Suspension Replaced - Just the Beginning?

[dansev]

I have 95,000 miles on my 2019 M3. I was a few days from trading it in for a new MY during the FSDb transfer days. I backed out deciding that if I can get a few more years out of the M3, I get a car that drives better, is more efficient, has USS parking sensors, and saves me a good amount of money. Of course, Murphy's Law is THE LAW, and a couple months later, I get slapped with a $1,200 repair bill. They actually tried to charge me $1,900, just a couple hours after I approved the estimate for $1,200. I was like, "I never approved that! You just told me it would be $1,200 a couple hours ago!" 10 minutes later he came back and said he got it brought back down. See uploaded invoice.

Bottom line: is this a fair charge? Is this repair uncommon? Does it show that my car may be falling apart? My battery is in great shape. I never got 310, even on Day 1, but right now I'm hovering around 285 at 100% according to Tesla Stats app. I don't have a garage and live in Boston so it's not idea from a storage perspective. I drive a lot for work, but after the first year of using it like a rocket ship, I'm now in Chill mode 100% and drive conservatively.

Did I screw up in not trading it in? Will the repairs keep pouring in? Ugh!!!

 

[WhtLghtning]

I would say 95k miles is right about when stock suspension starts to go. I drive 22k a year and will be there soon. I will upgrade to an adjustable suspension.

 

[dansev]

I would say 95k miles is right about when stock suspension starts to go. I drive 22k a year and will be there soon. I will upgrade to an adjustable suspension.

Ok, good to know. And is the $1,200 price reasonable?

 

[DomDeWild]

....Will the repairs keep pouring in?
Probably not. I've driven quite a few ICE cars into the 160,000 mile range. What usually starts going are the alternator, catalytic convertor, starter motor, water pump/cooling system, etc. You don't have any of that. Suspension is always considered a wear item, just like brakes and tires. You may be addressing new shocks and tires somewhere down the road, but besides that, you should be fine.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

It's good that they replaced the control arms for free. Those are not very expensive out of warranty, but this is a well-known flaw that Tesla should be covering for everyone.

Other than that, it doesn't sound like there was any need for service. Dealers just offer to replace everything and it's up to you to decide what you want. Normally 20 years / 200,000 miles is fine for modern suspension bushings but replacing them at 100k does restore some of that new-car steering feel which is nice. The parts costs are high compared to BMW, Lexus, etc. but the labor charges were very fair and they gave you one of the arms for free. Why is the alignment not on the invoice?

 

[dansev]

It's good that they replaced the control arms for free. Those are not very expensive out of warranty, but this is a well-known flaw that Tesla should be covering for everyone.

Other than that, it doesn't sound like there was any need for service.

There wasn’t any need for service?? So they completely ripped me off? Im
confused. When do you mean by that?

Why is the alignment not on the invoice?

I don’t know! Car drove fine today, in a 120 mile commute.

 

[Unclepaul]

Yours is a common quandry. Trying to get a few extra years out of a car is often rolling the dice.
Some will take their cars into the dealership for a "safety Check". This often uncovers problems that are showing early symptoms, plus they can plug in a diagnostic tool to check the health of batteries and see if any codes have recently been thrown.
Sounds like they treated you fairly.

Many vehicle suspensions are well worn after 100,000 miles. They may still be functioning in an acceptable manner, but replacing bushings, shocks, and fatigued components can make an amazing refresh to your ride.

Lots of other early Model 3 owners are in your circumstances. Many are wating for the refreshed Highland model to become available. Enough new improvements to make trading up a good idea. Believe the same could be said of current Model Y owners as well.

 

[ODWms]

I've driven plenty of ICE cars up into the 160s, 180s, and even well over 200k miles. For the most part I was able to get my "money's worth," and save big money over having to buy news cars over the decades. For that reason I'd say the idea of driving it "til the wheels fall off" is a good strategy, especially since I expect this car, being an EV, to be relatively problem free past a reasonable time and mileage point.

 

[rpiotro]

At 95K miles almost all cars will experience degradation of suspension components. Especially with the quality of the roads in many parts of the US. And is $1,200 very reasonable.

In 2010 I owned a Pontiac G8 GT. I had it Pedderized. Pedders USA. Struts and shocks, control arm bushings, sway bar links and rear subframe bushings. The cost came to almost $3,000 dollars. In 2010 dollars. The car was transformed! Worth every penny.

Since the degradation of these components happens slowly over time you won't realize how bad it was until you get the work done and the car drives like new again.

 

[Mull031496]

I’m at 90k miles and have been slowly replacing all of my suspension components over the last few months. Since I’m doing it myself, I’m taking my time. What I’m seeing on my car is that at this mileage, almost all of my bushings are worn or torn, and my shocks were also past their useful life.

I live in the suburbs of Minneapolis and do mostly country/highway driving which is a 50/50 mix of bumpy back roads and smooth highways.

Now that the suspension is refreshed (everything except the trailing arms), it’s like a brand new car again - a really amazing transformation.

 

[dansev]

I’m at 90k miles and have been slowly replacing all of my suspension components over the last few months. Since I’m doing it myself, I’m taking my time. What I’m seeing on my car is that at this mileage, almost all of my bushings are worn or torn, and my shocks were also past their useful life.

I live in the suburbs of Minneapolis and do mostly country/highway driving which is a 50/50 mix of bumpy back roads and smooth highways.

Now that the suspension is refreshed (everything except the trailing arms), it’s like a brand new car again - a really amazing transformation.

Really dumb question here: did my shocks get replaced in all of this work I had done? If not, what will it cost when that becomes necessary? They didn’t say anything about shocks to me.

On the positive side, they said my brakes still had 7 to 8MM left. That says to me I might never need brakes before I get rid of this car in a couple of years or so. I hardly ever touch the brakes, which is nice.

Regarding the feel of the car with the new suspension, I have to say, honestly, I’m not sure I notice a difference. It might be a little bit more “smooth“. But it also might be the placebo effect.

 

[afadeev]

I have 95,000 miles on my 2019 M3. [...] Murphy's Law is THE LAW, and a couple months later, I get slapped with a $1,200 repair bill.

What do you mean "you got slapped" with a repair bill?
Did someone from Tesla sneak into your garage and leave a bill on your windshield?
If you took the car in for service with a suspension-related complaint, and SC addressed your problem, then it's all good. Right?

Bottom line: is this a fair charge?

*Fair* is for horses.
With a Tesla, your only option is to take the car in for service to a Tesla Service Center. That's it.
They will charge you whatever they want. If you don't like it, you can refuse.
Those are your only options, unless you star DIY-ing, or find a rare independent shops that wants to mess with poorly documented and replacement parts-constrained Teslas.

Is this repair uncommon?

Your mileage is high, so you are trail-blazing weak points of failure and wear'n'tear for this vehicle.
The sample size of 4-5 year cars with ~95-100K miles is limited.
Keep us posted on what fails next.
*my money is on the shocks*

Does it show that my car may be falling apart?

No, it shows it's a Tesla.
And it can only be services by the Tesla monopoly.
Service prices and experience follow from that.

Really dumb question here: did my shocks get replaced in all of this work I had done? If not, what will it cost when that becomes necessary? They didn’t say anything about shocks to me.

No, they did not touch the shocks. That's for the next time.
Only front lower control arms (and a few accompanying bits) in the multi-link suspension got swapped out.
Plenty more parts left untouched. For the next visit.

Will the repairs keep pouring in? Ugh!!!

Yes.
Older cars require more maintenance.
Many suspension and moving parts will wear out and require replacement between 100-160K miles.
I would mentally (and financially) prepare to replace ALL suspension pieces on all four corners (starting with the shocks), as well as all the wheel bearings.

It's all part of the bargain of owning a higher mileage car.
You trade-off lower depreciation for higher TLC required to keep the car on the road. If you are comfortable with DIY-ing, it's a net positive trade-off.
If you plan to keep taking car in for service to a Tesla SC, you will get bent over the barrel again, and again, and again.

I would stock up on Vaseline.

YMMV,
a

 

[Maki22]

It's all part of the bargain of owning a higher mileage car.
You trade-off lower depreciation for higher TLC required to keep the car on the road. If you are comfortable with DIY-ing, it's a net positive trade-off.
If you plan to keep taking car in for service to a Tesla SC, you will get bent over the barrel again, and again, and again.

This is why I sold my 2020 Model 3 as soon as it got out of warranty.
In 100 000 km (roughly 62 137 miles) I had already changed the following:
Knuckle - Suspension - Rear - LH
Knuckle - Suspension - Rear - RH
Link - Fore - Lower - Rear - LH
Link - Fore - Lower - Rear - RH
Link - Lateral - Lower - Front - LH
Link - Lateral - Lower - Front - RH
Link - Fore - Upper - Rear - LH
Link - Fore - Upper - Rear - RH
Control Arm - Upper - Front - LH
Control Arm - Upper - Front - RH
Control Arm - Upper - Front - LH (yes, changed twice)

Allot of other parts was replaced as well all over the car.
Now I own a Model 3 Highland with full warranty and couldn't be any happier.

 

[afadeev]

This is why I sold my 2020 Model 3 as soon as it got out of warranty.

Cool. What did you get for the old car?
What was the depreciation hit?
Per year?

Now I own a Model 3 Highland with full warranty and couldn't be any happier.

Right.
And the price for that happiness is another depreciation dive bombing $6-8K/year ride.
If you prefer sticking to new in-warranty rides, leasing may very well be your best and most financially responsible coarse of action.
Especially with the Tesla depreciation rates!

 

[Maki22]

Cool. What did you get for the old car?
What was the depreciation hit?
Per year?

It was around 6 972 USD per year, I sold it to a 3rd party dealer so that I don't need to deal with claims from the new owner for the next 2 years that I would had gotten if it was sold privately. The deprecation would had been around 6 000 USD per year if I had sold it privately.
Car cost when new was 50 000 USD.

With current currency exchange prices.

Right.
And the price for that happiness is another depreciation dive bombing $6-8K/year ride.
If you prefer sticking to new in-warranty rides, leasing may very well be your best and most financially responsible coarse of action.
Especially with the Tesla depreciation rates!

Leasing from Tesla is not available for the Highland in Norway and the leasing prices are generally quite high here especially since I drive allot every year and the rate of loan is also high at the moment so I sold the old car and paid the difference directly.

 

[afadeev]

It was around 6 972 USD per year, I sold it to a 3rd party dealer so that I don't need to deal with claims from the new owner for the next 2 years that I would had gotten if it was sold privately. The deprecation would had been around 6 000 USD per year if I had sold it privately.
Car cost when new was 50 000 USD.

Thanks for sharing.
That sounds about right.

I bought mine for $62.2K, and it's worth ~$22-$25K.
Or ~$7.4-$80K / year.

Leasing from Tesla is not available for the Highland in Norway and the leasing prices are generally quite high here especially since I drive allot every year and the rate of loan is also high at the moment so I sold the old car and paid the difference directly.

US lease rates on Model 3's vary from $329 - $429 - $529 (varies by model) / month for 10K miles/year leases.
Basically, one would be better off leasing, given Model 3's abysmal depreciation rates.

a

 

[Jonabramson]

I'm running into this same situation on my 2019 Model 3 LR with just 46,000 miles on it. But out of warranty since March when it hit the 4-year mark. They want $1900 including the fee to diagnose the noise and replace the lower control (compliance) arms and lower lateral links on both sides. A year or so ago, they replaced the upper control arm under warranty. I'm trying to get them to goodwill some of the costs to bring it down. But so far, they aren't budging at all. If I don't approve, they are still going to charge me a $300 diagnosis. Their labor costs per hour have gotten ridiculous as well at the service center. Any hints on what I can discuss with them to get them to goodwill some work and reduce that cost?

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

What problem are you having them address @Jonabramson? A torn control arm bushing should be pretty easy to diagnose so it doesn't make sense that they're charging ~2 hours labor and recommending 4 different parts.

Also, control arms usually cost about $150/ea and take <10 minutes to install, so you should be looking at $600 in parts + 40 minutes in labor plus another 5 minutes for the alignment. Seems their labor rates are just over $1700/hr which I agree is excessive.

 

[DomDeWild]

5 minutes for a wheel alignment? Exaggerating just a little, aren't you?

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

Not at all. We're talking about the front suspension here (I think) so they won't bother to adjust camber or caster and no aero shields need to be removed. They just slap it on the rack and check/tweak the tie rods. Time them next time you get an alignment, you'll see. It does take an additional 5 minutes to do the rear because of the aero shield, fiddly cam bolts, and interrelated toe/camber/caster but there's no indication that Jon's front bushing repair would force a rear alignment.