Greetings, 2015 S with 77k. Loud rattling sound during all roadway conditions except runway smooth roadways. Straight, slow, fast, turning, still present. Tesla diagnosed as a strut replacement for $1,800. No guarantee that it will stop the rattle. No issues with ride comfort, cornering or during rough road conditions. I was thinking sway bar linkage, or some other suspension component where metal to metal is occurring. Any thoughts? The audio was taken by the drivers side defroster vents. Attached is an audio file.
Yes, any of those could cause a rattle. I'd jack up the car by the front right corner and try to shake the wheel to replicate the sound. You might also see if you can reach the swaybar link and see if it rattles if you twist it. Could also be something under the frunk liner that was previously mounted but has come loose, though I think that would require more digging.
2014 AWD model s. Does anyone have an aftermarket source for stabilizer bar end links? They are known to be the cause of front suspension rattle.
I'd second what Beatle said. I had a crazy noise coming from the front suspension and removing the wheel revealed a loose bolt and some very worn upper control arms. You could at least put the car in the highest suspension setting and see what you can spot. Hopefully it is rather apparent.
Thank you for the input. I will definitely try and troubleshoot it myself by removing the tire and see what's shaking.
Could very well be a top sway bar bolt that has worked itself loose. Since it's right behind the dash it will sound like creaking coming from the top dash area.
The OEM sway bar links are inexpensive. I wouldn't bother with aftermarket. I did a video on their replacement and diagnosing rattles/creaks/groans. If you have a decent pry bar you should be able to quickly verify:
You need help? I mean, shipping from PA to Missouri might be more expensive than if you can find a helper closer to your region, but I'm willing to try. Did you try contacting the nearest SC to see if they would ship them? I don't have my removed set in front of me, but I think both would fit in a flat rate $12ish USPS box.
Thanks very much for the offer. I'm actually not replacing my end links at this time. I was making more of a general comment about how it would be nice if Tesla made it easy to order and purchase their parts online. The online parts catalog is actually very good, and it is set up in a way that it appears you can order parts from there (with the quantity boxes and all). It just doesn't work -- at least not for me. Thanks again though.
**FIXED** I replaced the front passenger side Strut/spring. I learned the strut was rubbing metal on metal at the top of the strut near the three bolts in the Frunk. $100 test strut complete from eBay installed and no more annoying rattle noise. I will now feel more confident replacing the front struts with new factory struts. Thanks for help!