I have a creaking noise coming from the front end of my M3, Tesla informed me that it is the Upper Control arm even though they have not taken a look yet. They want to reseal it without even haven taken a look. If it is indeed the control arm.. ..should it not be replaced rather than resealed? from what I understand other owners have had them replaced under waranty. They want me to approve the reseal work before I go in and have it done. Approving work before they even look at it seems strange. I don't want to approve the reseal work on the control arm as it might not be a long term solution. What should I do? Its still under warranty.... 2019 model 3
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Upper Control Arm
- Thread starter Scotland1989
- Start date
I have had both of front upper control arms replaced on my 2018 M3. It is a known issue and from my understanding, they have started to proactively seal them for cars that haven't had the issue yet. However, once the it starts squeaking, I believe a replacement is needed at that point. I would request a replacement.
Because you are over the 50k warranty it may be up to their discretion if they decide to cover it. Since it is such a common issue and you are not far out of the warranty period, I think you have a solid case. Also, if you reported the issue prior to passing the 50k mark, then you should be fine.
I'm curious - how did you get Tesla to pre-guesstimate the repair?
Did you stop by the store? Know someone who picks up a phone?
I am dealing with the same upper control arm suspension squeak, and the only recourse I had was to book a service appointment ... ~4 weeks into the future (the earliest available). I'm still ~1 week from the actual appointment date.
100% replaced. Fight them for it.
Worn out ball joints can't be "rejuvenated" by shoving more grease. I mean, you can lubricate them to temporarily reduce noise levels, but they are already worn, and will continue to deteriorate until they fail completely.
I plan to fight for replacement on mine.
By all means necessary.
The price estimate sounds about right, for parts and labor.
You could just get the parts, and DIY the installation, if you have worked on suspension of other cars before.
Else, pay up, or beg for "good will" repair, since you are barely out of warranty. If this was any other OEM, I would say you have good chances to get it covered under "good will". With Tesla, it's just the opposite.
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I always seem to get an estimate a week to a few days before my appointment in the app. Sometimes it shows $0 when it is clearly a warranty issue and other times they've shown an amount. This is to indicate if for whatever reason this is not covered under warranty, this is what it will cost. I never ever approve the estimate and haven't had an issue. That way if they end up fixing something that is not covered, I can argue that I assume if it wasn't covered you would have told me before performing the repair/replacement. Have NEVER had an issue nor have I ever been charged in 10+ SC visits.
I had control arms replaced at 61K on model 3 2018. The noise had gotten progressively worse since the car was about a year old. Devon SC insisted it was normal noise. Now replaces for a mere 178.00. The noise returned less than a month later. We return to the SC in JanuR. Very long wait for service in this area.
btownalset
Member
My 2019 (July build/currently 24k mileage) had the creak on the drivers side. It was so loud I hated driving the car. Opened a service request via the app…my sc provided me an estimate to replace both (drivers and passenger) upper control arms covered under warranty. Work was completed this past Monday.
This appears to be such a common problem. They did the reseal but the noise came back after a year
Alysashley79
Active Member
I paid $391 for my driver side a year ago. I am going back in a few weeks to replace the passenger side.
I tried white silicone lube spray on my car due to having a service appointment very far out. While it didn't do squat, what did actually work was to take the top mount of the control arm off and free up the ball joint (which was rusted stuck). Lube it with white silicone inside the boot at that point, rotate it all around, and you'll be good for quite a while!
E.Potter
Member
might as well get aftermarket ones that are stronger and camber adjustable...DIY
Okay, we may try that to my uncle's newly acquired M3. The squeak is not that loud but he is worried. The new tires for the M3 will arrive soon we have to finish installing the headache rack and tonneau covers onto the truck this week.
Stanwood Steve
2018 Performance Model 3
The creaking in my dirver's side upper control arm was getting really loud, so after jacking the car up (tire was still mounted), I made a small hole in the boot and inserted the small plastic tube for my Liquid Wrench spray can into it and sprayed some into the boot. It silenced the creak almost immediately and kept it quiet until my appointment to have both upper control arms replaced at the Service Center a few weeks later (which was at no cost to me). I have 73,500 miles on my 2018 M3P.
