Bought a S85 and all four front lower control arms need replacement.

[fixingstill]

Bought a used 2014 S85 and all four front lower control arms need replacement.

i have a new 3 but with this 5 yrs old S, I am really disappointed and concerned about the quality and longevity of my 3 now.

It is out of warranty. I am going to DIY on my driveway. This will be fun.

 

[Evoforce]

Good luck. Too bad there isn't a bushing replacement kit.

 

[scottycs]

Most cars need suspension work done after 5 years.....

 

[Quibbs]

Bought a used 2014 S85 and all four front lower control arms need replacement.

i have a new 3 but with this 5 yrs old S, I am really disappointed and concerned about the quality and longevity of my 3 now.

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It is out of warranty. I am going to DIY on my driveway. This will be fun.

I wouldn't extrapolate that this is inherent with all Tesla cars. I've had my 2013 P85 since it was new and had no issues with the suspension or steering (and yes it gets driven).

 

[petersv]

I believe you need a four wheel alignment after replacing those suspension parts, otherwise you might ruin/wear out your tires quickly. I guess most garages should be able to perform it.

 

[RDoc]

Most cars need suspension work done after 5 years.....

I'm calling BS on this.

I've never had a car other than our Tesla that had to have suspension links replaced, ever. The only suspension work I've had with other cars is shock replacement and that was well after 5 years.

 

[rwc94303]

• I'm feeling my 2014 MS is a little less stable at speed than it should be and suspect rear wheel alignment may be at fault. As this thread covers suspension work and alignment has been mentioned, what are the specifications for alignment of a MS? Camber, caster, toe for each Yes, I'm a serious DIY

 

[petersv]

I'm calling BS on this.

I've never had a car other than our Tesla that had to have suspension links replaced, ever. The only suspension work I've had with other cars is shock replacement and that was well after 5 years.

I guess it depends on the car. Modern cars have much more "sophisticated" suspension with more arms, stabilizers etc. that do wear out on al cars. Just do a quick google search and you'll find the answer.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Most cars need suspension work done after 5 years.....

Um, no... none of my cars that I've owned over 7 years needed this kind of work.

 

[scottycs]

Yea bc most tesla owners came from a carolla/camry. BMW, Mercedes, etc needs control arm replacements 60-80K......

 

[neroden]

There was a control arm design issue with both the front and rear suspension on 2012-2014 Model S. (Not sure about 2015-2016.) This caused them to fail earlier under high-pothole conditions than they should have. Some of us who lived in extremely-high-pothole regions got them replaced under warranty or extended warranty, others had them last until after the warranty period.

Here's the important thing to know: There is a *NEW DESIGN*. It is a lot beefier. Rather than just repairing it yourself, there is definite value to getting it replaced with the upgraded design, which will probably never break.

Model 3 design learned from this experience and will probably not have the same problem. It's worth understanding that Model S was in many ways a test car; the lessons learned from the Model S were incorporated into Model Y and Model 3.

 

[BlueOvalFan]

Um, no... none of my cars that I've owned over 7 years needed this kind of work.

Subjective Q & A, really based on individual experiences. I’ve had a Ford pickup and import sedan both needed suspension/steering components around 5-7 year. Granted we put about 20k miles a year on each car.

 

[scottm]

Model S is a very heavy car and I expect it will consume suspension parts faster than average for cars.

I've had to do upper A-arm because of sloppy ball joint. (I did both even though only one was worn... I like to work in stereo for wear parts.)

I looked at our model 3 and it is way beefier suspension, and it's a lighter car. I expect it will be more like a normal car, suspension to last 8 to 10 years before worry.

I'm also the kind of guy who likes tight suspension.. When things start to wear and I notice a little sloppiness... the parts get changed for new. I hate uneven tire wear too, because of bad suspension.

The nice thing was the A-arms were not super expensive from Tesla parts. And there's no other supplier.

 

[dhrivnak]

Most cars need suspension work done after 5 years.....

What? I have had over a dozen cars over 5 years, most 10 years and the ONLY car have replaced bushing in was my Tesla Roadster. My son just brought by my 16 year old Avalanche home with 180,000 miles and I gave her a lube and the suspension was just fine.

 

[scottm]

What? I have had over a dozen cars over 5 years, most 10 years and the ONLY car have replaced bushing in was my Tesla Roadster. My son just brought by my 16 year old Avalanche home with 180,000 miles and I gave her a lube and the suspension was just fine.

A suspension lube job is a throw back to simpler times!

 

[dhrivnak]

A suspension lube job is a throw back to simpler times!

True but it is lasting.

 

[BobMcMuffin]

I am in a similar situation. I haven't yet gotten to go to a service center to have mine checked out, but I spent a few hours the past few days trying to diagnose a loud squeaking whenever I turn the wheel. It is super loud at low speeds and mostly at the edge of the wheel turn radius. I narrowed it down to the lower control arm, and even noticed a crack in the seam for the passenger side arm. The noise comes from both sides though so I suspect it is both of them that need replacing. Unfortunately, I bought the car with 90,000 miles on it and have since pushed it passed its warranty. Any idea what the cost of having the two replaced would be? I see that in order to swap them out that the battery will have to be dropped and that's not really something I can do.

 

[sorka]

Most cars need suspension work done after 5 years.....

In over 2 million miles of driving cars each between 100k to 350k miles, I've never had a suspension component be fail. Not even a bushing or strut. My current 2009 Prius has 311k miles and I'm the original owner.

 

[scottycs]

Failure and worn out are two different things. At 311k, I am sure it drives like brand new LOL

In over 2 million miles of driving cars each between 100k to 350k miles, I've never had a suspension component be fail. Not even a bushing or strut. My current 2009 Prius has 311k miles and I'm the original owner.

 

[sorka]

Failure and worn out are two different things. At 311k, I am sure it drives like brand new LOL

A few creeks and rattles but other be than that it handles the same as the day I drive it off the lot.