I spent the weekend in Corpus Christi at the Padre Island Best Western, the only motel or hotel in Corpus with destination charging. The staff there were great. They made sure the Tesla spot was clear before I arrived. They had a 2nd charger of the CHAdeMO variety but I stuck with the Tesla wall connector and soaked up charge at a good 40A rate which is as good as I could ever expect from my single-charger car. I was their 2nd Tesla customer. I hope they have many more in the future.
Friday night demanded a quick run to Whataburger for sustenance so my daughter and I jumped into the Tesla and ventured out to forage. The parking lot only allowed a one-way exit onto the freeway so we had to travel a while in the wrong direction before taking the 1st exit to double back Whataburger-ward. Unbeknownst to me, this exit had a quick, sharp right turn in it protected by a raised median. It was unbeknownst because the signs alerting motorists of the turn were long-gone and it was pitch-black outside. Seeing the curb, I braked and turned hard to the right, but the car barely veered away before losing traction and smacking into the curb at near-highway speeds. I guided the car off the road, retrieved my flashlight, got out for a look, and found my front-left tire flat and at an odd angle with the rim scratched all to hell. The back-inside of the wheel well didn't look so good either. We were fine, but the car wasn't going anywhere.
I got on the phone with Tesla Service, but there wasn't much they could do for me from 200 miles away. They reminded me of how to put the car into a mode suitable for towing, told me what kind of tow truck was acceptable, and wished me well. (This is actually a summary of a half-dozen calls I made to Tesla as the night progressed. They always answered the phone, they always had the right answer, and I got to talk to the same guy each time, Eric. Thanks Eric!)
My insurance company tried in vain to get a tow truck with the right equipment to pick up me, my car, and my daughter. The first tow truck company refused to come out because they didn't want the liability of taking two passengers in their truck. May they rot in hell for trying to split up a father and daughter during a late-night crisis. The second tow truck didn't have the right equipment to deal with a car with a wheel that wouldn't roll. The third tow truck company wasted my time for over an hour before admitting they didn't have the right equipment either. My insurance company representative admitted after a half-dozen calls that she had contacted over 15 tow truck companies but couldn't find one that would come out at night, with the right equipment, and take two passengers.
After 3am, the insurance rep recommended calling the police. 9-1-1 got me not one, but two officers of the law within minutes. They were great. They radioed in a request for a tow truck with the right equipment and then chatted with me about the car while we waited. They had never heard of a Tesla before and were fascinated by the car. It's unfortunate that the first one they got to see was wrecked. The tow truck came and had the right equipment. The driver picked up my car, dropped me and my daughter off at our hotel, and whisked the car away to the towing lot.
The next day, I visited my poor Tesla sitting in the cold, rainy, muddy towing lot. It didn't look any better in the daylight. I retrieved a few personal items and signed a document authorizing my insurance company to retrieve the vehicle and tow it to Houston's Tesla service center. With any luck, I'll be gliding down the highway in my battery-powered wonder-car within a week or two.
In the mean-time, I'm in a rented Hyundai. It's a fine car, but I keep walking away from it after parking only to notice an odd purring noise behind me. I then turn back, open the door, retrieve the key from the ignition, close the door and walk away again. I then turn back one more time to lock the door. *sigh* I miss my car.
Friday night demanded a quick run to Whataburger for sustenance so my daughter and I jumped into the Tesla and ventured out to forage. The parking lot only allowed a one-way exit onto the freeway so we had to travel a while in the wrong direction before taking the 1st exit to double back Whataburger-ward. Unbeknownst to me, this exit had a quick, sharp right turn in it protected by a raised median. It was unbeknownst because the signs alerting motorists of the turn were long-gone and it was pitch-black outside. Seeing the curb, I braked and turned hard to the right, but the car barely veered away before losing traction and smacking into the curb at near-highway speeds. I guided the car off the road, retrieved my flashlight, got out for a look, and found my front-left tire flat and at an odd angle with the rim scratched all to hell. The back-inside of the wheel well didn't look so good either. We were fine, but the car wasn't going anywhere.
I got on the phone with Tesla Service, but there wasn't much they could do for me from 200 miles away. They reminded me of how to put the car into a mode suitable for towing, told me what kind of tow truck was acceptable, and wished me well. (This is actually a summary of a half-dozen calls I made to Tesla as the night progressed. They always answered the phone, they always had the right answer, and I got to talk to the same guy each time, Eric. Thanks Eric!)
My insurance company tried in vain to get a tow truck with the right equipment to pick up me, my car, and my daughter. The first tow truck company refused to come out because they didn't want the liability of taking two passengers in their truck. May they rot in hell for trying to split up a father and daughter during a late-night crisis. The second tow truck didn't have the right equipment to deal with a car with a wheel that wouldn't roll. The third tow truck company wasted my time for over an hour before admitting they didn't have the right equipment either. My insurance company representative admitted after a half-dozen calls that she had contacted over 15 tow truck companies but couldn't find one that would come out at night, with the right equipment, and take two passengers.
After 3am, the insurance rep recommended calling the police. 9-1-1 got me not one, but two officers of the law within minutes. They were great. They radioed in a request for a tow truck with the right equipment and then chatted with me about the car while we waited. They had never heard of a Tesla before and were fascinated by the car. It's unfortunate that the first one they got to see was wrecked. The tow truck came and had the right equipment. The driver picked up my car, dropped me and my daughter off at our hotel, and whisked the car away to the towing lot.
The next day, I visited my poor Tesla sitting in the cold, rainy, muddy towing lot. It didn't look any better in the daylight. I retrieved a few personal items and signed a document authorizing my insurance company to retrieve the vehicle and tow it to Houston's Tesla service center. With any luck, I'll be gliding down the highway in my battery-powered wonder-car within a week or two.
In the mean-time, I'm in a rented Hyundai. It's a fine car, but I keep walking away from it after parking only to notice an odd purring noise behind me. I then turn back, open the door, retrieve the key from the ignition, close the door and walk away again. I then turn back one more time to lock the door. *sigh* I miss my car.
