Does anyone else hear a clicking noise from the A/C? The noise only lasts for a few min when first driving the car (then goes away), is heard near the right (passenger) side of the dash, and goes away when climate is turned off.
A/C Clicking Noise
- Thread starter b_riedy
- Start date
I've seen other mentions of it. They described it as being more common when the car starts particularly warm, and is likely due to metal contraction as something cools down.
It made the noise in my garage this morning and I think internal vehicle temp was in the low 80’s.
Go get it fixed. I dropped mine off at service and it's common enough that there is an internal procedure document to repair.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
paranoidroid
Member
Spy021
Member
Thanks for the video, this is the exact issue I'm experiencing, too. It seems to only happen after the vehicle has been sitting for a while. As others have mentioned, it goes away a little while once the car has been driven, only to return again when the cycle repeats.
Does anyone know exactly what causes this noise? My model 3 does this as well yet my wife’s does not. The Fremont SC gave me some explanation that it’s normal but I don’t buy that.
Paranoidroid, did you get this issue fixed? If so what was the cause? I’m having mobile service come out tomorrow. I have the same exact issue. Hopefully they can fix it.
Just started noticing it on mine, too. I thought it had something to do with the dash being loose... I pushed down on the passenger side dash and it went away. Maybe just good timing...
I have my mobile appointment tomorrow. I’ll update what they diagnose. I’m hoping maybe they can pop the dash out and snap it back in but who knows. Sometimes I feel like bumps in the road cause the noise as well but it mainly happens with the vent or dash
paranoidroid
Member
Still happens and have not had a chance to get it diagnosed. Please update to what they did to yours. Thanks!
The mobile service guy decided to place sticky padded tape to all areas on the inside of the air vent. He did a thorough job and took about an hour to do it. I honestly haven’t noticed the cracking noise since. He said if it returns I would need to take it to the SC for further diagnosis.
For me, this was caused by the trim pieces on both ends of wood dash trim. It appears that the clip glued to the wood trim is getting tightly coupled with the plastic piece and movement caused by expansion/contraction due to HVAC is making popping sound.
You can try remove those trim pieces to see if it fixes the issue. If so, just add some fabric insulation of any kind to fix. I have used a wire loom tape which has some fabric on already.
You can try remove those trim pieces to see if it fixes the issue. If so, just add some fabric insulation of any kind to fix. I have used a wire loom tape which has some fabric on already.
Mine is making the same clicking noise but like you said it goes away after a few minutes. Those side panels also squeak when the ac is on so maybe it's all related.
I tried taking it in for service, but of course it was a hot day and I used the ac all the way there... then the technician couldn't here the problem and told me I would need to come back for a longer diagnosis.
Maybe I'll get the courage to do what shjin did?
I tried taking it in for service, but of course it was a hot day and I used the ac all the way there... then the technician couldn't here the problem and told me I would need to come back for a longer diagnosis.
Maybe I'll get the courage to do what shjin did?
WilliamG
Active Member
Mine does the same, and also goes away after a few minutes. It absolutely sounds like plastic expansion/contraction sounds. Even my Mitsubishi split heatpump wall-mounted indoor units make all sorts of plastic-creaking sounds at times depending on the temperature of the airflow. Not really bothered by it in the car, - just an observation.
Very true, but why the discrepancy with other model 3s not hearing a clicking sound. Do I have a faulty ac unit, did they forget to add a washer or something?
After a year of ownership I kept hearing a whistling sound whenever it rained, until I realized there was a peice of molding low on the dash that was never pushed in. Easy fix but still a quality control failure
WilliamG
Active Member
Na. Every piece of plastic is different in every car. It's not possible that they're exactly the same. If you ever remove the wood-grain/white aluminum dash piece, you'll see that there's a lot going on there in the back. Plastic can just be funny, and some cars will have more expansion/contraction sounds than others.
I use my example of the A/C units in my house. I have seven of them. Some of them are louder than others in terms of those expansion/contraction sounds.
