on a flat tires, as doing so will destroy the side-walls in a hurry.
Filling the hole with Dynaplug first solves this problem.

HTH,
a

 

[stopcrazypp]

This should not matter. "Slime"-style repair instructions do not require any particular tire/hole positioning, since the sealant will get sloshed around inside the tire once the wheel rotates. That is, as long as the sealant can find its way to the tire carcass and the hole. For the record, I've used sealants successfully in the past, but only as a second layer of repair AFTER removing the nail/screw/debris with pliers, and THEN filling the hole with a Dynaplug (-s). If the hole is big enough, it make take 2-3 plugs to fill it properly.

That's where foam gets in the way. It not only absorbs the sealant, but critically, prevents it from reaching the carcass of the tire where the hole is leaking air. Thus, the sealant can't reach the area that it designed to seal.



Sealant relies on centrifugal force to reach the puncture area. You have to drive on the tire and get it to rotate for the sealant to reach the hole.
Therein lies the vulnerability of the "Slime"-only approach. If the hole is big enough (which it will be if you caught a screw or a large nail), you will never be able to inflate the tire to drive one it and put "slime" to use. You should not drive on a flat tires, as doing so will destroy the side-walls in a hurry.
Filling the hole with Dynaplug first solves this problem.

HTH,
a

What you say only applies if the tire can be pumped up regardless of the hole. If you read the post carefully, this is not the case for the comment I was replying to. As such the only thing that would aid you in that case is gravity to get the sealant to pool into the hole.

 

[zoros]

Something to also take into account:
If you use slime (foam or not), you have to replace that tyre. It cannot be repaired,
Secondly - consider the damage you may cause to the TPMS sensor inside the tyre if you use slime - these aren't cheap either.

 

[zoomer0056]

consider the damage you may cause to the TPMS sensor

What kind of damage? Is there an account from someone's sensor being damaged?