A few days ago, I began getting an error message stating that the tire pressure on the Tesla was getting low. I checked them once and all seemed to be fine and continued driving it for a few days thereafter, still dealing with the error message. Since I was due for the 6000 mile tire rotation anyway, I decided to make an appointment and have the tires checked for leaks as well as get them rotated yesterday. While this is a free service offered by Tesla, it would have required a long trek to Chicago to have it done. I opted to pay a local garage for the service and had no idea what a spectacle it would become (ok, I had a slight inkling that it would be somewhat notable….).
After having me drive onto the lift and setting the car into the safe “Jack Mode” necessary to disengage the auto leveling suspension, they hoisted her up and were able to have a look at the completely smooth battery-filled undersurface of the car. They had never seen anything like it and while I was taking pictures of the event they asked me if it was OK if they took some pictures of the car themselves. I obliged and tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible so they could get the job done.
They found the culprit…. a 2 inch nail embedded in the driver front tire and they were able to remove it and patch the leak without any problems. After a quick call to Tesla to find out the correct wheel nut torque for the car (130 Ft. Lbs in case you were wondering….. they didn’t have the specs in their database…..) I found myself backing out of the garage ready for another smooth and quiet ride into the evening and without the error message!
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CHARGED is “All Jacked Up!” |