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Drive unit problems explanation by Elon
- Thread starter Matias
- Start date
Krugerrand
Meow
No, that's dogs and cats living together.
This is how you define mass hysteria?
This is how I define it:
Eggplant
Member
SO, just a follow up to my post. Tesla corporate stalked me in this thread and the local SC emailed me a couple of days later asking me to come in so they could hear the sound. This is what they said:
1) Was due to a mostly cosmetic problem with the gearbox. The said it wasn't serious, but still qualified for DU replacement at my convenience.
2) Was due to DU vibrations resonating through the frame. The remedy here was not DU replacement, but a new motor mount and upgraded isolation.
3) Is the well-known balloon noise sound, and considered normal.
They already had a DU in stock, so they did the DU replacement and motor mount upgrade today. Both sounds are gone and the car is completely silent again! The SC folks were awesome as always!
pilotSteve
Active Member
Exactly how it happened for me: Tesla read my post, then proactively emailed me and replaced my DU. I believe THIS is what Elon meant when he said "service is being redefined at Tesla". I was extremely happy how they treated me and took care of the problem with no hassle what so ever.
rogbmw
Member
That is what happened to me also. Tesla read that I had a noise as posted here - they contacted me to ask about bringing in the car. I needed the 12K serivice which was due, so I scheduled an appointment. They did not have a DU here in Orlando, so went that evening and picked one up in Tampa and installed it the next day along with upgraded mounts, etc. The car is running great. This is what I would call Superior Service by Tesla - above and beyond, and proactive!
The warranty replacements are heartening to see but we are learning nothing about the various causes or if the newer production are mostly avoiding these issues.
I'm just happy to get back home* after a 5965 mile round trip which normally takes 4400 miles. Two separate trips on the Musk/Lusk scenic route are enough for me!
* With the Drive Unit noise not getting any better or worse, whew.
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I'm just happy to get back home* after a 5965 mile round trip which normally takes 4400 miles. Two separate trips on the Musk/Lusk scenic route are enough for me!
* With the Drive Unit noise not getting any better or worse, whew.
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ken830
Model S 85, Model 3 Performance, Model X LongRange
Tesla has never reached out to me ever. Are they only doing this in areas that are not heavily-populated by Tesla owners? It's hard enough to get a service appointment that isn't a month out, and even harder to get valet service or a loaner, I can't imagine them actively looking for more cars to work on.
Hmm, I have told my local service center about the loud humming sounds at 70-75mph for the past 10 months, and they haven't been very interested to do anything. Finally I told 'em I'd do audio recordings. Now I have an appointment.
And the audio came out pretty good too. I took ~12 different recordings up and down I-5 in CA. At some points the hum was downright obnoxious. Hoping they do something about it.
And the audio came out pretty good too. I took ~12 different recordings up and down I-5 in CA. At some points the hum was downright obnoxious. Hoping they do something about it.
SteveW25561
Member
You shouldn't have to do that. Just take the service foreman out for a ride and let him or her listen to the noise. That was enough to get me a new, silent drive unit.
mknox
Well-Known Member
Opposite experience here. I have often made forum comments about what I really consider to be "minor" issues, and my SC has reached out on several occasions to get the car in. Frequently I ask them to postpone, and then they'll call again later to "remind" me. (Not complaining about this at all... just pointing out my differing experience).
ditto w\ mknox. several times on different occasions I informed them of the sound including one physical test drive drive with them and showed them the sound, yet they didn't do anything about it. second time I made audio recordings and sent it in. that's what triggered my drive unit replacement.
So I finally decided to get to the bottom of this. Yesterday I had a passenger sitting in the rear seat who had commented about a high frequency noise coming from behind. We were in a parking structure so I had him stick his iphone out the window to get a recording.
IMO, the noise is most audible between 35-45 s, immediately after you hear the ICE engine firing up. Granted, it's on an iPhone so the audio isn't the greatest and the noise sounds a bit muffled, but despite that I do hear the noise which seems to correspond to what others have reported: only on the + kW side, never in regen, increases in pitch until essentially inaudible above ~40-50 kW power draw.
For those that are familiar with the 'whirring' sound, does this sound similar? Should I be concerned at all?
Tesla Model S Motor Whirring Sound - YouTube
IMO, the noise is most audible between 35-45 s, immediately after you hear the ICE engine firing up. Granted, it's on an iPhone so the audio isn't the greatest and the noise sounds a bit muffled, but despite that I do hear the noise which seems to correspond to what others have reported: only on the + kW side, never in regen, increases in pitch until essentially inaudible above ~40-50 kW power draw.
For those that are familiar with the 'whirring' sound, does this sound similar? Should I be concerned at all?
Tesla Model S Motor Whirring Sound - YouTube
So I'm now on my 3rd Drive Unit. Both of my replacements have been due to noise issues, but I'm still not happy with the new unit I got after the most recent swap.
My original drive unit was actually the best, most quiet one, until it had the first problem.
The first replacement was after around 8,000 miles due to the well-known 60 mph humming issue. The new drive unit fixed this problem, but seemed to have introduced a new issue when going above 74 mph when the energy use is near zero. I reported this issue and was told it was normal gear whine. I noticed that loaners I've driven lately have had the same issue, but I'm sure my original drive unit did not have this sound.
Recently around 23,000 miles my drive unit developed the "milling sound" issue. I described the issue and that's the term Tesla used to describe it. This is where I would get a sound when applying power at relatively low speeds. I was happy to have this one gone with the new replacement, but now the 74+ mph issue is even louder than the 2nd drive unit. It's especially loud at around 80 mph when "idling". It's a pretty high-pitched sound and is most noticeable when coasting down a hill on the highway because you maintain your speed and use little to no power.
Even worse, the new drive unit has a different noise that is new. It's pretty subtle and doesn't happen all the time, but I know for sure it's new and wasn't there in either of the two previous drive units. This is a humming sound that starts around 20kW power and is most noticeable around 40kW or so. It is most noticeable around 40 - 60 mph or so and usually on an uphill (probably because it requires a bit more power to go up a hill). It's not super loud, but it bothers me because I know the car can be quieter based on my previous drive units.
I wish I could go back to my original drive unit before the 60 mph humming problem started because I thought that one was perfect.
The folks at my service center have generally been awesome. I feel bad reporting some of these to them because they are subtle and I feel maybe I'm being picky, but I know how quiet my car can be from driving it for a year. I'm sure they could just replace the drive unit again, but who knows what I'll get with the new one. I wish Tesla could address these issues and figure out how to do better QC for sound issues. I don't know if getting a new instead of refurb drive unit would help. I've been told the refurb are held to a higher standard. Not sure if that's true or not.
My original drive unit was actually the best, most quiet one, until it had the first problem.
The first replacement was after around 8,000 miles due to the well-known 60 mph humming issue. The new drive unit fixed this problem, but seemed to have introduced a new issue when going above 74 mph when the energy use is near zero. I reported this issue and was told it was normal gear whine. I noticed that loaners I've driven lately have had the same issue, but I'm sure my original drive unit did not have this sound.
Recently around 23,000 miles my drive unit developed the "milling sound" issue. I described the issue and that's the term Tesla used to describe it. This is where I would get a sound when applying power at relatively low speeds. I was happy to have this one gone with the new replacement, but now the 74+ mph issue is even louder than the 2nd drive unit. It's especially loud at around 80 mph when "idling". It's a pretty high-pitched sound and is most noticeable when coasting down a hill on the highway because you maintain your speed and use little to no power.
Even worse, the new drive unit has a different noise that is new. It's pretty subtle and doesn't happen all the time, but I know for sure it's new and wasn't there in either of the two previous drive units. This is a humming sound that starts around 20kW power and is most noticeable around 40kW or so. It is most noticeable around 40 - 60 mph or so and usually on an uphill (probably because it requires a bit more power to go up a hill). It's not super loud, but it bothers me because I know the car can be quieter based on my previous drive units.
I wish I could go back to my original drive unit before the 60 mph humming problem started because I thought that one was perfect.
The folks at my service center have generally been awesome. I feel bad reporting some of these to them because they are subtle and I feel maybe I'm being picky, but I know how quiet my car can be from driving it for a year. I'm sure they could just replace the drive unit again, but who knows what I'll get with the new one. I wish Tesla could address these issues and figure out how to do better QC for sound issues. I don't know if getting a new instead of refurb drive unit would help. I've been told the refurb are held to a higher standard. Not sure if that's true or not.
As a programmer: there's a big difference between picky and vague and picky and detailed. Picky and detailed is manna from heaven to someone who puts product before ego. Picky and vague is just annoying.
Totally agree. I've tried to be very specific on exactly the conditions that cause the issue and in fact, I won't even mention it unless I have a good idea on how to reproduce it and show them specifically. The latest humming issue has been harder to reproduce than the others. The others were very easy to reproduce and the 74+ mph issue is extremely easy to reproduce and I've shown that to them.
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