2021 Model 3 wind/whistling noise

[JayClark]

Picked up my 2021 M3 refresh about a week ago and noticed once driving a wind/whistling noise between 25-45mph. The noise goes away above 45-50mph, seeming to come from the passenger side. Anybody else had this?

After extensive use of painter tape, found I could eliminate the noticeable (any “car people” that drive with me comment on it, so I know it’s not just me) whistle by using a small amount of painter tape on the wind facing side of the passenger mirror where the black trim meets then white mirror cap.

This is where the mirror folds, so not quite sure how to fix this. Guess I’ll schedule a service appt to see if they have a fix.

 

[KenC]

Picked up my 2021 M3 refresh about a week ago and noticed once driving a wind/whistling noise between 25-45mph. The noise goes away above 45-50mph, seeming to come from the passenger side. Anybody else had this?

After extensive use of painter tape, found I could eliminate the noticeable (any “car people” that drive with me comment on it, so I know it’s not just me) whistle by using a small amount of painter tape on the wind facing side of the passenger mirror where the black trim meets then white mirror cap.

This is where the mirror folds, so not quite sure how to fix this. Guess I’ll schedule a service appt to see if they have a fix.

Pics would be nice. Make sure everything is, in place, sometimes the trim is not seated fully.

 

[aspec818]

Picked up my 2021 M3 refresh about a week ago and noticed once driving a wind/whistling noise between 25-45mph. The noise goes away above 45-50mph, seeming to come from the passenger side. Anybody else had this?

After extensive use of painter tape, found I could eliminate the noticeable (any “car people” that drive with me comment on it, so I know it’s not just me) whistle by using a small amount of painter tape on the wind facing side of the passenger mirror where the black trim meets then white mirror cap.

This is where the mirror folds, so not quite sure how to fix this. Guess I’ll schedule a service appt to see if they have a fix.

Pic of culprit area? You’re way ahead of the game if you already narrowed down the area to address

 

[JayClark]

Pics would be nice. Make sure everything is, in place, sometimes the trim is not seated fully.

Pic attached. Putting tape here stopped it. I had checked the trim and nothing seemed loose.... however, took the car through a car wash this Morning, and as I was drying some drips around and underneath the passenger mirror, lo and behold some part of the lower black trim under the mirror “snapped” into place. Whistle gone.

 

[Kimmi]

What do you want for 50K?

 

[Pemple]

I had exactly the same symptoms on my 2021 M3 on pickup and discovered that part of the trim under the passenger mirror was not seated correctly. It wasn’t obvious but it clicked back into place and that was it sorted. I’d push on all parts of the mirror in case it’s the same issue...doesn’t look like it but thought I’d share.

 

[JayClark]

I had exactly the same symptoms on my 2021 M3 on pickup and discovered that part of the trim under the passenger mirror was not seated correctly. It wasn’t obvious but it clicked back into place and that was it sorted. I’d push on all parts of the mirror in case it’s the same issue...doesn’t look like it but thought I’d share.

Yes, sounds much like my situation actually.

 

[cloud240]

+1 with the same issue. I stumbled upon this thread trying to see if others are having an issue with wind noise like I was and found out that mine was loose as well.

 

[Perscitus]

All 'within spec' guys. Welcome to Model 3/Y ownership. First 10K 2017s or a recent 2021 build with laminated front windows... wind and tire noise abounds in these cars. And there is only a limited number of things you can do to partially mitigate it. Embrace the noise.

 

[tstolze]

Yep, just found the lower trim piece on the drivers mirror not snapped together, whistling noise is now gone.

 

[Moose35]

Thank you to the comments above. I picked up my Model 3 LR on Monday and the whistling noise on the drivers side was driving me crazy. Thanks to the comments above i checked the plastic trim piece below the drivers mirror and it wasn't snapped in place. Problem solved after snapping it into place.

 

[Alspider9924]

Any help on wind noise?

 

[RayK]

Drive slower .

There's many (?) threads here on the subject. I believe they boil down to the following:

• Triangular piece of plastic next to the mirror(s) can stick out from the window, causing noise. Fix is to affix the piece where it belongs.
• Breaks (seams) between the sections of glass on the roof can cause noise. Fix is to stuff rubber tubing in the cracks. Note that this may or may not help from reading some of the threads here.
• Windows may not be closing all the way. You could try recalibrating them using the technique outlined in the manual (basically you need to hold the window switch down and then up for several seconds each at the fully open and fully closed positions).
• Noise attributed to wind may actually be coming from the tires (tyres). Replacing them could help. I have no idea or suggestions as to what might be quieter.

 

[roadtoad]

Thanks to all who posted on this. I just picked up a new Model 3 and the driver side mirror whistling was driving us crazy. We followed the instructions to snap the trim under the mirror into place and...it worked like magic! Thank you!

 

[m3lad]

This thread was a life saver. I picked up my new model 3 and it had this exact problem. Thank you

 

[Baluchi]

I brought home my Model 3 yesterday, and that whistling was instantly noticeable. I found this thread, went out to the garage, and sure enough that piece wasn't seated properly. So I snapped it into place, and hopefully the whistle won't be there tomorrow. This thread saved me some frustration and maybe a trip to the service center. THANKS!

Now if there were a way to make the rear view mirror dim...

 

[JJHawk]

Had the same issue with my passenger door mirror. The trim piece as others said was not snapped into place. Quick fix. Good thread!

 

[Wlz1001]

Thank you so much for the fix! My passenger side mirror trim was loose as well. I was ready to take it in for service and now I don’t have to!

 

[ahaau]

I have exactly the same issue: whistling noises from the driver's side, but only between 25-45MPH.

This thread is wonderful! The mirror trim was definitely loose, just pushed it into place.

I reasoned that the noises must be from some narrow openings, but that reasoning limited my focus to the window fitting. Already started to buy one of those 3rd party M3 noise reduction kits. This thread saved me.

 

[Baluchi]

I'm sitting at my Tesla service center right now for a tire rotation. I just went out to the parking lot to see if any of the new cars had this same issue, and sure enough I found one. So I made a short video showing the mirror piece and how to fix it. Hopefully this helps prevent some new owners from getting frustrated by the whistling.