Flat tyre — part 2 (the callout)

20 Dec 2025

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Flat tyre – part 2.

We arrived home yesterday with a slow leak in a tyre.

I opened the Tesla app, tapped on Roadside -> Flat Tyre, selected which wheel, and added a note about the slow leak. I received a response with a couple of minutes. About an hour later, Alan arrived to replace the wheel. Tesla subcontracts the roadside assistance to other companies, like this one. They have a bunch of Tesla wheels ready to go.

Neither of us could find the source of the slow leak, but that’s not his job. He just tagged the wheel and sends it to Tesla for inspection and repair.

Pretty seamless operation. We have a replacement wheel fitted, in less time, including the call out, than it would have taken me to do it myself with a spare. And they take care of sending the original to Tesla.

We have a “space saver” spare wheel. If we had taken that with us on the trip, it would have majorly impacted our storage space. But worse: we would have had to then pack the full sized original wheel into our boot for the return trip.

15 comments

Nathan Merritt via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025

I'll say cracked rim, if you couldn't see a nail or screw or any visable reason it's leaking.

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1. Nathan Merritt via Facebook ↗ 30 Dec 2025
  
  Bent rim i was close !
  
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  1. Tesla Tripping eTripping 30 Dec 2025
    
    Nathan Merritt Yes, you were close! 🤩
    
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  2. Nathan Merritt via Facebook ↗ 30 Dec 2025
    
    Tesla Tripping somehow ive not yet done this in over 410,000km
    
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  3. Tesla Tripping eTripping 30 Dec 2025
    
    Nathan Merritt this was our first flat tyre after 130,000km in EVs
    
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Kieran Pradeep via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025

Or you can save the 3 part series and just have a spare wheel (full size). :D

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1. Tesla Tripping eTripping 28 Dec 2025
  
  Kieran Pradeep That takes a _lot_ of space 😬
  
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  1. Kieran Pradeep via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025
    
    I've never found it an issue but sure.
    
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2. Nick Dee via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025
  
  Kieran it’s actually quite dangerous stopped on the side of a road changing a tyre, and many drivers aren’t comfortable doing it anyway. With newer technology like run-flats, and easy temporary goo-based fixes, it also frees up more space and weight in the car to not have to carry a full spare around with you. I think it’s one of those things like driving a stick that older drivers see as some more authentic way to drive, when really it’s a thing of the past.
  
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  1. Kieran Pradeep via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025
    
    Call me old then. I'm a millennial but still love my manual cars.
    
    Teslas don't have run flats. What is safer, being stuck on the side of the road with a flat for a couple of hours or 10 minutes to swap a tyre and keep going. I can change a tyre in about the same time as the goo that you need to connect, pump up and hope you don't have a sidewall blowout.
    
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  2. Dylan Bennett via Facebook ↗ 26 Mar 2026
    
    Nick Dee more power transfer with manual box. Anything with a bit of power is often running 2 and 3 speed trans from the 60s and 70s. Because they munch through the 4-5-6 speed autos.
    
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John Myers via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025

Interesting to see the process, so far I have been lucky, we are off to Tasmania late January I assume this service is available there as well.

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James Pickering via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025

I had an issue with this on a road trip where it took some weeks to get my original wheel with repaired tyre back, during which time I was being chased (not very forcefully) to return the loaner. I now carry a spare when I'm going on a longer journey. Unfortunately my 3 and Y have different rolling diameters so I only do interstate in the 3 with a full size spare. The full size 20" spare for the 3 is enormous however - it's clear why they don't come with one, and mine stays in the garage until it's needed for a road trip.

Having said that, that one time I needed the service I was interstate and the subcontracted service was quick to arrive and replace on the highway once Tesla routed the call to them. I did have to wait on the side of the road until the Tesla service team started work in the morning before they would action the support call so I'd recommend not having a flat tyre outside of office hours if at all possible but it's excellent service once they're online. All other flat tyres I've been able to get home with a slow leak, and then could just take the offending wheel off to run it to a nearby shop for repair.

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Muhammad Kamran via Facebook ↗ 28 Dec 2025

$95 to repair a puncture? Daylight robbery!

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Alan Miller via Facebook ↗ 29 Dec 2025

I had only had my x plaid for one month when I got a rear tire flat. This is my 3rd Tesla and never had a puncture before.
As I had just arrived home, Tesla was not helpful at all.
I was told it would take a couple days!
I live in MA and was very disappointed. I ended up taking the wheel off and taking it down to my local guy.
I hope if I was broken down by the side of road they would do it right..
The hole in my tire was a small package of deck screws that someone had dropped at the end of the road where I live.

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