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Cont: Electric Vehicles II

jadebox said:
Most new cars, especially EVs, don't come with spare tires. In case of a flat, I am not even going to try to use that foam stuff. I am calling roadside service.

I have a AAA membership, roadside assistance provided by the car's manufacturer, and "free" roadside assistance through my not-so-free credit card. So, I'm covered.
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Whatever your situation of coverage or foolhardy courage, I second that you should not try to use that foam stuff if you can avoid it. What they do not tell you is that although it can sometimes get you rolling again, it will probably ruin the tire, and if left in for long, can ruin the rim as well. If it works, it's almost certain that the hole in the tire is small and repairable already. If that's the case, and if, as in many cars, you also have expensive alloy wheels, you should think very hard about the relative cost of a quick repair which may or may not work, versus waiting for service.

The same goes for do-it-yourself tire plugs (the rope type plugs you can easily get in kits). Once considered OK (and I've used them many times without incident) they are not considered legal, and many if not most tire dealers will not touch a tire that has been thus repaired. If you're riding on old skins and don't want to be stuck in the wilderness all night, plug away, but be sure you've calculated the relative cost.
 
bruto said:
Whatever your situation of coverage or foolhardy courage, I second that you should not try to use that foam stuff if you can avoid it...
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Yeah. When I bought my current (second-hand) car it had a foam kit. First thing I did was order a second-hand spare wheel.
 
ONe other thing I forgot to mention, but it seems pertinent. The foam does not age all that well. If your car is a few years old and you haven't renewed it, there's a good chance it won't work anyway. When I disposed of mine, just for grins I decided to try it on a junk tire. It had turned solid in the can.
 
jadebox said:
Most new cars, especially EVs, don't come with spare tires. In case of a flat, I am not even going to try to use that foam stuff. I am calling roadside service.

I have a AAA membership, roadside assistance provided by the car's manufacturer, and "free" roadside assistance through my not-so-free credit card. So, I'm covered.
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I drove for AAA as a tow driver and changed many a tire on the side of the I-15 freeway.
Only time a had to take a pause was when an inattentive semi truck driver took a pen out of my back pocket while installing a tire. With the trailer tires.

I had all the tools because most people didn't have even basics in the car.
I even had a big selection of locking lug nut sockets, because the owners usually lost thiers before the trip.

Prepare people, at least know the basics and carry the required tools.
Even AAA can't save everyone from themselves.
 
bruto said:
ONe other thing I forgot to mention, but it seems pertinent. The foam does not age all that well. If your car is a few years old and you haven't renewed it, there's a good chance it won't work anyway. When I disposed of mine, just for grins I decided to try it on a junk tire. It had turned solid in the can.
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The manufacturer of my car has issued a TSB because of the foam cans bursting and dumping foam all over the trunk of the car. Dealers are supposed to check the cannisters and replace them if necessary and put then in a plastic bag just in case.
 
8enotto said:
I drove for AAA as a tow driver and changed many a tire on the side of the I-15 freeway.
Only time a had to take a pause was when an inattentive semi truck driver took a pen out of my back pocket while installing a tire. With the trailer tires.

I had all the tools because most people didn't have even basics in the car.
I even had a big selection of locking lug nut sockets, because the owners usually lost thiers before the trip.

Prepare people, at least know the basics and carry the required tools.
Even AAA can't save everyone from themselves.
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Yes!

Still, you probably didn’t care for it much when you had to change a tire on the left side of the car. It can be a bit nerve wracking when they are flying by at 60+ miles an hour a foot or two behind you. I've done it a few times and I tried very hard to do it as fast as I could.
 
Yeah, it was a bit scary with a 80 ton truck passing at speed, leaving just a hair between completely ruining my day and not doing so.

The I-15 between San Bernadino and Barstow has wide shoulders most of the way along it. Most damaged cars would be as far off the lanes as possible.

But that didn't stop zoned out drivers from using it as an extra lane to keep the speed up over 80mph on wider curves.

It was a scary job most days. 12-15 hours a day out on the roads and deadlines to every call. For very low pay.
 
bruto said:
ONe other thing I forgot to mention, but it seems pertinent. The foam does not age all that well. If your car is a few years old and you haven't renewed it, there's a good chance it won't work anyway. When I disposed of mine, just for grins I decided to try it on a junk tire. It had turned solid in the can.
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I don't know if this is the same as the "fix a flat" inflators. If they are you should definitely tell the mechanic you used it if you have a tire changed. About 30 years ago I didn't tell the mechanic and the remaining liquid spilled all over his boots and tools. He was polite about it, but I could tell he was pissed.
 
8enotto said:
Yeah, it was a bit scary with a 80 ton truck passing at speed, leaving just a hair between completely ruining my day and not doing so.

The I-15 between San Bernadino and Barstow has wide shoulders most of the way along it. Most damaged cars would be as far off the lanes as possible.

But that didn't stop zoned out drivers from using it as an extra lane to keep the speed up over 80mph on wider curves.

It was a scary job most days. 12-15 hours a day out on the roads and deadlines to every call. For very low pay.
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I would imagine. I've done it on I-5 between Seattle and Vancouver BC. Not Southern California, but the traffic here can still get pretty nasty.
 
Well, anyone wanna buy a Tesla in Australia???

Just heard the Feb sales figures- overall sales for Tesla down by over 70%, Model 3 sales (the most popular model) down by 84%

He's literally just handed the Australian markets to BYD and the other Chinese makers lol- overall the EV market rose, even with the massive decrease in Tesla sales, so its not as if its an anti EV thing- its literally an anti musk thing....
 
Maybe, but doesn't this coincide with a factory shutdown to tool up for a new model, and a lot of prospective buyers may be waiting for the new model?
 
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SYDNEY, March 12 (Reuters) - When Australian Dick Friend bought a Tesla in 2015, he was so impressed with its environmental credentials and performance that he and his wife bought two more of the electric vehicles, plus shares in the Elon Musk-led company.
Now, however, he is selling his Tesla stock and will not replace one of his cars, wrecked in an accident last year, citing his objections to Musk's right-wing tilt and his growing role in the administration of Donald Trump.

"The cars are brilliant, but we don't like the direction of the owner and we're voting with our feet," said Friend, who splits time between homes in Hobart and Melbourne.
Tesla sales in the four months since Trump's election were down 35% compared with the same time last year, according to data from Australia's Electric Vehicle Council, with a spate of vandalism in Australia and New Zealand over the last week also adding to evidence of contagion from Musk's role in the Trump administration.
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From that link...
 
The vandalism is real, though just how widespread it is I don't know. But that has nothing to do with the sales figures. Unless some people are being deterred by fears of having their new car vandalised.

I don't think we'll be able to come to any conclusion about sales figures for a good few months yet.
 
Secondhand Tesla sales are up 31% for the model 3, while new tesla sales are down by even more (ie those with teslas are selling them, but nobody is buying new ones...)

The latest used Tesla sales figures follow CEO Elon Musk's recent controversial behaviour, which has also put the car maker back in the spotlight, leading to reports of vandalisation of owners' vehicles, quiet protests in the form of stickers and rebadging of cars, as well as letters left on people's windshields.
It's becoming more common to see Reddit posts such as this one, "Buyers Are Avoiding Teslas Because Elon Musk Has Become So Toxic," in which plenty of users have something to say about the CEO's antics.
"Tesla owner. I'll never buy a combustion car again, but Musk's behaviour has also convinced me that I'll never buy another Tesla. I got my car in 2022 before he went all the way off the deep end, which also means by the time I'm looking to upgrade, basically every other manufacturer will have an option I can look at," said one user.

"I specifically avoided Tesla when I was EV shopping because of Musk," simply stated another user.
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https://www.drive.com.au/caradvice/sales-of-used-teslas-spiked-last-month-heres-why/

Tesla fanbois may have their heads stuck firmly in the sand (or up elsewhere), but for the general public, owning a 'swasticar' is a HUGE turnoff....
 
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