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The 483 Mile Report: Two Days With My New 2020 Model S LR+

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Gee, thanks :)

60 miles is probably too far to chance it, but once you know the tire is shot, if you find a short fatter threaded screw, countersunk head and a nice deep thread thread right to the head, you could put gorilla glue in the hole and screw in so the head is flush and see if it holds air. Keep at 40mph and in an emergency it would probably make it! Not advising you try of course!

Not teaching grandma to suck eggs, but make sure the tow co. knows what they are doing and how to strap the car on the flat bed etc.... Read the car docs if any doubt!
 
60 miles is probably too far to chance it, but once you know the tire is shot, if you find a short fatter threaded screw, countersunk head and a nice deep thread thread right to the head, you could put gorilla glue in the hole and screw in so the head is flush and see if it holds air. Keep at 40mph and in an emergency it would probably make it! Not advising you try of course!

Not teaching grandma to suck eggs, but make sure the tow co. knows what they are doing and how to strap the car on the flat bed etc.... Read the car docs if any doubt!

Thnx. It’s Tesla’s approved tow company for this area. Familiar w/ tow mode etc. Tesla will be paying.
 
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Behold. The Screw.

I managed to finally pull this mofo out. Check out how big this thing is. I don‘t think the tire had a chance against this.

6DAF0022-84F4-47C2-BABF-A1AFDF25AE46.jpeg
 
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when I got my new MS in January, I had a screw in the right rear 6 days after delivery.......and then the right front 4 days after that.......both tires were able to be patched......right rear was really close to the edge, but Goodyear was able to do it......both tires are holding 45psi......also, I was monitoring the TPMS when I noticed the air going down so I was lucky and did not have to use tow truck......but I was really frustrated......at first when I went to the SC, they would not touch either......wanted $485 each for a new tire
 
when I got my new MS in January, I had a screw in the right rear 6 days after delivery.......and then the right front 4 days after that.......both tires were able to be patched......right rear was really close to the edge, but Goodyear was able to do it......both tires are holding 45psi......also, I was monitoring the TPMS when I noticed the air going down so I was lucky and did not have to use tow truck......but I was really frustrated......at first when I went to the SC, they would not touch either......wanted $485 each for a new tire

485 in USD? For a new Goodyear Eagle Touring 245/45R19 98W tire!? They're like 150 all over the net... yikes!
 
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yep....thats what Tesla in Costa Mesa wanted.....I asked them "if they could read between the lines".....:)

Well that’s one way to get people to use other services besides Tesla for tire repair. (Frees up service time for other items.) I have taken mine to Belle Tire and they have done good work. I purchased jack pucks and made sure Belle Tire used them and they did.
 
Sounds like it's too late now but if I'm not shocked they said you can't repair that because it would cost them the profit of selling you a new tire with mounting and balancing. If it were me, I'd use pull that screw and use my tire plug kit and get the full life out of the tire. There's no way that your sidewall is compromised based on the photos I'm seeing.
 
Understood re Mercedes supplier on the driver's L/R side mirror switch.

Problem with my 2013 S was, for the entire time I owned the car, the L and R selector buttons worked poorly. If I touched the L button, say, the red light would go on, correctly, but nothing would happen once I started trying to move the left mirror. I always, always had to tap it two or three times for it to "engage." And then the latency between moving the actual mirror control and seeing the mirror motors engage and move the mirror accordingly, was always surprisingly long--500 milliseconds? 1 second?

Seems like a minor thing, but it becomes and issue when you're cognitively overloaded in a busy Post Office, say, or shopping center parking lot, backing into a space, and cars are all around, drivers anxious to get past you, and pedestrians and/or dogs or kids or whatever are here and there, and you're trying to be fully aware of all of that while NOT hitting the curb and causing more wheel scratches, and in the middle of all of this you try to use the L/R side mirror controls and they just. do. not. want. to. cooperate. in. real. time. the. way. they. should.

That's why I am dismayed to see these things still on Tesla's flagship vehicle 7 years later.
Interesting. I set my mirrors when new and once saved to the driver profile I never move them again. Even in parking lots, tight spaces, etc... I can see fine with them and the backup camera.
 
I just had the same issue with my 2019 MS. You need to adjust the wheel alignment and more specifically the castor angle. I took my MS into the SC for a wheel alignment and they adjusted my driver side wheel castor way off. I took it to a performance shop to get it correctly aligned and was glad to pay to have it done right then take it to SC to waste my time and not fix the issue.

good luck

i understand paying for an alignment during ownership. 100% unacceptable to have the alignment out of spec from the factory
 
Sounds like it's too late now but if I'm not shocked they said you can't repair that because it would cost them the profit of selling you a new tire with mounting and balancing. If it were me, I'd use pull that screw and use my tire plug kit and get the full life out of the tire. There's no way that your sidewall is compromised based on the photos I'm seeing.

what are you talking about. you can't plug a tire that close to the sidewall. 1" from sidewall is the generally accepted industry standard
 
I thought it was generally centre 2/3rds can be plugged?

Hopefully they will make the right decision when they actually see the tire. It does look safe enough and not on highest flexing area but I can understand preferring to sell a new tire than taking responsibility for (marginal) plug location.
 
I thought it was generally centre 2/3rds can be plugged?

Hopefully they will make the right decision when they actually see the tire. It does look safe enough and not on highest flexing area but I can understand preferring to sell a new tire than taking responsibility for (marginal) plug location.

plugs are totally safe when done correctly. we have used them on race cars with screws down the center. they are not safe when the puncture is near the sidewalls, which is why the shop won't do it.
 
Isn't t
There is no way in hell that screw came even close to the belts. Not even remotely.

OP, post a photo of the inside if the tire showing where the screw damaged the sidewall. This I gotta see. Prove me wrong.

Isn't the point that even if a safe repair is possible (which I am not qualified to judge while agreeing that the screw is a decent way from the sidewall) any tire shop will have its rules so that it isn't down to their staff to make their own judgement?

When they see the tire and measure up to check against their regs it should be a matter of go / no-go. As an individual, no one can stop you plugging your own tire if you think it is safe and have the expertise to make the call.
 
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Car is sitting out in the driveway now, I backed it out and got it into position for the tow truck... veerrrrrrrrry slowly. My wife oversaw the operation and cringed at appropriate times, which was always.

If the screw didn't kill the tire, my backing out to the driveway for the tow truck probably did :)

Tesla just texted me that the truck is arriving soon.

Stay tuned! More adventure to come!
 
Isn't t


Isn't the point that even if a safe repair is possible (which I am not qualified to judge while agreeing that the screw is a decent way from the sidewall) any tire shop will have its rules so that it isn't down to their staff to make their own judgement?

When they see the tire and measure up to check against their regs it should be a matter of go / no-go. As an individual, no one can stop you plugging your own tire if you think it is safe and have the expertise to make the call.

This is exactly why I said that I would plug it and go about my business.

It's a nearly new tire so for me I would "risk" it in this case because based on my personal experience with tires that thing is likely fine. I use common sense on a lot of things though that many don't see as "safe" so I don't expect everyone to understand big boy rules.

None of that was meant as a sarcastic slight towards you at all BTW, just quoting you in response and making more broad stroke generalizations.
 
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