Door handle doesn’t fully retract

[Darthbenji]

Not ice or snow related. It’s the driver side rear door handle and it will retract about 75%. Is it safe to squirt a little wd-40 in there?

 

[pscarroll]

Probably. What about Astroglide? What about Tesla Mobile Service?

 

[jkoya]

From the DIY section:

Do It Yourself - Model 3

 

[smatthew]

Maybe you should post in the S or X sections of the forum.

 

[pscarroll]

Well the Model 3 handle kinda retracts, more like pivots manually.

 

[SlimJim]

wd40 is not a lubricant....
silicone grease is.

 

[UKNOWINVU2]

I brought up the same issue for my model 3 at the service center, they added some silicone lubricant to the handles which seemed to fix the issue. Doing this will definitely cause the lubricant to drip down the outside of the door, I would wipe that away as quick as possible.

 

[M109Rider]

wd40 is not a lubricant....
silicone grease is.

I believe WD40 was recommended because it is a water displacement product. If ice was the issue, it would temporarily lubricate, and remove the water.

If it’s just a lubrication issue, and not water or ice related, then I wouldn’t use WD40.

 

[CharleyBC]

We had this problem on the driver’s door. I just fixed it Sunday using the technique in post #3 above. Works fine now. Time will tell how well it lasts.

Pro tip: do it in good lighting conditions so you can see the pin and spring depicted in the instructions. When I first looked in my garage, it was a black hole. Out in the sunny driveway it was obvious.

 

[haroldo]

WD40 was recommended because it is a water displacement product. If ice was the issue, it would temporarily lubricate, and remove the water.

As a preventative measure going into winter time, how frequently should WD40 be applied? Once a season, or more frequently?
Thanks!

 

[M109Rider]

As a preventative measure going into winter time, how frequently should WD40 be applied? Once a season, or more frequently?
Thanks!

It wouldn’t hurt to spray some in just before winter. At minimum it will cost the mechanisms before the salt dust gets in there.
You may need to do it again mid winter if needed.
I rarely have to spray anything in mine.
Keep in mind, WD40 isn’t a great lubricant. It’s mostly a penetrating oil, and water displacement oil.
It doesn’t last long as a lubricant.
Spraying a very small amount of a different kind of light oil would likely coat better and last longer, as a preventative measure.

 

[haroldo]

Not worried about lubrication, car's new and door handles work great. Just fearful of ice and frozen handles.