fixing a suspension rattle in a Model S/X (

[David99]

Suspension rattles can have many sources. There are many moving parts that can wear out and cause rattles. It is hard to pinpoint the exact source sometimes because in the cabin they all sound very similar.

I had some rattles for a while and spent month trying to get to the bottom of it. This forum and YouTube helped me find several possible sources and I was able to narrow it down to the sway bar links. The rubber sealing broke and dirt and water got in and cause them to wear out. I believe the bad roads here in Los Angeles contributed as well.

It is a repair that most people can easily do themselves. I made a video about how to swap those out. I hope this is helpful to some here. BTW, it is very difficult to test if these links are worn out unless you take them out. There is usually always some tension on the sway bar making it appear they are tight. This is true for many suspension parts.

 

[T.R.T.e.s.l.a.]

Thanks for the great video.

 

[ucmndd]

Is the car drivable with one or both links disconnected? I assume so... wondering if that would be a good troubleshooting step to confirm the cause before buying parts.

 

[David99]

Is the car drivable with one or both links disconnected? I assume so... wondering if that would be a good troubleshooting step to confirm the cause before buying parts.

I would not drive without the links connected. The sway bar would dangle down and maybe get in the way of some other part of the suspension. Not sure if having only one link connected would help finding the issue.

I would look for broken rubber seals on any bearing on all suspension parts. A broken seal is a good indicator that dirt got in and cause the bearing to wear out.

Taking the links out is actually pretty easy and quick. I was only able to see and feel that the bearing was slightly lose once I took it out.

 

[dark cloud]

With your mileage many of us are a few years behind you, but to try to get a judge on how long these link dust seals will last what mileage do you have on your car now, and what mileage do you think they failed at?

 

[ucmndd]

With your mileage many of us are a few years behind you, but to try to get a judge on how long these link dust seals will last what mileage do you have on your car now, and what mileage do you think they failed at?

I’m at 80k and suspect strongly that at least one of mine is toast. Gonna take a look this weekend.

 

[David99]

With your mileage many of us are a few years behind you, but to try to get a judge on how long these link dust seals will last what mileage do you have on your car now, and what mileage do you think they failed at?

Hard to say. It started just as a faint rattle and got louder. Maybe at 150k miles when it started. The back ones are fine. I'm convinced they failed only because the rubber seal broke. There are bearing on both ends of the links. Only one end had broken seal and those are the ones that started to wear out. The other end was fine. I got the replacement parts for $70.