Loud motor sound when running the AC

[capt601]

Our local service center said it was normal in hot weather after tesla said it was an issue. Sad that in hot weather our model s is the loudest car at stop lights or in the parking lot.

 

[JasonZX12R]

Our local service center said it was normal in hot weather after tesla said it was an issue. Sad that in hot weather our model s is the loudest car at stop lights or in the parking lot.

Now that it is starting to get warmer in FL this is driving me nuts. I can hear the car from across the parking lot. If I am in a drive through the person at the window can barely hear me over the fan. This really should be fixed, as it is probably my biggest complaint about the car. (Which I suppose is a good thing)

 

[Princeton96]

Mine used to sound like a large swarm of very angry bees when it was hot outside. I wouldn't use it in the presence of people, it was so loud. However, just had my car in for service and asked them to take a look. The report says they changed the bracket and installed some sound insulation. Major improvement. I don't think they swapped out the compressor entirely, but they definitely applied a significant fix.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

So far, I have found using Range Mode keeps the compressor quieter, and the car has been quite comfortable here in the mid 80's (and humid).

+1
I put my car in range mode nearly a year ago and haven't touched it since, and it gets hot here in FL. I do precool my car as well, but if I forget, I don't get that jet engine noise anymore.

 

[Shumdit]

There is an update for this issue. It's a new bracket and an insulating blanket wrap for the compressor. On my last service visit they installed the blanket but did not have the bracket. I heard no improvement when I got it back so either the bracket is crucial or there is contact between the compressor/lines and either the frunk tub or some other part of the chassis that is amplifying the sound.

 

[siai47]

I wish the compressor in the MS was a quiet as the one in my Mitsubishi I-MiEV. EV's seem to run the gambit on compressor noise. My first A/C equipped EV's were Chevrolet S10-E's that had a compressor that was the loudest thing I had ever heard in a vehicle. I hope the EV1 didn't have the same one as it would be really bad in a passenger car. Next was my RAV4-EV that had a reasonably quiet compressor but had marginal A/C output. Then was the Nissan LEAF with a quiet compressor. I also had a Prius with electric A/C compressor that you could never hear over the engine. The best by far is on the I-MiEV---almost no noise or vibration. Looking at the compressor, it might be a scroll design and not a reciprocating style which I fear may be in the MS. It has a built in inverter powered by the HV DC battery (360 volts) with variable speed drive like the MS. It is built by Mitsubishi (who are really big in the split-system A/C business) and it looks and operates like a quality piece. The system also seems to have a ton of capacity compared to the size of the car it is installed in. It would be great if Tesla engineering grafted one into a MS to see how good it works.

 

[Carguy949]

+1. It was in the 90s last week here in Southern Cal and I also heard the buzzing/droning sound accompanied by some vibration in the steering wheel. If they have a fix for it, that's awesome.

 

[Bill D]

There is an update for this issue. It's a new bracket and an insulating blanket wrap for the compressor. On my last service visit they installed the blanket but did not have the bracket. I heard no improvement when I got it back so either the bracket is crucial or there is contact between the compressor/lines and either the frunk tub or some other part of the chassis that is amplifying the sound.

Last week service installed the A/C "acoustic cover" in my MS but didn't install the bracket. I noticed a significant improvement in the low frequency vibration/rumble when the compressor runs, perhaps I didn't have any contact of the compressor or lines with anything and didn't need the bracket. It's now acceptable inside the cabin, but the loud compressor exterior fan spin-up still occurs after the car has been parked in high heat. This is not as annoying inside the cabin as the compressor vibration/rumble was, but it draws attention from people outside the cabin since it is louder than many ICE cars.