Ear pain/Pressure help

[superbobbay]

How would you describe your ears hurting? Is it the same feeling like when you are flying? air pressure and popping of the ears?
For me it's comparable to flying and popping of the ears and the feeling goes away quickly if I get out of the car and move on with my day.

My next steps will be the following:
1. screwing the rubber stops back in to see if that makes a difference (Even though it does not make sense indeed)
2. start taping off the windows and hatch with painters tape and see if it improves + recalibrate windows (Not sure how I can tape off the hatch yet though)
3. Try convince service center to have another look at it?
4. Try enveloppe method again but include tubing.
5. ... sell car and take a heavy loss .. not sure what would be a better alternative though ...

Yeah, it feels like pressure that requires ear popping. I find myself plugging my nose and popping my ears. My ear pains lasts for a day or two though. It's definitely concerning as I hope I'm not getting long term damage.

I have a service center appointment on Monday, but don't feel confident they will find a smoking gun. If not, I'm selling this once I get my license plates in. Life's too short to have pain while driving!

 

[ggs gas]

Wanted to give a thank you to this thread. I reinforced the hatch gasket with the vinyl tubing and am in the process of getting the hatch stops correct now. For the first day or so it was night and day difference, but now that the hatch has settled in again against the gasket I’m having to make micro adjustments to get it back to how it sounded day 1.

FWIW I’m also working on quieting down the area on the hatch where the plastics attach. Lots of those push pins inside the hatch plastic have been rattling around. Took care of the top half the same time I did the gasket. Gonna work on the bottom half in the next few days… as well as add some felt tape in between my rear seat latch as those seem to be moving around a bit. The second you eliminate louder noises you begin to hear quieter ones lol. The never ending saga. Thanks again to everyone for their contributions on this thread

 

[nathanjreg]

Hello ILoveCoffee-- I followed your youtube video and just install the 5/16th in clear tubing. Now the hatch wot shut-- i have been trying to smash down the gaskets with the tubing inside and it still shuts all but the last 4 inches! Pls Help (problably not helping that its raining outside and cold here in the SF bay area! Thanks, N

 

[ilovecoffee]

Hello ILoveCoffee-- I followed your youtube video and just install the 5/16th in clear tubing. Now the hatch wot shut-- i have been trying to smash down the gaskets with the tubing inside and it still shuts all but the last 4 inches! Pls Help (problably not helping that its raining outside and cold here in the SF bay area! Thanks, N

Sorry...it is or isn't closing when you press the door closed manually?

 

[nathanjreg]

When I press down hard it will close manually- and then the metal doesnt seem to line up on either side and also is higher than the glass roof.

 

[nathanjreg]

When I press down hard it will close manually- and then the metal doesnt seem to line up on either side and also is higher than the glass roof.

Sorry...it is or isn't closing when you press the door closed manually?

Hi there-- I made a little video just now to show you whats happening. if you want to facetime me 510.220. four seven one four. thanks

 

[ilovecoffee]

When I press down hard it will close manually- and then the metal doesnt seem to line up on either side and also is higher than the glass roof.

Weird can you post multiple pics of it closed and your hatch stops too.

It shouldn't be that difficult or misaligned at the top against the sunroof. 5/16" OD right? Something seems weird.

Edit nevermind I see your video.

Those gaps aren't normal but I can't see the hatch stops. That's the first time I've ever seen or heard anything like this out of the hundreds of posts around the internet.

You can get gaps like that if the hatch stops over the tail lights are way too over extended (been there done that). Otherwise if they are normal then maybe there's a new part for that seal or something? Is yours new? From Fremont?

 

[nathanjreg]

Weird can you post multiple pics of it closed and your hatch stops too.

It shouldn't be that difficult or misaligned at the top against the sunroof. 5/16" OD right? Something seems weird.

Edit nevermind I see your video.

Those gaps aren't normal but I can't see the hatch stops. That's the first time I've ever seen or heard anything like this out of the hundreds of posts around the internet.

You can get gaps like that if the hatch stops over the tail lights are way too over extended (been there done that). Otherwise if they are normal then maybe there's a new part for that seal or something? Is yours new? From Fremont?

Yes mine is brand new 2024. The entire thing "feels" quiet but the subsonic sound is giving me the worst headaches ive ever had.

 

[ilovecoffee]

Yes mine is brand new 2024. The entire thing "feels" quiet but the subsonic sound is giving me the worst headaches ive ever had.

Maybe try swapping out the tubing for something thinner? Or just make sure the tail light hatch stops aren't too over extended first off. If you unscrew them out completely temporarily does it close with an acceptable gap? If so, it's them. If not... Something isn't right with the tubing and the seal

 

[Yonki]

• The pressure issue and the boominess are separate problems

I'm just catching up on this thread, but I wanted say that I think that's very true.

I just did an experiment with our late 2020 Model Y in a quiet garage. Turned the climate control on, set the fan to 1, and turned the AC on (I'd hear an almost subsonic boom when the compressor engaged, very similar to the boom when driving that's so fatiguing) and off (producing a much quieter, less boomy sound). I repeated this a few times and it was consistent.

Then I rolled down a window and repeated the AC cycling, and the "boom" was the exact same. I believe rolling down the window eliminates the possibility that this boominess is cabin-pressure related. Of course all sound is pressure so the boom was a pressure wave, but it was independent of whether (to use a speaker design analogy) the box was sealed (windows closed) or ported (windows open). So I think the boom is just the resonant frequency of the frame. I'm not sure there's any hope of changing it for existing (Fremont) Ys, although I'd imagine the Texas Ys with the gigacastings would probably have a different (hopefully less boomy) resonant frequency.

 

[nathanjreg]

Weird can you post multiple pics of it closed and your hatch stops too.

It shouldn't be that difficult or misaligned at the top against the sunroof. 5/16" OD right? Something seems weird.

Edit nevermind I see your video.

Those gaps aren't normal but I can't see the hatch stops. That's the first time I've ever seen or heard anything like this out of the hundreds of posts around the internet.

You can get gaps like that if the hatch stops over the tail lights are way too over extended (been there done that). Otherwise if they are normal then maybe there's a new part for that seal or something? Is yours new? From Fremont?

 

[ilovecoffee]

View attachment 1010760

Yeah that's weird for 5/16“ OD vinyl tubing. Given your hatch stops are in quite a bit


But it does look like your rubber gasket is a bit twisted (around the tail lights) post install. I'd try to straighten it out a little. But if that doesn't resolve it then I don't think you can use tubing or at least something a lot smaller. That's the first I've ever heard of this.

 

[nathanjreg]

Thanks - I started removing the tubing little by little and as I did, the trunk started shutting evenly. Now I am going to the store to get smaller tubing. I also now just ready someone saying the "buffeting" and "boom" are different-- I am starting to wonder is in my new 2024 Y they resolved the buffeting and its only the "boom?" because adjusting those bumpers has done ZERO- But the headaches I get from driving 30 minutes then last ALL day, its really terrible. the car "feels" quiet but the subsonic its really getting me. To be clear-- I dont hear anything like the "buffeting" sound when you roll down one window slightly at high speed- as others have described, this is much more like an extremely low boom or rumble- it feels totally quiet but I just slowly get a worse and worse headache the longer I drive-- I have NEVER had this with any car I have ever driven its so strange. Last night I took my son to a birthday party and took the minivan-- so many difference "OTHER" sounds-- engine, etc-- none of which bothered me or gave me a headache.

 

[dhanson865]

Thanks - I started removing the tubing little by little and as I did, the trunk started shutting evenly. Now I am going to the store to get smaller tubing.

In all your pictures the tubing is hidden. Maybe it would be helpful if you took a picture of the larger and smaller tubing side by side with a ruler or something to give us scale.

 

[be10v]

I'll add my 5 cents as well.
Thanks everyone for the suggestions posted here - unfortunately my 23MY is also experiencing the same booming issue....driving everyone crazy inside the car, especially bad at lower speeds over rough roads.


-Adjusted the bump stops with envelope method (bottom ones did not even reach the panel at first) - got about 0% improvement .
-Tried 5/16 tubing - no change. (Did another stop adjustment too).
-Added butyl sound deadening all over trunk area - substantially! reduced road noise, but no change in ear pressure/ booming.

Next on the list are solid bushings, thicker 3/8 vinyl tubing, and 33hz BMW sound dampener mentioned earlier.


Before going there - dropped the car off for service for other issues (5th time in 2 months) and SA confirmed that he can hear the booming noice after the test drive. He said that they adjust it by installing more elements to secure the hatch + re-align it. Will believe it when I see it, yet he did sound interested in helping.

Fingers crossed they do not make it worse...
l'll provide an update once the car is back.


P.S. I got excited that service gave me another MY as a loaner as I was looking to compare the experience. Boy was I wrong.... loaner had 10x worse booming noise while driving. Are they all like this?

 

[quitepossibly]

I believe there is some sample variation with the booming. I had a 2022 Tesla Model Y and the booming was terrible. I couldn't drive more than 10 minutes without having a headache for the rest of the day.

But I have rented a few Tesla Model Ys from Hertz, and I haven't had any booming issues with most of them. My parents bought a 2022 Model Y and I haven't experienced any booming with theirs either, even though they haven't done anything to it. But I recently rode in a Model Y in Australia and felt the booming again.

 

[niel123]

How would you describe your ears hurting? Is it the same feeling like when you are flying? air pressure and popping of the ears?
For me it's comparable to flying and popping of the ears and the feeling goes away quickly if I get out of the car and move on with my day.

My next steps will be the following:
1. screwing the rubber stops back in to see if that makes a difference (Even though it does not make sense indeed)
2. start taping off the windows and hatch with painters tape and see if it improves + recalibrate windows (Not sure how I can tape off the hatch yet though)
3. Try convince service center to have another look at it?
4. Try enveloppe method again but include tubing.
5. ... sell car and take a heavy loss .. not sure what would be a better alternative though ...

Just an update on my post.

I am playing around a bit with the HVAC settings, for me this seemed to help quite a bit in my "ear pressure/ear popping" problem, when setting the fan speed on LO and playing around with the direction of the air it seemed to help significantly ...

I haven't had a go at adjusting the rubber stops back in.

 

[be10v]

Thought I would provide an update.

Car has been in service for 5 days by now and they said they will need a few more days. Seems suspicious (i.e. this no longer looks like a quick adjustment, something is likely being replaced).
As an observation, service drove it for about 100 miles over the week now and app shows it with open hatch and doors inside the service building most of the time. Really curious what the outcome will be.


P.S. made a quick sound recording of loaner MYLR and compared to wife's X4. That 33hz punch is clear as day - in line with what others shared earlier. Did this test at 25 mph, on the same stretch of road, AC and music off.

Will provide update when service finishes the work.

 

[tris]

Yeah, it feels like pressure that requires ear popping. I find myself plugging my nose and popping my ears. My ear pains lasts for a day or two though. It's definitely concerning as I hope I'm not getting long term damage.

I have a service center appointment on Monday, but don't feel confident they will find a smoking gun. If not, I'm selling this once I get my license plates in. Life's too short to have pain while driving!

If happens when the car is stationary then air pressure changes are the cause. You need a manometer to measure that, which is not a simple device to operate correctly and accurately, not sure if even SCs have and use them.
Can happen if the cabin is sealed very well and the AC is pulling the air quickly from the cabin but not blowing back (too restrictive or clogged filter) - decreasing the air pressure. Or there is imbalance of outside air intake which means it's blowing too much air from outside too fast into the cabin and increasing the pressure.

Might be also an issue with clogged/restricted/too small air exit vents.

I think in general the HVAC/FAN system is not well balanced - there was an issue with people measuring CO2 inside the car and it seemed to building up too fast (symptoms: tiredness, sleepiness, headaches - not something you want when you're driving a car) especially when it's set to 'auto'. Tesla even acknowledged it as far as I remember and probably issued a software fix that changed the ratio of air re-circulation when set to 'auto'.

Who knows, too small air exit vents might even be the cause of the booming/buffeting...

Another option is a low frequency hum from the compressor/heat exchanger but it should just sound annoying and not make your ears pop.

 

[niel123]

Sorry...it is or isn't closing when you press the door closed manually?

Maybe silly question, regarding the vinyl tubing, is 5/16' inside or outside diameter?