Suspension(?) rattle 2016 Model S P90D - with video

[tezcatcatl]

Rattle starts at 00:04. Listen with headphones.
Its coming from the front driver side.

So I have this car for 3 years now and this rattle noise is constantly there. It did get worse but then stabilized at this level.
It happens on uneven / stone roads. Even thick white lane lines can trigger it depending on their texture.

During these 3 years, below is what I have done to find / fix it, but none of it worked.

- Visited 3 Tesla service centers. Failed to diagnose. They said its "probably" the air struts.
- Visted 5 independent garages. Failed to diagnose. They said its "probably" the air struts or stabilizor links
- Visited 2 suspension specialists. Failed to diagnose. Same comments.

- Replaced front air struts. No remedy.
- Replaced stabilizor bar and stabilizor links. No remedy.
- Removed stabilizor bar and stabilizor links. Test drive. No remedy.
- Removed all the trim of the frunk. Test drive. No remedy.
- Replaced CV axles of both sides. No remedy.
- Replaced wheel bearings. No remedy.
- Checked break pads and dust cover, no play, no rattle.
- Replaced ALL front control arms except top Y shaped ones. No remedy.
- Checked ALL control arms for play multiple times. No play.
- Checked everything under the frunk to see if anything is loose. Found nothing.
- Check headlights for broken mounts. Found some. Fixed them. No cure.
- Put some rubber under the hood, left it slightly open with rubber inbetween and test drive. No cure.
- Removed tires and checked for faulty tyre pressure sensors. Nothing.
- Retorqued everything including the control arms and steering column. No cure.
(rattle is not really felt on the steeringwheel)
- Checked rear control arms. No play.
- Removed the top shock brace bars and test drive. No cure.
I am really losing my mind here. Onlything that I didn't replace is the top, Y shaped control arms, but there is no play. And the steering column...
I am considering throwing in a new steering column aswell since it is making a loud hissing noise when turning the steeringwheel.
But if that also doesn't remedy it, I am really going crazy. Anyone has any clue?

Service center says I should either live with it or replace the car as it is too expensive to pursue it. Other services are just as clueless as Tesla SC.
I like my car though and I would like to keep it so I really would love to get rid of this issue..

 

[brainhouston]

bring it over i'll find it
does the sound change with acceleration or deceleration?
my bet would be FDU mounts or internal to it if answer above is yes..
otherwise it sounds like something is loose n bumping the frame...

to further troubleshoot, put a camera/mic in the frunk area, with it removed even
try diff places till u get loudest sound, that will mean u got closer to source n go from there...

 

[tezcatcatl]

bring it over i'll find it
does the sound change with acceleration or deceleration?
my bet would be FDU mounts or internal to it if answer above is yes..
otherwise it sounds like something is loose n bumping the frame...

to further troubleshoot, put a camera/mic in the frunk area, with it removed even
try diff places till u get loudest sound, that will mean u got closer to source n go from there...

The speed and / or acceleration / deceleration does not affect the sound.
When I replaced the CV axles, SC replaced the FDU mounts with the new design (that's what they said).

I did put chassis ears on the struts, brace tower, control arms and on the stabilizer bar.
None of it was the issue and yet the sound was hearable through the sensors attached on those parts since it was coming from the frunk area.

Where are you located?

 

[Aggmeister2010]

This may sound crazy, but given all you've done, my money would be on your brake pads rattling because the slides aren't lubricated. Go down that same stretch of road with your foot lightly on the brake (enough to push the pads into the rotors and eliminate any wiggle room) and see if it stops.

 

[tezcatcatl]

This may sound crazy, but given all you've done, my money would be on your brake pads rattling because the slides aren't lubricated. Go down that same stretch of road with your foot lightly on the brake (enough to push the pads into the rotors and eliminate any wiggle room) and see if it stops.

Already thought about it and inspected, greased etc. Also first thing i tested was that. Rattle isnt affected by breaking. Unfortunately its not that either

 

[brainhouston]

I did put chassis ears on the struts, brace tower, control arms and on the stabilizer bar.
None of it was the issue and yet the sound was hearable through the sensors attached on those parts since it was coming from the frunk area.

but was the sound louder in one location vs others?
that would give u a clue where its coming from...

 

[tezcatcatl]

but was the sound louder in one location vs others?
that would give u a clue where its coming from...

Nope no difference on the chassis ears. Its just coming from the left side i am sure of that.

On the otherhand, something new.
My brake rotors were always warped. I got them fixed ~15000 kms ago. There is no obvious reason for them to get warped again. I almost never use my brakes. Same pads since 110k kilometers and they still look new. I dont wash the car when brakes are hot. Well basically my brakes are almost never hot anyways.

I just did a 2750km trip from Netherlands to Turkey and towards the end of the trip, i realized that they are badly warped again. And at around 120kmh speed, when i gradually brake and slow down, the vibration due to the warped disc triggers the rattle on the front left. When i go 50 to 70 kmh and brake there is no vibration and no rattle. When I go 150 kmh and brake, there is vibration but no rattle sweet spot is 100 to 120 kmh. The rattle is on the exact same frequency as the vibration due to the warped rotor.

 

[brainhouston]

well if u upload the sound from under frunk, might be easier for someone to identify

i have 2016 90d n had left warped rotor, i re-surfaced it n it was braking perfect
now after about 5k miles it started vibrating the pedal again at >60mph, below 50mph i can't feel it
sounds just like urs...

 

[tezcatcatl]

well if u upload the sound from under frunk, might be easier for someone to identify

i have 2016 90d n had left warped rotor, i re-surfaced it n it was braking perfect
now after about 5k miles it started vibrating the pedal again at >60mph, below 50mph i can't feel it
sounds just like urs...

Yes thats just the warped rotor though. In my case that vibration caused by the warped rotor is triggering the rattle. Just like driving on uneven / stone tiled roads.

Unfortunataly i cant make a recording with the chassis ears but it sounds exactly like the video.