Both Front Ball Joint to be replacée after 60k Miles

[Ritz]

I have not replaced a ball joint since owning a 69 Dodge Charger (that was ~8 years old).
And I put a minium of 100k miles on any car and some I ran to 230k.
And I live in Pothole alley.

Sorry, but ball joints should NOT be going at 2 years and 60K miles. That is not normal.
Most any decent ICE car needs no service for 100K other than oil changes, tires and brakes.

12V I can accept because they might get used differently. And they look on the small side, probably to save weight.

These maintenance issues are chewing up the "No Maintenance" claim on EV's pretty quickly.
Oil changes are looking like a pretty minor annoyance.

Controls Arms
Tires
Alignments
Ball Joints
Lots of stress cracks in glass
12 V Battery
Oh and Brakes from LACK of usage

All seem way above normal.

I dunno about that. I used to be an "Audi guy". 60-80K used to be considered average for having to replace worn out control arms, ball joints, and tie rod ends. They would also begin creaking as rubber bushings cracked and wore out or the ball seemed to run out of lubricant. The same was true of shocks and struts. Even for people like me that did the work themselves, that got to be expensive over time. No OEMs provide suspension parts with integrated zerk fittings to grease them any longer either. That's a pet peeve of mine on suspension bits that take a constant pounding. Just because you no longer have an ICE or transmission to maintain doesn't mean that you're free from maintenance on all the other consumable items that take a beating (tires, suspension, brakes, etc). Anyone who bought into the "no maintenance" being slung around wasn't really thinking things through.

Best,

p.s. I've used the needle+grease gun trick a few times as well (watch the video above). It's a decent temporary fix if you can coax some of the grease into working into the joint instead of just swelling up the extra space in the dust boot.

 

[mswlogo]

I dunno about that. I used to be an "Audi guy". 60-80K used to be considered average for having to replace worn out control arms, ball joints, and tie rod ends. They would also begin creaking as rubber bushings cracked and wore out or the ball seemed to run out of lubricant. The same was true of shocks and struts. Even for people like me that did the work themselves, that got to be expensive over time. No OEMs provide suspension parts with integrated zerk fittings to grease them any longer either. That's a pet peeve of mine on suspension bits that take a constant pounding. Just because you no longer have an ICE or transmission to maintain doesn't mean that you're free from maintenance on all the other consumable items that take a beating (tires, suspension, brakes, etc). Anyone who bought into the "no maintenance" being slung around wasn't really thinking things through.

Best,

p.s. I've used the needle+grease gun trick a few times as well (watch the video above). It's a decent temporary fix if you can coax some of the grease into working into the joint instead of just swelling up the extra space in the dust boot.

Had a 99 Passat V6. 230k miles and 12 years. Nothing but brakes, oil and tires. Sold it to a VW mechanic for his son, was running perfect. VW CC 110K miles. Did nothing except dreaded carbon build up. Not even brakes. Kept a 2003 Grand Cherokee until 230K. Was in major accident at 60K. Sold it running perfect. Did shocks once and a few seals because I beat the crap out of it pulling my boat out of water on a sandy beach. Had one Audi and sold it after a year (bad lifters).

I’ve not had a car aligned in 25 years either. Or ever rebalance a tire. And our tires lasted forever. My wife’s Passat had one set of Nokian snow tires for the entire life of the car. Had to replace the steel rims though because they were so rusted out. I’d go 80k miles on the Jeep (truck) tires.

Don’t think I’ve ever replaced a tie rod or a bushing either. Owned two cars for 40 years. 20K mikes on each car per year. Before then as a kid buying POS Chargers, RoadRunners, etc. All needed everything.

If my Model X needs front end work at 60K miles I’ll dump it and find something else. I did buy the extended warranty.

 

[Ritz]

Had a 99 Passat V6. 230k miles and 12 years. Nothing but brakes, oil and tires. Sold it to a VW mechanic for his son, was running perfect. VW CC 110K miles. Did nothing except dreaded carbon build up. Not even brakes. Kept a 2003 Grand Cherokee until 230K. Was in major accident at 60K. Sold it running perfect. Did shocks once and a few seals because I beat the crap out of it pulling my boat out of water on a sandy beach. Had one Audi and sold it after a year (bad lifters).

I’ve not had a car aligned in 25 years either. Or ever rebalance a tire. And our tires lasted forever. My wife’s Passat had one set of Nokian snow tires for the entire life of the car. Had to replace the steel rims though because they were so rusted out. I’d go 80k miles on the Jeep (truck) tires.

Don’t think I’ve ever replaced a tie rod or a bushing either. Owned two cars for 40 years. 20K mikes on each car per year. Before then as a kid buying POS Chargers, RoadRunners, etc. All needed everything.

If my Model X needs front end work at 60K miles I’ll dump it and find something else. I did buy the extended warranty.

Interesting data points. Consider yourself lucky. Check out the VW forums. I suspect you'll see countless examples of people having to "prematurely" service their suspension components. I can assure you that these suspension parts are a common wear item for all cars...some more than others. They are mechanical components subject to a significant amount of stress (even moreso as vehicles pork up in overall weight) and wear due to friction. I have another friend that owns an X that he bought about a year and a half ago and a 3 that he bought a little earlier. When I asked his advice prior to ordering my 3P, he said "avoid the X"....so I did.

Good luck.

Best,

 

[G26okie]

Great post.
Tesla’s, as much as I prefer the performance of their EV tech, for me they’ve been more like owning an Alfa Romeo than a low maintenance make.

I am inclined to agree...

Although I haven't had super major issues, but I've had a few problems with mine that have resulted in a few stays at the service center over this first year. I've gotten a loaner each time though and they have fixed the issues

 

[SSedan]

You are all obviously trolls since Tesla doesn't have an ICE there is absolutely nothing to fail need maintenance or wear out.

Or are you short sellers?


Seriously though my 2104 S has needed more work before 100k than anything else we have ever owned by a long shot.

 

[Skione65]

ah I had the front passenger seat belt warning issue fixed three weeks ago, and just his morning got both my upper control arms replaced for the squeaky noise.

@akidesir,

Warrantied or not? I know someone who is saying Tesla refuses to cover the replacement cost under warranty and says they’re saying it’s a “wear issue”. Out of Pocket.

Ski

 

[HostileHarry]

@akidesir,

Warrantied or not? I know someone who is saying Tesla refuses to cover the replacement cost under warranty and says they’re saying it’s a “wear issue”. Out of Pocket.

Ski

I got my 3 back yesterday. They couldn't figure out the Front Passenger Safety fault / harness situation so they just replaced the entire front passenger seat. Warranty covered the $2,000 seat...

 

[Mironski]

I have not replaced a ball joint since owning a 69 Dodge Charger (that was ~8 years old).
And I put a minium of 100k miles on any car and some I ran to 230k.
And I live in Pothole alley.

Sorry, but ball joints should NOT be going at 2 years and 60K miles. That is not normal.
Most any decent ICE car needs no service for 100K other than oil changes, tires and brakes.

12V I can accept because they might get used differently. And they look on the small side, probably to save weight.

These maintenance issues are chewing up the "No Maintenance" claim on EV's pretty quickly.
Oil changes are looking like a pretty minor annoyance.

Controls Arms
Tires
Alignments
Ball Joints
Lots of stress cracks in glass
12 V Battery
Oh and Brakes from LACK of usage

All seem way above normal.

Agreed... Won’t buy an expensive car in the future unless it has two years of proven history (in Canada, car cost 95k$ inclusions taxes).

 

[Mironski]

I’m ready to purchase a model 3 Tesla. I’m a little worried about reading how much the maintenance costs are on this vehicle.

Newer versions are more ok than sept’ 18 ones. Less prone to defects .... Go on! Model Y, wait a year...

 

[Ritz]

Agreed... Won’t buy an expensive car in the future unless it has two years of proven history (in Canada, car cost 95k$ inclusions taxes).

That is rather sound advice for any vehicle manufacturer. While I personally wouldn't consider a Model 3 to be an "expensive car" I realize that we all have different thresholds for things like that. I had several friends who had purchased Model 3's since the initial release through the end of last year. I asked them all for their experiences around issues and the dealer experience and nothing jumped out at me as being a deal breaker....again, for me this isn't a particularly expensive car so that isn't the lens I'm applying. It also isn't my only car so I'm not dependent on it at the moment.

For what it's worth, I haven't had any real issue with mine since I got it other than the common wind noise complaint. I think I've only put about 1500 miles on it though.

Best,

 

[XLR82XS]

For what it's worth, I haven't had any real issue with mine since I got it other than the common wind noise complaint. I think I've only put about 1500 miles on it though.

Really..... 1500?! Wait for 50, 60, 100K miles.

 

[Ritz]

Really..... 1500?! Wait for 50, 60, 100K miles.

Some day, they'll allow me to drive to the office again and I'll see the miles rack up. A man can dream.....

I have replaced plenty of suspension parts on a number of different types of cars in the 60-100k miles range. Would it be nice if they lasted longer? Sure. Is it uncommon with other manufacturers? No, it isn't. There is nothing special about the Tesla from a suspension standpoint...no magic bullets or secret sauce. We're subject to all the same wear issues as everyone else in that regard.

Best,

 

[thefly]

Same problem with my 2018 M3 (27,000 miles). I have an appointment scheduled in 10 days. I’ll keep you all posted.

I had my appointment with the SC. They took care of it in a few hours. They said it was the upper control arm. I asked them what the cause might be with only 27k miles. They said it’s because of “too much driving on bumpy roads” (which I confess I have done). The damage was $500+

 

[grmdl3]

Another data point: 2005 Jeep Liberty diesel (heavy engine) with oversize tires. Sealed factory ball joints that are still tight after 210k miles. And yes, I've done a fair amount of four wheeling in it, rough roads, etc.

 

[gotoma8]

Same problem for me. 44k miles, 4 years 14 days, out of warranty and it just happened, So, I guess, I have to pony up the repair. I've heard they replace both sides.... True?

 

[Ritz]

Same problem for me. 44k miles, 4 years 14 days, out of warranty and it just happened, So, I guess, I have to pony up the repair. I've heard they replace both sides.... True?

Interesting. I've only put about 27k miles on mine so far. My maintenance to date after 3 years of ownership:

periodically add washer fluid
rotate the tires approximately every 7-8k miles
(just replaced the Michelins due to wear)

That's all the "routine" stuff. There was one unexpected bit of maintenance. One of my tail lights was having issues with getting condensation inside of the lens. Tesla sent a mechanic to my house and replaced it without any hassle whatsoever. As soon as they do the refresh on the 3's this year with HW4 and updated look, I'm going to buy another 3P and sell my existing one.

As for the ball joints or control arms. If I replaced one side, I'd probably do the other one as well, but that's only because I typically do my own maintenance.

Best,

 

[Maki22]

I have changed both front control arms twice and once in the rear in 80.000km, now I am close to 100.000km and they are already squeaking again.

 

[gotoma8]

That's too bad...Just changed mine around 40k, let's see how long that lasts.

 

[Maki22]

I have changed both front control arms twice and once in the rear in 80.000km, now I am close to 100.000km and they are already squeaking again.

add +1 to the rear ones. Had to change them again today and still not 100.000km