Model 3 aluminum aero guard replacement bolt

[Corey Hart]

I recently hit a big pothole and noticed 2 things bent rims and the fabricish undercarriage thing had been torn off.

I finally got the bolts out for the undercarriage thing but the one bolt that was directly hit by the pothole may have dislodged the nut on the other side. I’ve tried to bolt it in many times with no grab on anything.

Wondering if anyone has a picture of what these look like without the cover on it from the top side.


All other bolts mounted securely and torqued down but the last bolt won’t grab onto anything.

If this makes sense let me know.

Thank you for your help.

P.s. have searched and searched before posting.

 

[afadeev]

I recently hit a big pothole and noticed 2 things bent rims and the fabricish undercarriage thing had been torn off.

I finally got the bolts out for the undercarriage thing but the one bolt that was directly hit by the pothole may have dislodged the nut on the other side. I’ve tried to bolt it in many times with no grab on anything.

If it's not too late to return the disposable Tesla felt undertray, I would recommend upgrading to the 1/8″ Aluminum alternative from Mountain Pass Performance:

"Smash Me" Tesla Front Skid Plate for Model Y & Model 3

Going offroading? Install this skid plate and protect the sensitive bits with the "Smash Me" Tesla Front Skid Plate for Model Y & Model 3!

www.mountainpassperformance.com

Their video of the installation below should show what you want to see:

a

 

[Corey Hart]

If it's not too late to return the disposable Tesla felt undertray, I would recommend upgrading to the 1/8″ Aluminum alternative from Mountain Pass Performance:

"Smash Me" Tesla Front Skid Plate for Model Y & Model 3

Going offroading? Install this skid plate and protect the sensitive bits with the "Smash Me" Tesla Front Skid Plate for Model Y & Model 3!

www.mountainpassperformance.com

Their video of the installation below should show what you want to see:

a

I literally just installed this. Except one bolt doesn’t have a nut to attach to anymore I think so I’m trying to figure out how to fix this nut to attach the bolt to.

 

[afadeev]

I literally just installed this. Except one bolt doesn’t have a nut to attach to anymore I think so I’m trying to figure out how to fix this nut to attach the bolt to.

Which bolt are you referencing - the center / front one that used to attach to the front subframe?
If so, the skid plate doesn't use it to avoid inducing tattles from aluminum shield rubbing against front metal subframe. There is a "bump stop" type gizmo that goes in place of where that bolt used to reside, to dampen shield vibrations.
See 3:20 mark of the installation video.

HTH,
a

 

[Corey Hart]

Which bolt are you referencing - the center / front one that used to attach to the front subframe?
If so, the skid plate doesn't use it to avoid inducing tattles from aluminum shield rubbing against front metal subframe. There is a "bump stop" type gizmo that goes in place of where that bolt used to reside, to dampen shield vibrations.
See 3:20 mark of the installation video.

HTH,
a

It’s on the passenger side all the way towards the tire and the front one. I believe the nut either stripped or broke off from the initial bang.

I’ve tried a new bolt and can’t seem to grip anything. I even jacked up the plate a little to make up the room and it did nothing there’s nothing there to bolt to. Just wondering it it’s like a body to body style mount or if it’s a chassis mount that’s a nut soldered or something on there.

 

[afadeev]

It’s on the passenger side all the way towards the tire and the front one. I believe the nut either stripped or broke off from the initial bang.

I’ve tried a new bolt and can’t seem to grip anything. I even jacked up the plate a little to make up the room and it did nothing there’s nothing there to bolt to. Just wondering it it’s like a body to body style mount or if it’s a chassis mount that’s a nut soldered or something on there.

I seam to recall that I had to do something similar - one or two of the front holes were different than in the OEM felt undertray, but still corresponded to some other "spare" holes in the front subframe. Tesla may have moved the nutserts around over model years?
I believe I had used my own nut to secure two two holes. I found "spare" nuts (10mm?) in my container of left-over hardware from prior car and house projects.

You can always use a longer bolt (if necessary), and your own nut on the other end of it. Home Depot should have amply supply if you don't have any on hand.
May need to unclip the fender lining to get better view and access.

HTH,
a

 

[Petermcg]

When my front right bolt bent due to an impact I replaced the torn-up Tesla shield with an aluminum one. The problem was the nut or mounting fixture was gone, and you can’t reach around behind the shield to hold a nut to tighten down the bolt. I ended up using two-part five-minute epoxy to glue a nut to the backside of the hole (positioning it with a Q-Tip in the threads to keep them clean). I was able to add the shield and tighten down the bolt with no problem after it dried.