WHILE SOME MAY APPLAUD THE TESLA'S MY OPINION IS NOW A BIT DIFFERENT!

chief38 said:
So here is the bad side and the reason I am posting here:

Last Tuesday on the way out to the Range, I was in my friends Tesla SUV. About half way out his left rear tire suddenly blew out and we pulled over. I said to him let's break out the spare and get it on - - - he said, "guess what - there is no spare"! :confused: :mad: He called Tesla service which was suppose to bring a "loaner tire" but when they showed up an hour later they said there was no spare available. OK - so they put the vehicle on a flat bed tow truck and towed it to the Dealership where they dinged him for almost $400 for a new tire.
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You were seated in the spare tire storage location. :eek: :D :D
 
Rodan said:
It's amazing sometimes how city folk just don't get it...

We had to call for a tow through our Good Sam coverage due to a failed fuel pump in CO a couple of months ago. Even after providing a highway and milepost, GPS coordinates, and specific directions (we were ~3 miles from a major landmark), I had to repeat all three multiple times over a 50 minute (!) phone call before the dullard on the other end was able to understand our location clearly enough to determine which local tow company to call. Once called, the tow truck arrived within 15 minutes...

A couple of miles further down that road and there would have been no cell service...
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Wait - a gasoline-powered vehicle had a failure?

I’m pretty sure that means we should abandon the concept. :rolleyes:

Our existing electrical generation/transmission grid needs an upgrade to handle any increase in population, and it’s a generation or two overdue.

Nobody is wiping the gas cars out all at once...not even in Cali.

Demand will increase with ubiquity, as will the availability of network of chargers and ancillary support services.

I get it- gas is loud, smelly, and obnoxious...and I’ll have an American v-8 in the garage as long as I’m above ground.

Let’s not pretend that electric isn’t superior from a maintenance, operations, and assembly standpoint, though. Performance is already stellar, and only getting better.

The batteries are looking like they’re good for a million miles - how many gas engines go that long? A couple of Saabs and a few Volvos?
 
Rodan said:
It's amazing sometimes how city folk just don't get it...

We had to call for a tow through our Good Sam coverage due to a failed fuel pump in CO a couple of months ago. Even after providing a highway and milepost, GPS coordinates, and specific directions (we were ~3 miles from a major landmark), I had to repeat all three multiple times over a 50 minute (!) phone call before the dullard on the other end was able to understand our location clearly enough to determine which local tow company to call. Once called, the tow truck arrived within 15 minutes...

A couple of miles further down that road and there would have been no cell service...
Click to expand...

We have no cell service for a few miles in all directions. Its funny to watch the flatlanders trying to get service. Holding the phone in all different directions and other tricks!:D In our case we warn any delivery people or trades people if they have a stand alone GPS they are fine but if its cell dependent there out of luck. Listen good to our directions!

With that said they just put up cell equipment on a Ems/Fire/Cop tower on a mountain a few miles away. We MIGHT get service but as we are on the lee of another mountain as of now no. They said they hoped to have it operational by the end of Oct. as they had been testing it for a couple weeks. We just checked a couple hours ago and nope.

We shall see but we have lived up here 18 years and well used to no cell service. The old LL still does its job!:cool:
 
PatriotX said:
At 12mpg, my Grand Cherokee does a lot of that.

A lot.
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How is it that my late 1970's Big Block non emission, non computer controlled, carbureted, nearly 2.5 ton, brick shaped Ford F-150 can get better MPG than a modern Jeep GC?

I get ~15 MPG no matter how I drive in the city. On the highway, I'm lucky to get 20 MPG.
 
I'm rooting for Tesla to solve the slow recharge time and come up with a design that is truly competitive with dino powered cars. Not because I am some sort of greenie, but due to regulations ruining gasoline powered cars there is very little out there (that I can afford) that interests me. I hope I have bought my last gasoline powered car.

Tesla seems to be one of the very few electric car companies making cars that are more than little, crappy econoboxes. I don't want the electric car future to be just Chevy Bolts, Nissan Leafs (Leaves?) and the BMW i3.

I'm keeping my Tahoe and Corvette forever.
 
chief38 said:
I understand certain circumstances why some people can not physically change a tire, but many times there are younger people in the vehicle or close by that can. If a good citizen were to pull over tp help he could get it done in 15 minutes as opposed to waiting for a tow truck to tow you into a dealer ASSUMING they would even be opened at the time you got a flat. What happens if you are in the sticks at 10pm?

I always like to be self sufficient and not have to rely on luck, time of day, or place of travel. Actually the more I think about it, the older you are the more I'd want the ability to at least find a person to help out and not have to sit and wait in the hopes a Dealer will have a spare.

I agree that Run-flats should be standard on vehicles with no spares!
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Run flats are terrible tires. Due to the stiff sidewalls, they ride harsh and run hotter. The original tires on my Vette were runflats, I replaced them high performance conventional summer tires. It rides and handles MUCH better now.

I carry a compact 12 V air compressor in case I get a flat, that will solve most any problem that can be solved by a runflat. A blowout in a runflat will still leave you stranded, they are only designed to handle loss of pressure, not catastrophic failure.
 
I did a quick check on the EVgo web site and the closest public charging station to me is about 180 miles away. The infrastructure in the mid west and great plains make an EV impractical for anything but short commutes. I can also see an issue with hot/cold weather when running heat/air would place additional drain on the battery. I see this as an evolving technology who's time has yet to come.
 
Like many southerners I thought New York State was basically New York City. When I visited upstate New York I was astounded by how rural many areas are. That is some of the wildest country I have ever seen.

I visited John Brown’s farm where he led escaped southern slaves. I recall most nearly froze to death the first winter when those Canadian winds came howling down from Montreal.
 
Funny story..

Before he passed, my Dad paid cash for a new '96 Crown Vic.

He invited us over to see his proud new car. We opened the trunk to check out the pretty carpet and all. He then noticed it had a space saver mini spare tire! OMG I thought as I saw the look on his face! He was an Okinawa WWII veteran, southern farmer.

He slammed the trunk lid, hopped in the new car and headed for the dealership. When he got through dressing down the salesman, the salesman, in fear for his life, immediately left to find a junkyard. He purchased a full-size wheel and had a tire mounted on it.

He returned, installed the proper size tire in the trunk and was relieved to see my Dad drive away. I thought to myself "Buddy, you better be glad he was in a negotiating mood!"
 
Sometime back I posted a comment on an Edmunds long term Tesla test. Seems like the tires are specially made and the price at that time was $800 each.

No spare is a deal killer for me too.

An all electric vehicle would make a lot of sense for a lot of my local driving. However, that would depend upon range, recharge time and total cost (includes battery replacement). Since I tend to keep vehicles decades, I expect I'll be long gone before they solve the range/battery replacement issues.
 
WardenRoss said:
Funny story..

Before he passed, my Dad paid cash for a new '96 Crown Vic.

He invited us over to see his proud new car. We opened the trunk to check out the pretty carpet and all. He then noticed it had a space saver mini spare tire! OMG I thought as I saw the look on his face! He was an Okinawa WWII veteran, southern farmer.

He slammed the trunk lid, hopped in the new car and headed for the dealership. When he got through dressing down the salesman, the salesman, in fear for his life, immediately left to find a junkyard. He purchased a full-size wheel and had a tire mounted on it.

He returned, installed the proper size tire in the trunk and was relieved to see my Dad drive away. I thought to myself "Buddy, you better be glad he was in a negotiating mood!"
Click to expand...

Why would the salesman go to the junkyard and get a used wheel? It doesn't make sense to me.

Full size spares were a $105.00 option on CVs and Mercs. The parts dept should've had them in stock or at least been able to order them. If not, complete wheel and tire set, at least the steel wheel would've been in stock.

At worst, as common as those cars were, both new and used at the time - they were everywhere - the salesguy could've just as easily swapped out the donut for a full sized one from another car on the lot. I worked at dealerships - I've seen it done and have done it myself.

I'm not saying, I'm just saying...

Did he at least get the full sized spare fabric tire cover that matches the trunk carpet?
 
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