Is this rusted piece dangerous or replaceable?

[classychris92]

I'm sure this is a stupid question to car guys but this is the first car I've owned since my early 20s (just getting my life together) and this piece in the middle is super rusted. Should I change it? Is that even possible? Also I'd like to rotate my own tires, when tightening lug nuts how do I know if it's 129lb ft torque.?

 

[classychris92]

Yes, it's cheaper to have someone do it for you, even Tesla will send Mobile Rangers to you to do it, for a fairly reasonable price. I like to do it, not to save money, but it's good to know how to do it, and gives you a chance to inspect your tires/wheels for damage, check your brake pad depth, and rotor faces, lube the brake pins, and look over the rest of what you can see, including brake lines, suspension bits, undertray dirt, etc.

Just rotated a month ago, and found a small nail in one of my tires:
View attachment 984375
We've had records amount of rain this year, it's rained every weekend for the last 2 months! So, the wheel wells have tons of grit, the brake rotors are speckled with rust spots; but you can see the brake line in back is not rusted. I need to burnish the rotors!
View attachment 984376
Pads have lots of meat on them still, (you can see how far away the sensor is)but the rotors need burnishing, thru the service menu.
View attachment 984377

So what should I be looking for to check my rotors and brake pads to see if they need to be replaced ? And what does burnishing mean?

 

[afadeev]

I'm sure this is a stupid question to car guys but this is the first car I've owned since my early 20s (just getting my life together) and this piece in the middle is super rusted. Should I change it? Is that even possible?

That's the hub end-cap. They all surface rust, with no ill effects on performance or durability, and thus are typically covered by wheel center caps.

Is it ok to use some type of rust off product on it?

No need.

Also I'd like to rotate my own tires, when tightening lug nuts how do I know if it's 129lb ft torque.?

Buy a torque wrench and deep 21mm socket from your local car parts stores or Home Depot.
For your first foray into DIY-ing, you can go with a cheap clicker-type torque wrench. Just make sure that it's drive size matches that of the 21mm socket. So if you buy a 1/2" drive socket, you need 1/2" drive torque wrench (or 3/8" drive for both).

Yes, you can use torque wrench to remove bolts, including lug nuts.
Yes, doing so will throw it out of calibration sooner, but it will not hurt or damage anything.

Isn't it just cheaper to spend the $25 to $50 to have a place rotate them? Usually I wanna diy to save money but buying a breaker bar, torque wrench, socket drive, low profile jack and jack pads seems to be 3-5 years of paying for a place to do it ?

If you account for the time and inconvenience it takes to drive to places and wait to have rudimentary maintenance performed (wheel rotation, summer<->winter wheel swaps, windshield wipers, HVAC filters, etc.), the break even is achieved in 1 event.
If you add the probability that the minimal wage labor force will screw up or take short cuts in performing rudimentary maintenance (how many shops you know actually torque the lug nuts to spec?), then you achieve higher quality of work at lower price by DYI-ing.

HTH,
a

 

[Unclepaul]

You need this,1/2 in. Drive 10-150 ft. lb. Click Torque Wrench
and a socket.

 

[FastEddieB]

Harbor Freight torque wrenches are adequate for this sort of thing. Regular price $21.99. Occasionally on sale for ridiculously low prices.

As an aside, torque values are normally for "dry" threads. IOW, any sort of lubricant or anti-seize will resort in over-torquing, which can stretch the lugs and potentially lead to failure.

Edited to add: Drat! Beat out by 4 minutes!

 

[classychris92]

That's the hub end-cap. They all surface rust, with no ill effects on performance or durability, and thus are typically covered by wheel center caps.



No need.



Buy a torque wrench and deep 21mm socket from your local car parts stores or Home Depot.
For your first foray into DIY-ing, you can go with a cheap clicker-type torque wrench. Just make sure that it's drive size matches that of the 21mm socket. So if you buy a 1/2" drive socket, you need 1/2" drive torque wrench (or 3/8" drive for both).

Yes, you can use torque wrench to remove bolts, including lug nuts.
Yes, doing so will throw it out of calibration sooner, but it will not hurt or damage anything.



If you account for the time and inconvenience it takes to drive to places and wait to have rudimentary maintenance performed (wheel rotation, summer<->winter wheel swaps, windshield wipers, HVAC filters, etc.), the break even is achieved in 1 event.
If you add the probability that the minimal wage labor force will screw up or take short cuts in performing rudimentary maintenance (how many shops you know actually torque the lug nuts to spec?), then you achieve higher quality of work at lower price by DYI-ing.

HTH,
a

Yeah your right, that's the only other thing I was worried about. I don't have a place I trust to do it right. I did wanna replace the lug nuts but I'm having a hard time finding them. I see some that say for Tesla model 3 but then there not 21mm there bigger. Does that not matter? It's kinda overwhelming to figure out. I found ONE pair of m14x1.5 21mm but it says 75-80lb ft torque recommended. Do you have ones you buy ? @KenC

 

[afadeev]

I did wanna replace the lug nuts but I'm having a hard time finding them. I found ONE pair of m14x1.5 21mm but it says 75-80lb ft torque recommended. Do you have ones you buy ? @KenC

You do NOT need to replace the lug nuts, unless you know they have been over-torqued, cracked, cross threaded, deformed, or otherwise damaged.
If you torque them to spec, you can re-use the lug nuts for as long as you own the car.

For more info, consider this:

 

[android04]

Cheaper or not depends on how much you drive and other circumstances. Discount Tire rotates tires for free, but in my case the nearest one is 1.5 hours away. Also, I rotate my tires every 6,125 miles as recommended and I drive that every 2 months. So if it cost me even $20 to rotate that would be $120 per year. I would break even in 2 years if I had to buy a low profile jack and torque wrench. In my case, I already have both of those tools because I use them for many other purposes that also save me money.

 

[classychris92]

Cheaper or not depends on how much you drive and other circumstances. Discount Tire rotates tires for free, but in my case the nearest one is 1.5 hours away. Also, I rotate my tires every 6,125 miles as recommended and I drive that every 2 months. So if it cost me even $20 to rotate that would be $120 per year. I would break even in 2 years if I had to buy a low profile jack and torque wrench. In my case, I already have both of those tools because I use them for many other purposes that also save me money.

Yeah that makes sense for you. I don't drive nearly that much though. Can you link the low profile you have? Cause I've been told even with low profile ones some don't fit. And also have you ever bought lug nuts ? @afadeev I think one of mine is cracked but there's so many measurements and I can't figure out what ones will work for me. I find some that are m14x1.5 but not 21mm, it seems so hard to find lug nuts that will work and a socket drive that'll work.

 

[android04]

Yeah that makes sense for you. I don't drive nearly that much though. Can you link the low profile you have? Cause I've been told even with low profile ones some don't fit. And also have you ever bought lug nuts ? @afadeev I think one of mine is cracked but there's so many measurements and I can't figure out what ones will work for me. I find some that are m14x1.5 but not 21mm, it seems so hard to find lug nuts that will work and a socket drive that'll work.

I actually use this low profile jack with built-in jack stand, and I bought it 5 years ago when it was $140.

Amazon.com

Our lug nuts are nothing special, and you can find replacements anywhere (including local auto parts stores). Keep in mind that they are conical seat, M14x1.50 thread, and can be turned with a 21mm or 13/16" socket or wrench. The 21mm and 13/16" will be the same when it comes to lug nuts, and I've used multiple 13/16" sockets because I think they fit better (tighter) and will do less damage to the lug nuts.
I still have my OEM lug nuts after 134,000 miles and more than 5.5 years and they still look really good. No visible damage nor rust. However, if I were to replace then with aftermarket I would use these:

Gorilla Automotive 91147SS Gorilla Lifetime Lug Nuts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Gorilla Lifetime Lug Nuts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Lug Nuts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

Gorilla also makes black chromed lug nuts in the same size, but I prefer the stainless steel look to go with my silver metallic car and chrome trim.

 

[classychris92]

I actually use this low profile jack with built-in jack stand, and I bought it 5 years ago when it was $140.

Amazon.com

Our lug nuts are nothing special, and you can find replacements anywhere (including local auto parts stores). Keep in mind that they are conical seat, M14x1.50 thread, and can be turned with a 21mm or 13/16" socket or wrench. The 21mm and 13/16" will be the same when it comes to lug nuts, and I've used multiple 13/16" sockets because I think they fit better (tighter) and will do less damage to the lug nuts.
I still have my OEM lug nuts after 134,000 miles and more than 5.5 years and they still look really good. No visible damage nor rust. However, if I were to replace then with aftermarket I would use these:

Gorilla Automotive 91147SS Gorilla Lifetime Lug Nuts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Gorilla Lifetime Lug Nuts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Lug Nuts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

Gorilla also makes black chromed lug nuts in the same size, but I prefer the stainless steel look to go with my silver metallic car and chrome trim.

Yeah mine are looking really shitty I bought it used and I think the dealership left it out in the rain alot. But it can be a bit confusing buying them because it's not just the m14x1.5 21mm apparently they have different shapes and patterns some are longer. And Tesla doesn't list every single measurement and shape. Here's a pic

 

[classychris92]

I actually use this low profile jack with built-in jack stand, and I bought it 5 years ago when it was $140.

Amazon.com

Our lug nuts are nothing special, and you can find replacements anywhere (including local auto parts stores). Keep in mind that they are conical seat, M14x1.50 thread, and can be turned with a 21mm or 13/16" socket or wrench. The 21mm and 13/16" will be the same when it comes to lug nuts, and I've used multiple 13/16" sockets because I think they fit better (tighter) and will do less damage to the lug nuts.
I still have my OEM lug nuts after 134,000 miles and more than 5.5 years and they still look really good. No visible damage nor rust. However, if I were to replace then with aftermarket I would use these:

Gorilla Automotive 91147SS Gorilla Lifetime Lug Nuts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Gorilla Lifetime Lug Nuts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Lug Nuts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

Gorilla also makes black chromed lug nuts in the same size, but I prefer the stainless steel look to go with my silver metallic car and chrome trim.

Do I have to find lug nuts that match all these dimensions exactly? It seems like there's so much to look for.

 

[classychris92]

You do NOT need to replace the lug nuts, unless you know they have been over-torqued, cracked, cross threaded, deformed, or otherwise damaged.
If you torque them to spec, you can re-use the lug nuts for as long as you own the car.

For more info, consider this:

I do believe 2 of them or warped and maybe cracked. Whoever had it before me did not do good maintenance. I'm able to find m14x1.5 22mm lugs but they are all different lengths and I can't find the exact dimensions on Teslas manual. Does length not matter ?

 

[fholbert]

Does length not matter ?

I hear it does, but it’s only a rumor.

 

[RayK]

You can''t use ones that are too short otherwise the bolt may hit the "top" of the lug nut. Therefore, in this case, longer is better .

My suggestion would be to remove one from the car and measure the depth of the hole. If you don't have a caliper then take a pencil, stick it in the hole and mark the place where it exits the hole. If that depth dimension is not available from the specs / datasheet of your prospective item, then make sure that you have return privileges from where you buy them in case they don't fit properly.

I would think that as long as you get ones which are at least the same length OR the seller states that it will fit a Model 3 with your particular rims, then everything should be good.

 

[FastEddieB]

I haven’t read the entire thread, but if there’s any questio, why not just order them from Tesla?

 

[classychris92]

I haven’t read the entire thread, but if there’s any questio, why not just order them from Tesla?

I wish I could but they don't sell them as far as I can see. Unless I'm not looking in the right place.

 

[rpiotro]

Cheaper or not depends on how much you drive and other circumstances. Discount Tire rotates tires for free, but in my case the nearest one is 1.5 hours away. Also, I rotate my tires every 6,125 miles as recommended and I drive that every 2 months. So if it cost me even $20 to rotate that would be $120 per year. I would break even in 2 years if I had to buy a low profile jack and torque wrench. In my case, I already have both of those tools because I use them for many other purposes that also save me money.

You may be rotating them needlessly. Go by wear delta. Not miles. Buy a depth gauge. Cheap.

Unless of course you just like to tinker.

 

[Sophias_dad]

I wish I could but they don't sell them as far as I can see. Unless I'm not looking in the right place.

They definitely USED to sell them. I even have a set(never used!) that I'd be willing to sell if I can find them, including center caps. All I see direct from Tesla on their site is https://shop.tesla.com/product/model-3-aero-wheel-cap-kit, which would still cover your lug nuts and rusty axle bolt.

I'm sure a SC would sell you replacement lug nuts, but they wouldn't be closed end.

 

[EatsShoots]

They definitely USED to sell them. I even have a set(never used!) that I'd be willing to sell if I can find them, including center caps. All I see direct from Tesla on their site is https://shop.tesla.com/product/model-3-aero-wheel-cap-kit, which would still cover your lug nuts and rusty axle bolt.

I'm sure a SC would sell you replacement lug nuts, but they wouldn't be closed end.

I put these caps on mine. They look great. There are cheaper ones on amazon but I wanted the real deal. These are a must if you're not running aero wheels IMO.

 

[Cce32]

I have purchased more lug nuts than I am willing to admit, mostly because I have a wheel/tire addiction, here are some resources in addition to Amazon:

• 20 PC 14x1.5 OEM TESLA REPLACEMENT OPEN END LUG NUTS 21MM HEX TESLA MODEL 3 ZINC | eBay
• Easy Shopping for Lug Nuts, Wheel Locks, Tires, Wheels | Lug Nut Guys
• BONOSS Forged Steel Locking Lug Nuts For Tesla Model 3/Y
• MSI "Give Me The Ugga-Duggas" 19mm Hex Lug Nuts (Set Of 20)