High pitched bubbling noise from passenger footwell

[altman]

At the end of last year I upgraded from a 3LR to a 3P, and have generally been happy with the upgrade - ok, more than happy with the performance - but I'm now having to live with a really annoying noise which has just started up.

It sounds like a high pitched bubbling/evaporating noise, comes from the passenger footwell, and starts after the AC has been running for maybe 20 mins - but then the noise is there continuously. I can easily hear it when stopped, and due to its pitch I can also hear it above tire noise when moving.

Stopping and doing a full power off from the service menu doesn't stop it, so pretty sure it's not electrical... seems just like something from the AC system has got air in it or is somehow not quite right. The AC does function, though.

I took the car in for service and multiple technicians can hear and replicate the issue... but, they tell me the noise is "normal" and there is no fix for it.

Given that I had no such noise on my previous 3, that seems like, well, bullshit. Anyone else suffering with the same? Did you managed to get it fixed?

Phone recording of the noise (it's the burbling type noise - this recording is amplified but you get the idea of the cadence):
iCloud.com

 

[TeeEmCee]

At the end of last year I upgraded from a 3LR to a 3P, and have generally been happy with the upgrade - ok, more than happy with the performance - but I'm now having to live with a really annoying noise which has just started up.

It sounds like a high pitched bubbling/evaporating noise, comes from the passenger footwell, and starts after the AC has been running for maybe 20 mins - but then the noise is there continuously. I can easily hear it when stopped, and due to its pitch I can also hear it above tire noise when moving.

Stopping and doing a full power off from the service menu doesn't stop it, so pretty sure it's not electrical... seems just like something from the AC system has got air in it or is somehow not quite right. The AC does function, though.

I took the car in for service and multiple technicians can hear and replicate the issue... but, they tell me the noise is "normal" and there is no fix for it.

Given that I had no such noise on my previous 3, that seems like, well, bullshit. Anyone else suffering with the same? Did you managed to get it fixed?

Phone recording of the noise (it's the burbling type noise - this recording is amplified but you get the idea of the cadence):
iCloud.com

That may be EM interference played through that speaker under the dashboard (there are a few threads on this issue).

 

[Petrlol]

Mysterious static/hissing noise

I just put tape over it...

 

[mmccking]

Had a similar problem with hiss. SC just fixed it by replacing my MCU.

 

[Stanwood Steve]

I'd keep pushing on the Service Center to address it. I have a 3P and have not heard this sound from my car. I doubt it's normal.

 

[voip-ninja]

At the end of last year I upgraded from a 3LR to a 3P, and have generally been happy with the upgrade - ok, more than happy with the performance - but I'm now having to live with a really annoying noise which has just started up.

It sounds like a high pitched bubbling/evaporating noise, comes from the passenger footwell, and starts after the AC has been running for maybe 20 mins - but then the noise is there continuously. I can easily hear it when stopped, and due to its pitch I can also hear it above tire noise when moving.

Stopping and doing a full power off from the service menu doesn't stop it, so pretty sure it's not electrical... seems just like something from the AC system has got air in it or is somehow not quite right. The AC does function, though.

I took the car in for service and multiple technicians can hear and replicate the issue... but, they tell me the noise is "normal" and there is no fix for it.

Given that I had no such noise on my previous 3, that seems like, well, bullshit. Anyone else suffering with the same? Did you managed to get it fixed?

Phone recording of the noise (it's the burbling type noise - this recording is amplified but you get the idea of the cadence):
iCloud.com

My experience is if you can reproduce a noise then the SC will make an attempt to fix it. If you can't reproduce the noise then good luck getting them to try reproducing it and fixing it on their own.

 

[GolanB]

At the end of last year I upgraded from a 3LR to a 3P, and have generally been happy with the upgrade - ok, more than happy with the performance - but I'm now having to live with a really annoying noise which has just started up.

It sounds like a high pitched bubbling/evaporating noise, comes from the passenger footwell, and starts after the AC has been running for maybe 20 mins - but then the noise is there continuously. I can easily hear it when stopped, and due to its pitch I can also hear it above tire noise when moving.

Stopping and doing a full power off from the service menu doesn't stop it, so pretty sure it's not electrical... seems just like something from the AC system has got air in it or is somehow not quite right. The AC does function, though.

I took the car in for service and multiple technicians can hear and replicate the issue... but, they tell me the noise is "normal" and there is no fix for it.

Given that I had no such noise on my previous 3, that seems like, well, bullshit. Anyone else suffering with the same? Did you managed to get it fixed?

Phone recording of the noise (it's the burbling type noise - this recording is amplified but you get the idea of the cadence):
iCloud.com

There is a reasonably complex system at work within the Model 3 responsible for heat management and cooling. It is also responsible for removing air bubbles that may creep into the system. You can read more about it here: https://jalopnik.com/the-tesla-model-3s-superbottle-easter-egg-is-a-fascin-1830992728. There is also a brief video that describes its design:

It is a bit difficult to make out your audio recording, due to the background noise, but it sounds a bit like fluid circulation. I can't think of a good reason why it should be audible above road and tire noise. In our home heating system, we'll sometimes hear fluid more clearly if levels are low, but Tesla does have a low coolant indicator. Your best bet is taking it into a service center and demonstrating the issue - hopefully, this is something that you can reproduce quickly.