Fixed!!!: Tesla model 3 2018 passenger side C pillar and rail clicking sound

[Saruman]

2018 LR RWD Model 3.

This car has consistently made a clicking sound from the right rear passenger area. I was able to narrow this down to the upper C pillar or the rail above it.

Tesla service tried to fix this twice, but were unsuccessful.

I was able to resolve this over a period of a few days by removing the upper rail trim and then applying Tesa cloth tape (51608) and automobile acoustic foam each night to one area, then driving the next day to test the fix. Once the rail (and the C pillar) were noise free, I reattached the rail trim and am happy to report that the sound has been eliminated

Interestingly once the clicking sound was resolved, the car was quite enough for me to discern another sound from the same area. This sound was a crinkling/crackling sound, and turned out to be part of the airbag fabric rustling/rubbing against the metal housing for the air bag, and the wire that exits the airbag.

I hope this helps you.

 

[sleepydoc]

Good job - thanks for sharing!
Little noises like this can be a bear to diagnose. An old mechanic's trick that can help is to have someone else ride with you and use a length of tubing like a makeshift stethoscope, holding one end up to their ear and moving the other end around to isolate exactly where the noise is coming from.

 

[Saruman]

Good job - thanks for sharing!
Little noises like this can be a bear to diagnose. An old mechanic's trick that can help is to have someone else ride with you and use a length of tubing like a makeshift stethoscope, holding one end up to their ear and moving the other end around to isolate exactly where the noise is coming from.

Thanks Doc. That is an excellent tip! I'll use it for the next item I work on.