Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

new owner #1425

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
Had mine for a week, delivered at Santana Row.


Questions for experienced owners:

1) Is some slack and a light "clunk" in the drivetrain normal when driving at very low speeds and getting on or off the accelerator? I asked the service folks over e-mail and they said it was normal, but it worries me--if it's there on every car, I'll feel better.

2) How do you guys get rid of all the little squeaks, clicks, and ticks coming from the plastic interior panels touching each other? I'm thinking of taking off panels and applying felt tape this weekend.

3) I have fog in my headlights but only AFTER they have been turned on a while. I thought the heaters were supposed to get rid of the fog, but in my case they create it. But the nice service guys in Menlo Park have offered to take care of it as soon as I can get in (my fault for not getting there yet).

Love the car and looking forward to posting in a little more detail...





photo 1.JPG
 
  • Love
Reactions: DeedWest
Had mine for a week, delivered at Santana Row.


Questions for experienced owners:

1) Is some slack and a light "clunk" in the drivetrain normal when driving at very low speeds and getting on or off the accelerator? I asked the service folks over e-mail and they said it was normal, but it worries me--if it's there on every car, I'll feel better.

I don't get any slack and the clunk only happens when the contactor changes from regen to drive. I don't think it hurts anything but you can avoid it somewhat by not moving your foot so fast from braking to power.

2) How do you guys get rid of all the little squeaks, clicks, and ticks coming from the plastic interior panels touching each other? I'm thinking of taking off panels and applying felt tape this weekend.

Let me know how that works out for you. From what I can tell, most of those squeaks come from my hard top.

3) I have fog in my headlights but only AFTER they have been turned on a while. I thought the heaters were supposed to get rid of the fog, but in my case they create it. But the nice service guys in Menlo Park have offered to take care of it as soon as I can get in (my fault for not getting there yet).
The heat from the lights drives the moisture towards the colder places where it condenses. They sealed my headlights and they don't do this anymore. Glad to hear you love your car! It's hard not to.
 
1 - Yes, it is normal to have some "slack" in the gearbox when taking your foot off the accelerator and then reapplying it. It is more noticeable at very slow speeds.

2 - Since the dash is a "floating" unit there is nothing that anchors it to the frame directly thereby creating many squeaks and rattles. Temperature changes can make it worse or better. I complained for the last two years to Bob in the LA store and about a month ago they took apart the entire dash and insulated it with tons of felt tape. It idefinitelyly better but there is still the occasional squeak when the dash gets hot sitting in the sun or when it is very cold outside.

3- The fogging headlights have been a problem from day one for many people. They have a "fix" but it doesn't seem to always work. They are going to be offering HID headlights shortly that are supposed to be a completely new unit. Guess we'll have to see if they are any better.
 
I don't get any slack and the clunk only happens when the contactor changes from regen to drive.
This is not right. There is a contactor, but it only opens or closes when the car is turned on or off. You can hear that clunk.

When transitioning between acceleration and deceleration, the changing voltages are controlled only by the silicon devices (insulated gate bipolar transistors -- IGBTs). Any clunk heard or felt at that time is in the gears and drivetrain. By the way, I do experience some gear lash like that at low speeds, but not so much that I have found it annoying. At higher speeds, I think the smooth transition between acceleration and deceleration is one of the Roadster's best features.
 
Last edited:
This is not right. There is a contactor, but it only opens or closes when the car is turned on or off. You can hear that clunk.

When transitioning between acceleration and deceleration, the changing voltages are controlled only by the silicon devices (insulated gate bipolar transistors -- IGBTs). Any clunk heard or felt at that time is in the gears and drivetrain. By the way, I do experience some gear lash like that at low speeds, but not so much that I have found it annoying. At higher speeds, I think the smooth transition between acceleration and deceleration is one of the Roadster's best features.

Yes; there are no contacts opening up; just a transition from positive to negative current in the FET's or IGBT's in the PEM. The clunk and windup is either from gear backlash (some of which is normal) or compliance in the motor and gearbox mounting. I do not feel it at all once above parking lot speeds.
 
1) I haven't noticed any driveline lash on my 2.5 but I'll try to pay more attention.
2) Yes, lots of squeaks and rattles. I write it off to being a "2-seat British sports car" but I will complain about it during my annual. They say they do go through and make sure everything's torqued down. My wife likes to tease me that my $130k car rattles more than her $25k jeep.
3) I had this problem as well. When I replaced the bulbs w/ HID it went away. Not sure if it was the loss of the heat from the bulb change or opening the housing up and letting the humidity escape.
 
1) I don't remember feeling or caring about any drivetrain lash for a long time now. Part of it is that the car will train you to be smooth (I habitually keep the VDS on the nanny graph set at 5 miles - I used to avg. 295Wh/mi initially, I'm at ~260Wh/mi now, even with 'fun days' mixed in - and I _never_ fail to stomp it if I'm in front at a stoplight). There is a thunk when I start down the street after having it parked - doesn't ever seem like enough to worry about. I assume it's some kind of solenoid not fully retracting and being jostled out of stuck position. The early drivetrain lash was because the 911 really trained me to overcompensate on the go pedal because of the lag. I hates me the latency.

2) Huh, I don't get _too_ many squeaks, and when I did, it's mostly been the hardtop (I installed it myself one year and didn't get the tightening right). Part of it is that the car itself isn't loud enough to hide the squeaks, but I do also try and remember the squeak locations for the yearly service, and it usually leads to a body panel or two being re-tightened.

I never had the fog issue, so can't speak to that.
 
There is a thunk when I start down the street after having it parked - doesn't ever seem like enough to worry about. I assume it's some kind of solenoid not fully retracting and being jostled out of stuck position.

I do believe they all do that. I don't think it's something sticking; I think it's something that doesn't engage until after you start driving. I asked my Ranger about it, and he said, "yeah, I've always wondered about that myself... not sure what it is."

My car has developed a little squeak in the back somewhere very recently.
 
Had mine for a week, delivered at Santana Row.


Questions for experienced owners:

1) Is some slack and a light "clunk" in the drivetrain normal when driving at very low speeds and getting on or off the accelerator? I asked the service folks over e-mail and they said it was normal, but it worries me--if it's there on every car, I'll feel better.

I've been in many Roadsters. The answer is yes it's normal, though some cars experience it louder than others.
 
I am curious what the fix is for the headlamp fog. I have some fog, but always drive with the lights on to be better seen, so I guess I'd expect it. Are the headlights made someplace with really high humidity when they are sealed?

I am also local - took delivery at menlo park a few weeks ago - #1415.
 
The sound when alternating between accel and regen is normal, and it is due to the motor's reversed torque causing it to rotate slightly on its (rubber?) mounts. I can hear this when driving around 30-40 km/h.

The squeaks from the dash are normal and irritating. I partially solved this by applying UHMW (ultra high molecular weight) tape to the points of contact on the dash near the binacle (speedometer cowling). Unfortunately, I missed a few spots, so it's not 100% solved. Be aware of the risk of the metal clamps on the binacle falling into the lower dash when disassembling it. You can use a magnet to retrieve them later. UHMW tape is commonly used for covering seams on the metal slides for shipping boxes, and it is ideal for reducing squeaks caused by plastic contact, as it has very low friction and high resilience to abrasion.

The fog in your headlamps is probably due to moisture inside the sealed headlamp assembly. The techs "fix" this by removing the access plug at the rear of the headlamp assembly and turning on the lights for an extended period to force out the moisture. The plug is then put back in, sealing in the "dry" air. Alternatively, the plugs might have come loose, in which case you need to replace them.

Good luck!
 
That drove me crazy until I figured out what it is. It's the door locks automatically engaging. If you look, you'll see that the little green lock icon on the dash always comes on at the same time as the clunk.

Yep--that clunk doesn't bother me a bit. The one that bothers me occurs every time you get on or off the accelerator at very low speeds. It's definitely mechanical in nature and is either gear backlash or some other compliance in the drivetrain, as you can feel it as the tiniest hesitation before acceleration or deceleration.

I think I'll have the guys at Menlo park drive it and see. Or maybe I'll go back to Santana row and drive the demo car again! ;-)
 
I am curious what the fix is for the headlamp fog. I have some fog, but always drive with the lights on to be better seen, so I guess I'd expect it. Are the headlights made someplace with really high humidity when they are sealed?
Well, they are built in England.... :biggrin:

But yeah, if you find the HID lamp/upgrade thread there are pics of how to get at the headlights - you could simply unseal them yourself and let them dry out or maybe grab a hair dryer. As I said above once I swapped out the bulbs for HIDs the fogging went away. Not sure if it's due to the lamps being cooler so they aren't triggering the condensation or if the humidity balanced while I was doing the swap. For whatever reason I don't have the problem any more.
 
My dash hasn't made a noise yet after 6 weeks (touch wood), but as for my suspension.... gah... Took it in a fortnight after getting it and they took the rear wheels off and lubed it all up. Was great on the way home until the following morning...:crying: But then sometimes it doesn't do it at all, guess its temperature related. Sounds like someone's upstairs having fun on a rather old bed frame :confused:
 
I have an issue with noise coming from the rear as well. It's the rubber cable from the handbrake rubbing against something. Try checking that, I'm sure your issue is related. You can see the cable without taking the tires off, it's on the left behind the tire. Try this: reach in and hold the cable away and let someone push the car down several times.
Mine has become really irritating, it has been lubed, which did help for a month, but now it's back at max power, squeaking without rest.
 
Last edited:
I have an issue with noise coming from the rear as well. It's the rubber cable from the handbrake rubbing against something. Try checking that, I'm sure your issue is related. You can see the cable without taking the tires off, it's on the left behind the tire. Try this: reach in and hold the cable away and let someone push the car down several times.
Mine has become really irritating, it has been lubed, which did help for a month, but now it's back at max power, squeaking without rest.

:confused:.........:eek:........:smile:........:biggrin:

You're my hero. Haven't fixed it yet but you're right!!! Thanks!!!
 
Last edited: