Cybertruck Air Compressor + Tire Repair Kit -- User Experience Review

[JackCypher]

Tesla needs a UX User Experience Team to help mature products.

My recent experience attempting to use the CT Tire Inflation Compressor turned a casual task of topping off my tires in my driveway to a mock 'Survival Experience' making it clear the CT needs a few more iterations of Actual Usability to arrive at a 'base' feature set for such/any a vehicle.

Pros
A. Inflator is fast and fills tire to preset pressure.
B. It is 'bitchen', comes in a case.
C. Has a very long AC power cord - so you can get to all four wheels - Provided they still attached to your CT.
D. Is Matt Black, tapered sides.
C. Includes Mystery Box: With a small separate box with a clear tube - which provides a subject of purpose ponderance - as you inflate your tires with the larger unit. You can ponder the purpose of the 'Mystery box'.
E. It does not have a handle. As this would violate the 'Design Ascetic'

Cons
1. Requires an internet connection: There are no illustrations/instructions on the unit itself. Only tiny lawyer required text on the bottom. Nor does the 'mystery box with a tube' that comes with it have any instruction as to what that extra thingy is.
*Now a tire inflater is not new technology - so we all know what to expect them to do, connect and operate. So the mystery box does not have any intuitive purpose to me.
** An inflator has 1 output minimum to the tire, then a power input if it is not battery.
*** I have no idea with the Mystery box is, but kept it in close to the inflator incase it needed company. It also added another obstacle to navigate as I was moving about inflating the tires.


2. It requires AC power to run - Fine: the CT bed and rear cabin have an AC outlet.
* However the AC outlets do not work when charging?! - 'I guess' because I was plugged into my charger.
** When attempting to enable the AC cargo ports from the CT dash, they report 'disabled' and 'see user manual'.
*** The user manual section - hyperlinked only covers the USB ports, with NO mention of how and why the AC ports are not enabled.
****It would be nice to have an user 'ON Override' for the AC outlets.

3. The unit does not have a handle: It's large: Childs lunchbox size and weights enough that it not quite easy to handle with one hand - while your other hand is managing the 30' AC cord, tire valve cap, and maybe a flashlight.
* It 'bitchen' matt black with a cool touchscreen, so I'd not want to drop it, and let it tumble down my driveway.
** It's does not appear to be robust, drop proof, it has sharp corners, no rubber protective boots around it.
*** It is clear it was testing inside an airconditioned office, and nobody dropped it or knocked it over, Toppled /Dragged it by the 30' cord.

4. It does not have a Flashlight: About 1/2 of everyday is night, and you can have low tire pressure at night and flats.
* As it plugged into AC power - it would be nice if it had a light to illuminate, the black rims, black valve stem, black inflator in the dark of night.

5. It is clear this unit is not usable for offroad, or actual roadside tire repair and inflation. Certainly not a night on a rough hwy roadside. Its current design only adds to the peril and frustration of tire inflation and repair.

6. It is 'packaged' as if it is a complete 'set' and $$$ priced as such. But it is not, you need some gloves, flashlight, maybe a little tray on the inflator to hold the valve cap. [Yes, I put those back...]

7. The padded case is nice, does not function to allow the unit to be used & protected by the case during use. I am sure the gust of a passing Semi - will have the empty case tumbling across the hwy.

This post is driven by the rabbit hole I had to go thru to simply inflate my tires, something I've done quite a few times. IN MY OWN DRIVEWAY.

My mind is now set on finding an alternative, tire repair and inflation kit, and free up the space this clumsy square thing takes.

I purchased this because I have to expended my $2,500 Foundation Store Credits before the end of year.

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[carsly]

Seconded. The Cybertruck air compressor is a beast, albeit a little tricky to use.



It fills up large, high pressure, tires like nobodies business.

 

[JCERRN]

1. It does have a handle.
2. It does have instructions
3. “Mystery box”? Did you read the item description before purchasing or is this sarcasm? That is the tire sealant for punctures.

Not sure how much of this post is serious vs satire, but ill err toward satire.

my biggest complaint about it is the cost compared to other very capable (sometimes more capable) products. This is more like a $200-$250 kit not a $650 kit.

 

[JackCypher]

Seconded. The Cybertruck air compressor is a beast, albeit a little tricky to use.



It fills up large, high pressure, tires like nobodies business.

..so what is the Mystery Box for?....

 

[carsly]

..so what is the Mystery Box for?....

pic? probably the inflation goo that you can shoot into the tire

 

[REDNAVE]

To be fair, the handle is well hidden into the design.
lol mystery box

 

[Jager]

I'll take a leap and suggest that perhaps it's not the wisest choice to take a not-obvious-how-it-works thing, not read the instructions, then try and sort through how to make it work... in the dark. And then pronounce it to have usability issues because that all didn't go well.

I dunno, because I don't own one. But what I can suggest is that lots of things have their instructions online these days. Flashlights are kinda nice things to have when it's dark. And if you don't like the Tesla compressor, I can highly recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YTKQLVK?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5&th=1

 

[TexasRaider]

Thanks for the share and additional information.
I went with the Fanttik X9 Ultra Portable Tire Inflator.
https://a.co/d/hzwvz5C
It’s also a solid option for anyone with Amazon credits or the like. I’ve used it several times over the years on the bigger truck tires.

 

[SlegMD]

I'll take a leap and suggest that perhaps it's not the wisest choice to take a not-obvious-how-it-works thing, not read the instructions, then try and sort through how to make it work... in the dark. And then pronounce it to have usability issues because that all didn't go well.

I dunno, because I don't own one. But what I can suggest is that lots of things have their instructions online these days. Flashlights are kinda nice things to have when it's dark. And if you don't like the Tesla compressor, I can highly recommend this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07YTKQLVK?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_5&th=1

Noice the tankless is back in stock?! Been wanting to get my grubby hands on one, they were out of stock a couple months back. Thx

 

[Scrambler]

I definitely went through the "University of Youtube" route concerning the Tesla Tire Inflator/Deflator device, thankfully I did not have too much trouble getting it to work. Cant say anything about the tire repair kit as I dont have that. I do however pack my own 3rd party kit along with a full size spare tire when offroading.

Also what is adventure without a little adversity?

Trip earlier last summer. With the Tesla kit, successfully deflated tires from 50psi -> 20psi and ran through mild to moderate difficulty trails in the mountains, and reinflated back to 50psi before getting back on the roads to go home.

Would suggest getting some adjustable, mechanical tire deflators though if you want to be able to hit the trails quicker.

 

[Musicurry]

And… It is great for off-road use because it also airs-down the tires to your desired pressure.

 

[Spartacus]

watched a youTube where the F-150 truck owners had deflated the tires to do a little bit of "over-landing" which was not necessary in the end. Then they pulled out their newly purchased tire inflator which was a USB powered thing about the size of your fist. NO exaggeration here, more than one and a half hours later they were pumped back up! We are so lucky to have 110v power, so use it! I have a 20ft extention cord, a 40 dollar Husky inflator from ebay and a mushroom plug gun for a possible flat tire. Inflate a tire in way less than 5 minutes.

 

[84Apollo3]

It does have a handle. It does have directions. The “mystery box” is clearly sealant to use with the pump for a puncture scenario (why most people would buy it). You just have no idea what you were “buying” because you didn’t spend real money on it and after half assed trying to use it, you came on here to bitch about it being junk, when in reality you just don’t know what you are doing. Overpriced, sure, but your complaints about your experience are mostly because you didn’t even know what you were getting.

 

[JackCypher]

1. It does have a handle.
2. It does have instructions
3. “Mystery box”? Did you read the item description before purchasing or is this sarcasm? That is the tire sealant for punctures.

Not sure how much of this post is serious vs satire, but ill err toward satire.

my biggest complaint about it is the cost compared to other very capable (sometimes more capable) products. This is more like a $200-$250 kit not a $650 kit.

My post had satire, as comedy is the other side of the tragedy of spending $650 on this thing. Which clearly the designers of were less serious than my post in creating this for the intended purpose.

I will look for the handle. Or try prying on the edges of this $650 plastic box for something to present itself.

There are no instructions that are on the inflator, nor is/was there an instruction booklet with the inflator in the case.
* Its irrational, that I'd be expected to have cell/internet access to obtain instructions on the roadside.
** Is it too much to expect a laminated, card with instruction diagrams??
*** The CT manual should have actual have links to sections on every option the CT has and not deadlinks to the USB ports when the link source was 'AC Outlets'
**** What about the scenario where my brother, or wife who did not actually buy this from the website using my CT /read the description - to 'know' what that mystery box actually is? How is that knowledge to be transferred?

The 'Mystery Box' does not indicate anywhere on it - what it is or that it contains some chemical concoction.
* Is it too much to expect some label on it? and instructions?. How about a laminated card. Also, I think it requires at least a disclosure that it contains chemicals, what the hazards are, its self life and how to dispose of it. A can of tire sealant, is covered with cautions, contents and use instructions - how is this not required to be so labeled?
** Also it comes 'naked' with no case or bag, so after using it, it would be weeping tire sealant?
*** Can I leave it on the side of the road after use? As it is unmarked will someone call the police because it is an unlabeled ominous Blackbox on the side of the road?

Cost: I agree, I'd not spend $650 on this if it was not for loosing my $2,500 CT credit. A Fantik battery compressor $60 is battery powered , digital and is pretty fast. Very small and compact.

I love the CT, it needs iterations of improvement. At least I don't have the lightbar falling off on the highway.

Technology is full of stories of poor design killing people. The Soyuz 11 crew died on reentry from a failed valve. The manual valve override required 40+ turns. Because when you are entering Earths atmosphere at 24,000 miles per hour @ 6Gs - and dropping 60 miles down - you've got plenty of time make 40 turns of valve to save your life.

The world does not get better because things are made 'Good enough'...they have to be made better.

thanks for your reply...

 

[ABILISK]

https://digitalassets-shop.tesla.co...a/manuals/Cybertruck_Air_Compressor_Guide.pdf

Here you go. It’s linked on the product page online and in the app. Your truck has also has an internet browser and Grok, in case that information passed you by. No phone needed.

I found it quite intuitive to use. Plug it in, set your desired PSI, hit start, then when it’s done, remove the hose.

I’ve never seen nor wished for a valve cap tray. I have pockets, tire tread, and hands that can hold things.

There’s no handle on the actual compressor. Others were referring to the case.

Not quite sure what rubbed you in such the wrong way with this product. It is overly pricey, I totally agree on that, but it’s solid and very easy to use. Maybe you had a bad day?

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