A few people out there have had the same experience as you did where a tire place either is ignorant about how to handle the noise reducing foam inside the tire, or they want to needlessly sell you a new tire (or 4). As you saw, all that is needed to be done is to cut out a small piece of the foam where the patch will go.

 

Costco refused to do the repair not because they wanted to sell me a new tire but because they dont carry gooyears and tires with foam have special instructions for repair and they dont have those instructions and did not want the liability. They told me that if it was a michelin or bridgestone they would have repaired it for $15.

 

As an aside … in my experience so far there are tires without foam that are more quieter than the Tesla tires with foam. I wish Tesla did a better job silencing the road noise inside the car.

 

Which tires are quieter?

 

I have Continental Pure ContactLS on my M3, 70K mileage guarantee, no foam and slightly quieter than the Continental Pro Contacts that came with the vehicle. Pro's had foam.
No need to stick with foam.

 

Foam in the tire is not a requirement, it's a workaround. If the tire maker doesn't want to optimize the tread for less noise, they just stick foam in it.

 

One of the top places for flats on Tesla's and tires with foam is Discount Tire if you have them in your area. Most every part of the US reports they know what they are doing and they know how to handle a Tesla. They are the best in the DFW, TX area.

As others have noted it seems as though that foam does little to nothing for noise suppression. I guess YMMV.

 

One of the top places for flats on Tesla's and tires with foam is Discount Tire if you have them in your area.

I've had flats on my Model Y patched at both Discount Tire and Mavis Tire & Brake at no cost. The employee at Mavis struggled to remove the glue that held the foam in place over the area he needed to patch. I can see why some places refuse to repair foam-lined tires.

 

As in the other threads on this subject, carry a tire plugging kit in your car with a compressor. You can usually plug the hole without removing the tire. Air it up and be on your way. Foam inside the tire does not affect the plug. I have worn out many tires with plugs in them.

 

Yesterday, I found out that getting a tire repair on my Model 3 was not the usual experience. A major tire chain told me that they couldn't fix the nail in the center of the tire because the tire had foam in it. I said that it's not a run flat tire. I was told that the foam isn't a liquid, and as I later saw, therires have a piece of foam glued to the tire's inside used as a silencer. Having had no problem before, I opted for Tesla Roadside Assistance. The cost was $81.00, which blew my mind. The tech did a great job and I learned a lot. Apparently, fully electric cars have foam installed to the lack of engine noise.
In reality, he cut out the foam in the area of the puncture and patched the tire. I guess in the future, I would take the tire to a conventional tire repair service and tell them what to do and pay probably less than half the price.
Jas anyone else had a similar experience?

Yes some places will say that, especially big chains. I spent a Sunday going from shop to shop until one had no issue. I went to a local mom and pop place and that just mentioned oh it had some foam in it, but I was just able to pull it to the side and patch. There are official repair instructions, which a lady on Tesla Roadside told me to tell the shops. Basically, you cut out the foam, patch. Glue foam back over it. When I replaced my tires I got ones without foam just to avoid any issues in the future. Just like always bring pucks with you in case they don't have them. It shouldn't cost more than $20 to patch, and many places charge far less down to $0.

 

Man just plug it and be happy.

 

Yes, many electric vehicles, including the Model 3, have foam installed inside the tires for noise reduction purposes. This can make tire repairs more complicated and expensive as the foam needs to be removed or worked around in order to access the puncture.
It's not uncommon for tire chains and conventional repair services to be unfamiliar with electric vehicle tires and the additional components they may have. However, there are specialized electric vehicle repair services that are more familiar with these types of tires and can provide more accurate and cost-effective repairs.
In the future, if you need a tire repair on your Model 3 or any other electric vehicle, it may be best to seek out a specialized repair service. You can also ask for a quote and explanation of the repair process beforehand to ensure that you are comfortable with the cost and procedure.
Maintenance - DrivingPress

 

It's not uncommon for tire chains and conventional repair services to be unfamiliar with electric vehicle tires and the additional components they may have. However, there are specialized electric vehicle repair services that are more familiar with these types of tires and can provide more accurate and cost-effective repairs.

I've had no trouble with two Firestone stores near me that can handle Teslas. It always pays to call first though.

 

I've plugged Tesla tires before with no problems. Not a big deal. Didn't even remove them from the car.

 

While we're talking about plugging tires, I have a small air compressor with alligator clips. Do I need to change those over to the old cigarette adapter?
Is there a place to even use the alligator clips?

 

While we're talking about plugging tires, I have a small air compressor with alligator clips. Do I need to change those over to the old cigarette adapter?

You probably should just for safety. Exploding 12 volt batteries are no fun.

 

Ha! Right about that

 

I have a Milwaukee M12 compressor in both of my Teslas. I have many M12 tools so it was an easy choice. It is nice to set the pressure you want and then let it run.

 

Much like @GDN states, Discount Tire has become my tire shop of choice. No issue with Teslas, no issue with jacking pucks, no issue with foam. I caught a brad (finishing nail) in the tread of one tire, an original OEM Michelin. They dismounted the tire, cut the foam, applied the patch, glued the foam back, re-mounted, re-checked pressure (I run 42psi, 3psi under the 45psi specified on the door jamb sticker), cost $0.

I also carry a tire plug repair kit, and inflator with me but if I’m being honest I’d likely never use it except under the best of conditions (good weather, safe place to pull out of traffic, good weather, daytime, good weather, safe area, good weather, probably front tires only for access to the offending puncture, and certainly only in good weather). I don’t/won’t carry a jack with me so the plug would have to go where I can see, reach, and repair it. Much harder to do on the rears since they don’t turn out.

Lastly, on long trips I borrow an 18” Model 3 full-size wheel and tire from our local Tesla owners group and carry it with me. In situations that don’t meet my plugging criteria above, I’ll have AAA come out and change the tire.

 

I agree. Discount Tire did the same for me. I had a nail in one of my tires and took it to two different tire shops. One said “those type of tires can’t be fixed”. The other said “we don’t work on Teslas”. I took them took it to Discount Tire and they removed the wheel, removed a piece of foam and plugged and patched the tire. They then glued back the foam and remounted the tire. It took about 30 minutes. When I asked how much they said “NO CHARGE”. They made a loyal customer of me that day. When my tires need replacing I will go to Discount Tire.

 

mileage said rotate wheels. service came out, checked tread depth and didn't need swapped. $0.0

 

I called the service department and took my Model 3 in. Without even looking at the nail, they said I had to buy a new tire. What a rip-off, Mr. Musk!

 

Sadly, they are just like most all other car dealerships. They don't like to work with tires, there are dedicated shops for that. Likely 50 or more threads on this site alone about tires. Tesla is the LAST place I would want to do anything with my tires. They are just telling you they don't want to deal with it for that price. They would rather focus on Tesla things that you can't get fixed other places.

It is not a rip off, you can compare other sites to have the problem fixed and you might find someone cheaper. Or you might find another expert that says your tire needs to be replaced due to a nail. Free world - check out Discount Tires. Pretty good people.

 

I had a good experience with Les Schwab. Repaired the 20" on my M3P no charge and on my way. I did hear one tech ask the guy fixing my tire, he said first Tesla he has seen where they could fix the tire. A can of flat fix and a compressor got me to the tire shop.

 

Can I have the number I have a flat as well