Aero Shield Panel

[Llstacey]

I have a 10 month M3 that serviced for front end alert sensors malfunction on FB 21. A few days after this service I noticed a funny sound coming from under the car. My husband requested a service appt but couldn’t get an appt until a week later. In the meantime the scraping sound continued.

When service occurred, we were told the mid aero shield panel was shredded and were charged $200! We were told the problem was probably caused by driving over a pot hole or speed bump.

I had no idea about this part and am stunned that it’s not covered under warranty. I’m also concerned about driving the car in the future - what if I drive over a curb or pothole by mistake. Is this car really that delicate? Regular non-electric cars aren’t. Why isn’t the aero shield panel under warranty? Can someone help me understand this? I fear regular replacement costs in my future.

 

[JeffK]

So the earlier aero shields were delicate and tore when wet. The part was later redesigned late 2018.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2019/MC-10153430-9999.pdf

I didn't run over any standing water when mine tore, the ground was simply wet from rain, and the very next day it was hanging off the car and scraped when I was backing out of my garage.

I haven't heard of the new ones tearing apart when wet like that. They are still pretty thin, and their purpose is to keep wind/dirt out of the motor compartments and make the underside of the car more aerodynamic.

A regular-sized pothole isn't going to really do it, maybe a massive one, but you'd need to have hit a tall speedbump or run something over to damage it. Something would have to have physically hit it.

The poll really won't tell you much unless you know when the car was made and when they were replaced. Before or even shortly after Nov 2018 and you don't know if they were replaced with defective ones and therefore repeat replacements were necessary. Mine was replaced at the beginning of Nov 2018 so I actually don't know if I have a defective one still, but I haven't had any trouble since.

They don't want to cover your under warranty because likely you have the redesigned part and you must have hit something. Even if you didn't hit something, you let it drag for several days thus tearing it up even more. If it had fallen off because of loose clips or something then they'd have covered it. It'd be difficult to prove that either way at this point.

 

[KenC]

I have a 10 month M3 that serviced for front end alert sensors malfunction on FB 21. A few days after this service I noticed a funny sound coming from under the car. My husband requested a service appt but couldn’t get an appt until a week later. In the meantime the scraping sound continued.

When service occurred, we were told the mid aero shield panel was shredded and were charged $200! We were told the problem was probably caused by driving over a pot hole or speed bump.

I had no idea about this part and am stunned that it’s not covered under warranty. I’m also concerned about driving the car in the future - what if I drive over a curb or pothole by mistake. Is this car really that delicate? Regular non-electric cars aren’t. Why isn’t the aero shield panel under warranty? Can someone help me understand this? I fear regular replacement costs in my future.

My Chevy Volt had the same issue. Lots of cars have aero panels now, and they are prone to possible shredding if you're not careful.

Do you need it? No.

 

[JB23_m3]

Just back from the Edinburgh Service centre having had to have the aero shield replaced due to it tearing.

When i booked the car in for this replacement i was quoted £180 to have the part replaced, but having done my research on this issue I told them that they would need to show me any damage that would have happened to cause this issue, over and above the shield getting wet.

I discovered this issue about 10 days ago when driving along the bypass and when i reached around 50mph i could hear an awful banging sound from under the front of the car.... I pulled over to examine the car to find the aero shield hanging down and getting torn.

I have had my 2020 model 3 since July 2020 and have barely reached 2000 miles on the clock in that time, as many out there can testify lockdown means not using their cars very often, in fact, the journey to the Service Centre was the longest journey I have taken since owning the car!

Upon finishing the work and having had no discussion on the issue with the technicians or management, the service centre simply asked if i wished to pay by card or in app!!! My face probably painted a thousand words... the simplest of which i responded with was, "I'm not willing to pay anything.'

I asked to speak to the manager as I had only accepted the estimated cost of the work in the app as i was told by the service centre on the telephone that this is how the appointment is confirmed and the actual charge would be discussed at my appointment. Needless to say, no-one discussed this with me whatsoever, they simply did the work and came back with their cap in hand!

I had thoroughly checked the under carriage of my M3 before visiting the service centre this morning and saw no other damage whatsoever, I have PPF on the entire front end of the car, including onto the underwear of the from bumper... not a single scratch in sight. As the aero shield is essentially flush with the underside of the bumped there is very little chance any object damaging the shield enough to tear it would not have left its mar in the PPF on the underside of the bumper.

Anyway, the manager was 'too busy' to come and speak with me so they let me leave having paid nothing, but with the promise that the manager would be in touch regarding payment.

Having checked the new part it looks like the same part was fitted, so am i now to expect every winter that i will have to replace this?

There is no way tis can be accepted as wear and tear, I have driven 2000 miles.... My normal mileage per year is around 25,000!!! If this is taken as wear an deter (and therefore not covered by warranty) then i would be looking at replacing this part around 10 times per year at a cosy of around £200!

Not happy with Tesla Edinburgh right now, can anyone direct me to a higher up email contact that i can escalate this to?

 

[KenC]

Just back from the Edinburgh Service centre having had to have the aero shield replaced due to it tearing.

When i booked the car in for this replacement i was quoted £180 to have the part replaced, but having done my research on this issue I told them that they would need to show me any damage that would have happened to cause this issue, over and above the shield getting wet.

I discovered this issue about 10 days ago when driving along the bypass and when i reached around 50mph i could hear an awful banging sound from under the front of the car.... I pulled over to examine the car to find the aero shield hanging down and getting torn.

I have had my 2020 model 3 since July 2020 and have barely reached 2000 miles on the clock in that time, as many out there can testify lockdown means not using their cars very often, in fact, the journey to the Service Centre was the longest journey I have taken since owning the car!

Upon finishing the work and having had no discussion on the issue with the technicians or management, the service centre simply asked if i wished to pay by card or in app!!! My face probably painted a thousand words... the simplest of which i responded with was, "I'm not willing to pay anything.'

I asked to speak to the manager as I had only accepted the estimated cost of the work in the app as i was told by the service centre on the telephone that this is how the appointment is confirmed and the actual charge would be discussed at my appointment. Needless to say, no-one discussed this with me whatsoever, they simply did the work and came back with their cap in hand!

I had thoroughly checked the under carriage of my M3 before visiting the service centre this morning and saw no other damage whatsoever, I have PPF on the entire front end of the car, including onto the underwear of the from bumper... not a single scratch in sight. As the aero shield is essentially flush with the underside of the bumped there is very little chance any object damaging the shield enough to tear it would not have left its mar in the PPF on the underside of the bumper.

Anyway, the manager was 'too busy' to come and speak with me so they let me leave having paid nothing, but with the promise that the manager would be in touch regarding payment.

Having checked the new part it looks like the same part was fitted, so am i now to expect every winter that i will have to replace this?

There is no way tis can be accepted as wear and tear, I have driven 2000 miles.... My normal mileage per year is around 25,000!!! If this is taken as wear an deter (and therefore not covered by warranty) then i would be looking at replacing this part around 10 times per year at a cosy of around £200!

Not happy with Tesla Edinburgh right now, can anyone direct me to a higher up email contact that i can escalate this to?

@elonmusk

 

[Gasaraki]

For the people in the US and don't mind spending some money to get rid of this potential issue forever, MPP sells an aluminum shield that I was going to get one day also. Saving up some money... lol.

MPP Model Y/3 "Smash Me" Front Skid Plate | Mountain Pass Performance

 

[JB23_m3]

Update on this issue.

The Service manager at Edinburgh service centre waived the fee for this replacement, but has assured me that this will not happen should the issue reoccur.

I am now trying to progress this with Tesla customer service as Tesla Edinburgh's assessment is that the tearing will occur should i come into contact with standing water or snow! I love in Scotland, deep standing water and snow is unavoidable for large parts of the year, am I expected to not use my car if it is wet or snowing?

 

[Fernand]

This doesn't make any sense. Who is joking here?
Are they saying that part of the car's undercarriage
dissolves or falls apart if the car is driven in the rain?
Why then do they even provide windshield wipers?

Where is this "aero shield" anyway?
.

 

[JB23_m3]

This doesn't make any sense. Who is joking here?
Are they saying that part of the car's undercarriage
dissolves or falls apart if the car is driven in the rain?
Why then do they even provide windshield wipers?

Where is this "aero shield" anyway?
.

I agree, its an absolute miss as far as design is concerned, i mean did they design these cars to only be driven in the Arizona desert?

If you click the link a few posts above you will see the replacement aluminium part a third party has design to replace this substandard part.

The exact words Tesla told me was that 'driving in normal conditions' would stop this from happening... I'm sorry but heavy rainfall/standing water and snow is normal conditions for many many car owners.

The Service Manager in Edinburgh has also now told me that in her 20 years in the industry she testifies that this issue is commonplace.... my response is that in my 20 odd years driving and owning a plethora of makes and models of car i have NEVER seen this occur, and to suggest otherwise is lunacy.

I feel sorry for those who just accept the Shrive Centre's assessment that the damage is caused by 'external influence' and never follow it up with them... their definition of external influence differs greatly from my own, water and snow is not deemed an external influence in my book!!!!

Its not like i have driven through huge solid snow drifts or chunks of ice!

 

[leonar40]

Reminds me of the back bumper that falls off in the rain. Thankfully I haven't seen either yet on my 2018 but jeeze.

 

[JB23_m3]

 

[android04]

I didn't have to replace mine after almost 3 years and 55,000 miles. But I was hearing a thumping sound driving out of the garage. It turns out the snow and ice was melting somewhat in my garage (unheated) and clumping together at the lower control arms. That would cause some thumping as I drove out and the suspension moved, breaking the snow/ice. Before I found out what the thumping was, I became concerned and decided to lift the car to figure out if I had a broken suspension component (I could also feel the thumping at my feet). As I lifted the car, the front suspension hung down a bit and caused the aero cover to rip at 2 fasteners on the driver side. So, now I had to replace it. I ended up replacing it with the MPP aluminum Smash Me plate. I feel better now that I have some protection for the coolant tubes that go into the battery pack (marked with a red square).

 

[leonar40]

View attachment 639541 View attachment 639542

WTH, that basically just looks like fabric! Now something else for me to stress about. LOL

 

[Fernand]

This sure looks like an afterthought in the design. I wonder how they've improved that of late. And if it's even needed. Their position that if it falls apart it's your fault is absurd.

But now that we know it's there, if I lived in a very wet climate, before anything like that happened, and rather than buying a (heavy) metal plate, I'd look into DIY applying some sort of substance to the material, like brushing on some penetrating-and-hardening waterproof goop, simple enough. Especially if you're now driving with a new one. While the car is jacked up, one could also stencil on some witty sayings like "you've just been run over by an EV".
.

 

[stopcrazypp]

WTH, that basically just looks like fabric! Now something else for me to stress about. LOL

Note this isn't some new or Tesla-only thing. BMW underbody front shields are made of a felt-like material also (likely the same material on the wheelwells):
Front felt undercarriage

As for why using this material, instead of hard plastic, speculation is NVH. This felt material likely has some sound absorption properties, while hard plastic doesn't and might even make noise worse.

 

[android04]

This sure looks like an afterthought in the design. I wonder how they've improved that of late. And if it's even needed. Their position that if it falls apart it's your fault is absurd.

But now that we know it's there, if I lived in a very wet climate, before anything like that happened, and rather than buying a (heavy) metal plate, I'd look into DIY applying some sort of substance to the material, like brushing on some penetrating-and-hardening waterproof goop, simple enough. Especially if you're now driving with a new one. While the car is jacked up, one could also stencil on some witty sayings like "you've just been run over by an EV".
.

Same material as used by other auto manufacturers. I've seen a Ford Flex locally that had the same material flapping under the front of the car. My brother's 2018 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid also has the same material and he has a small triangular flap hanging down under the driver.

That said if you want tougher plastic and not aluminum, get the replacement part from a Model Y. It's a molded plastic and fits the Model 3. But if you are paying out of pocket, might as well get the aluminum one because it only costs slightly more. And it offers better protection to the coolant tubes in front of the battery pack, which if damaged could require that the whole battery pack is replaced.

 

[Gasaraki]

WTH, that basically just looks like fabric! Now something else for me to stress about. LOL

Note this isn't some new or Tesla-only thing. BMW underbody front shields are made of a felt-like material also (likely the same material on the wheelwells):
Front felt undercarriage

As for why using this material, instead of hard plastic, speculation is NVH. This felt material likely has some sound absorption properties, while hard plastic doesn't and might even make noise worse.

Most automakers use these type of "fabric" undershields.

 

[JB23_m3]

Most automakers use these type of "fabric" undershields.

That being said, what is the stance of other automakers on replacing damaged "fabric" undercarriages?

Tesla do not want to cover the cost as part of the warranty.... which in Scotland is total BS as its wet and snowy a large percentage of the year!

As for the sound absorption point... why not wrap a hard plastic part in fabric to achieve both audio dampening and a part that doesn't essentially melt when it gets wet!!!

 

[Gasaraki]

That being said, what is the stance of other automakers on replacing damaged "fabric" undercarriages?

Tesla do not want to cover the cost as part of the warranty.... which in Scotland is total BS as its wet and snowy a large percentage of the year!

As for the sound absorption point... why not wrap a hard plastic part in fabric to achieve both audio dampening and a part that doesn't essentially melt when it gets wet!!!

I agree it should be plastic. I don't know what goes in the head of designers.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

With every post I love tesla service just a little bit more