Since my initial review I've come here multiple times, not just for problems but an air top-up, and for the most part I'm in and out fast. We did have a recent problem with Mrs. P's Tesla, this time with a leaky tire.
The Grand Tire crew found the problem, removed it, and patched the tire, but it took a while for them to take care of it, and I would later find out why.
3-4 weeks went by when the system showed we were still having an issue with the same tire, and so back to Grand I went, expressing surprise because they've always done great work, so "Maybe I got new nail?"
Nope, the patch they'd applied last time had worked loose so the tire was once again losing air.
The lads again took forever to fix it, and this time the Boss man noticed I'd been sitting there for a while and he explained why.
Because the Tesla cars are so much quieter than a car with a combustion engine, you hear the road noise a lot more, and so to help eliminate that and make the ride more pleasant, Tesla fill their tires with a sound-deadening foam.
This foam adheres to the inside wall of the tire and has to be removed (mechanically ground away) in order to create enough space for the patch, AND ensure there's sufficient exposed rubber for the patch to stick to.
But this can be a tricky job because the technician literally has to grind away the inside of the tire, far more so than he would have to do when repairing a tire without this sound-deadening foam. Remove too little and the patch won't stick. Remove too much...and you ruin the tire.
This is also a large part of the reason for why replacing a Tesla's tires is a lot more expensive IF you go through Tesla. The Boss man said we can go that route when we next need to replace the tires (we've already replaced them once within the first 30,000 miles)...or we can come here, and it will be a lot cheaper. We won't have the sound-deadening foam inside the tires, but from everything I've read (actual, real world customers), it's not a big deal.
"1.5 decibel difference may not sound like much..." cue up the fear-mongering video.
Inside your average Tesla it's about 65-68 decibels. An increase of 1.5 decibels is a negligible increase. The average person is not even going to notice that. It's like if your coworker was talking, and now they're talking a little louder. That's it.
You also do NOT need "special" tires for your Tesla. You cannot throw any old car tires on, but your tires just need to be designed/rated such that they can handle the WEIGHT of the car. JUST like a tire you'd purchase for a gas or diesel-powered car/truck, etc. With a Mini or Fiat or Smart car, you can get away with 'lesser' tires. With an F350 or a Tesla, you need sturdier tires. That's it.
Anyway, I digress. Grand Tire said the problem was the patch hadn't adhered properly due to the foam, but they stood by their work, took ownership of the problem, and they fixed the leak a second time for free. I paid for the first fix several weeks ago, and when the patch failed, they replaced it for free. Top blokes! read more