My weekend did not go as planned, but I am deeply grateful it turned out the way it did, for it could have turned out much worse.
Ruined Weekend Plans Turn Into A Delightful Weekend Anyway…
Last Friday, my family and I packed the car up after lunch and left around 4:00 pm for Santa Barbara, one of our favorite weekend getaways from Los Angeles. While cutting over to the coast on CA-126 around 4:45 pm, we suddenly heard a loud pop and a tire pressure alert advising me to pull over immediately.
The road was very busy, but I instantly turned on my emergency lights and thankfully was able to navigate over to the side of the road. We found ourselves on a narrow emergency lane on a stretch of the highway between Santa Paula and Fillmore with cars whizzing by us. My right rear tire was flat.
I weighed whether to contact AAA or Tesla Roadside Assistance, opting to contact Tesla because we were now more than 50 miles from home. Via text message, I dispatched a tow truck to us, which would tow us into the closest Tesla Service Center in Camarillo for servicing.
We ended up sitting for nearly two hours on the side of the road before the tow truck showed up (should have called AAA…oh well…). By then it was almost 7:00 pm and we were warned that Tesla was closed so I would have to leave the car overnight.
I called Hyatt and postponed our night at the Mar Monte, then booked us a room at the Hyatt Regency Westlake, which was about 15 minutes away from the Tesla Service Center. I figured we would drop our car off and take an Uber to the property.
Now let me just state here how well my children handled this delay. Try asking a six-year-old and two-year-old to sit still in a car that is not moving for two hours. Miraculously (because my kids are not exactly saintly), they held up very well. We passed the time by listening to German children’s books (that was a bit tedious…).
The tow truck finally showed up (the driver reeked of pot and blamed an “accident” on CA-118 for his delay which I admittedly scoffed at, but it turned out we passed it on our way to the service center) and we departed for Camarillo, about 30 minutes away.
We reached Tesla and a man came out of the garage.
“Hi there. Listen, we’re working late tonight. You just sit tight in the lounge and we’ll have your car done in 15 minutes.”
It seems I canceled Santa Barbara prematurely!
20 minutes later, with a new tire installed, we were on our way to Westlake Village.
It was now 9:00 pm and we had not even eaten yet. We noticed there was a Sprouts grocery store a block away from our hotel and stopped there first, picking up whatever was left at that late hour for our in-room picnic.
We checked into the hotel, were upgraded to a “California Suite” and were soon indulging in sandwiches and salad and yes, even some candy and chips.
No, it was not Santa Barbara, but we still had a great time together.
Here’s the thing: this was a serious blowout, which could have caused serious damage to the car or far more importantly, to my family. I am so thankful that no one was hurt.
CONCLUSION
While we didn’t make it to Santa Barbara, we still had a lovely weekend together at a new hotel (review coming). It’s not fun to spend money and time you did not budget for on a car repair, but what a blessing it was that there was no damage and that we could chart a very happy memory, even though it was in a very different venue than originally planned.
That is actually good service from Musk-mobile service.
My friend purchased a Model S Plaid and when he had a needed repair they took three weeks with nairy a phone call about the progress.
Not a great way to treat “luxury” car customers.
Then they forgot to re-install some undercarriage plastic piece which my friend only discovered because he looked under the car when he got home.
Regardless, glad you and your family were safe.
I swear it’s never been a more dangerous time to drive. Myself and another family member both had our cars totaled in the past few weeks and it seems like there are accidents everywhere. Stay safe everyone.
Given the ease in the U.S. of basically anyone breathing over 16 being able to get a license it’s no wonder there are not even more accidents. We need to implement more stringent requirements for getting a license in this country. In many countries in the EU you need to study for weeks to prepare and many fail multiple times before passing. Honestly, when operating a machine that can kill and injure many…there need to be higher standards in place as to who can drive. And why you see MUCH better drivers and road rules followed in places like Germany.
Stuart, studies have shown that more stringent requirements for licensing would disproportionately impact minorities. We need a solution that promotes equity, not racism.
While I understand your sentiment I do believe there is an answer in the middle. Ok, we do not need to make getting a license the same as, say, in Germany. But we certainly could make it a bit more study focused and less like a second grade elementary math test given to fully functioning adults.
what studies ? the fact that people can’t read and are stupid ? that study ?
Don’t call AAA to tow a Tesla. They are not set up for that.
I did do it once and AAA dispatched a flat bed, which I far preferred to the tiny tow truck that picked me up from Tesla.
Fantastic service from Tesla. Don’t you have a spare tire to get it on the car so you can continue your trip? It doesn’t seem the wheel got damaged. Also, wondering if there were any tire shops closer that could have replaced the tire for you. I don’t think you needed to go to a Tesla Service Center to replace a tire but maybe that was the easiest option.
BTW, I have considered buying a Tesla many times but don’t think they are ready yet outside CA. I rented a Tesla in Philadelphia two weeks ago from Hertz and it was a nightmare to get the car charged.
Same problem in Memphis from AVIS, they were out of full size cars and my choices we’re a Tesla Model 3 and a Mustang convertible. We have three with luggage, so Tesla is was – they assured me that having only a 50% charge when I picked it up was their standard procedure.
Luckily we didn’t have a huge commute to our customer site. There were no chargers at the hotel (Hyatt Centric), there were no chargers at our customer site, or anywhere closer than 35 miles.
When I had the nerve to return it with only 8% remaining, I was charged $27. That was a PITA mistake that we won’t be making again.
My experience was similar but I had to get the car charged. Hyatt in Philly didn’t have charger. All non Tesla chargers I found wouldn’t work since I needed an app with an account and credit card on file. My last resource was a Tesla Charging station but the closest ones were far and not in locations you want to be parked at night waiting the car to charge. We ended up driving 25 miles away to one at a big mall which was a pain. The place was very isolated, there was nobody there at night and it was not a good experience. No more Tesla rentals for us.
There were no outlets?
Yeah, right.
I’m sure all the hotels you stay at have gas pumps in the garage
I believe that Teslas do not come with spare tires nor with run flat tires. This is terrible. In addition, the tire sizes used is not that common, so a dealer is the one to most likely have a tire in stock.
I have run flat tires and also carry a full sized run flat spare tire on selected trips.
Wow!!!! You are correct. I just searched and they don’t come with spare tires. Another reason I only see them being useful to drive around town and not on long trips.
Yes, there is sadly no spare tire and I have a third row “under” my trunk so it’s not like there is even room for one. Frunk (front trunk) is too small.
Glad you & your family are okay! I’ve had tire leaks but never a blowout… (thought this was an article about hair styling at first glance!)
Good job on Telsa for taking on a move for you!
Great to read that your family stayed safe and not involved in a worse situation due to the flat. There’s something to be said for finding silver linings and making lemonade out of lemons. BTW, photo shows (minor) scuffing/damage on the wheel in question; just make sure there isn’t any structural/internal cracking.
That tire has an execptionally low profile. It must compromise the ride quality. Also surprising that hitting almost any road hole doesn’t blow the tire.
Absolutely. I spoke with a few friends that have Teslas and they all shared that their wheels are trashed. Well, I rented a Tesla from Hertz 2 weeks ago and noticed that all Teslas on their lots had wheels in horrible conditions. I did some research and apparently it is very common that Teslas have issues with tires and wheels. The cars come with thing tires which leaves very little rubber jut out beyond the rim. Also, the the metal of Tesla rims sticks out further than the tire rubber. Teslas are also relatively low to the ground which makes them more prone to get more damage on tires and wheels.
Granted I know nothing about these “cars” or whatever they claim to be. But are we at a point where a person can’t put a spare on a car? And a car with a flat needs to be towed?
I will never understand what anyone sees in these things other than attention and the belief that they are doing something “good” for the environment.
F Elon and Tesla. See, I can agree with liberals on a few things.
You do realize that a lot of cars don’t come with spare tires? Has nothing to do with the engine type
Why would you be taking the 126? That’s all the way up by Santa Clarita. Wouldn’t the 1 or 101 make more sense from LA. And yes, I lived in Santa Barbara an Ventura for 35 years so I’m very familiar with the area.
What a cute curly haired kid you have! And breakfast looked fantastic!
his kids have the nicest hair. My inner child is jealous as I always wanted hair like that as kid.
Great story. Important for kids to see mum and dad calm and rolling with the punches when travelling. We pulled over once from a heavy snowstorm between Wisconsin dells and chicago. Found a la Quinta inn and swam in the tiny pool and ate lasagne. Was such a memorable experience.
Here’s hoping today our visa on arrival in Vientiane works!
It will! I got mine on arrival!
It worked! Although no atms airside at HAN so had to go back out of security to get money. We didn’t have passport photos and they didn’t ask.
Congrats on your Plan B! And on your great kids!! Example is always a better teacher than a lecture.
We travel the world and always leave ourselves open to the chances that things might not turn out in accordance with our “perfect” Plan A that was months in the making. Interruptions can mean cancelled flights, cruises, cruise ship excursions, family emergencies, you name it.
What constantly amazes us is how coming up with a plan B on the fly ends up being better than what we were expecting from Plan A. Our excursion cancelled? Then we walk the port of call and start meeting people. Once our schedule is thrown off, we are suddenly dependent on strangers. That’s where we meet the best of the people in the tourism and hospitality industries. We introduce ourselves and thank them for being there to take care of us. They reciprocate and introduce themselves and suggest what we should do locally. So ask the local museum ticket seller what is their favorite place for lunch. Or invite them to lunch. They have often offered their hospitality directly and we’ve ended up as friends over the years.
The saddest travelers, in our experience, are those who get totally bent out of shape because they’ve encountered some interruption or disappointment in their schedule and suspect that everyone else in the world conspired to make that happen.
If we look for the best in everyone else, they assume the same about us, they will help us, and we are much more likely to enjoy the rest of our trip. This approach has never failed us in over 11o countries.
As Thomas said, many if not most new cars now, don’t have even a space saver spare, but just a “tire repair kit” which I’m sure couldn’t handle the blowout shone. has nothing to do with the electric car, it is just capitalism, lowering the cost as far as possible. Tires have gotten a LOT better in the past few decades, so in fairness it is not a totally dumb idea, even though I hate it. Even some models of Jeep SUV don’t have even a space saver spare tire! Grrrr….
The comment you made about canceling Santa Barbara prematurely reminded me the funniest movie line :” Just like any young man too eager to start and too quick to finish.”
Lol
Did you have a penalty for cancelling so close to the check in time of the Mar Monte hotel? I haven’t seen a cancellation policy flexible within 24 hours at any Hyatt before.
I avoided that by moving the reservation to a new date.
If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.
Have tire manufacturers finally created models that can withstand the ridiculous amounts of torque in electrics? Sidewall is your friend but not to be found in those tires.
The Westlake Regency has old bones but like all recently renovated regencies has nice rooms.
Yes, it could have been worse. You were protected, a blessing.
Blow outs are a known issue with Teslas. Check out https://n2itive.me to see why. Long story short, it’s in alignment issue that causes the tires to quickly wear out on the inner edge.