Milling sound: drive unit replaced

[Bet TSLA]

I brought my P85 in for its two year service this past week. One of my complaints was that I was hearing a whine that started at about 10mph and was hearable up to about 30mph. It went away if I was slowing. Not too bad, but a bit annoying.

It took the tech about 10 seconds of test driving to tell me that I was hearing the infamous "milling" sound. So they replaced the drive unit (with a remanufactured rev P). I was a bit surprised to run into this as I hadn't heard any complaints on the forums about the problem for quite a while. They do seem to be quite confident that their current remanufactured drives are not going to have this problem again.

I remain very pleased with Tesla service.

 

[ecarfan]

The post volume about the "milling" sound seems to have gone to almost zero over the past several months. Of course that doesn't mean that older cars are not still developing the problem. Your two year old P85 developing the problem demonstrates that it is an "easy fix" and I'm glad to hear that your problem was resolved quickly. Earlier this year my three year old 85 (non P) started to make the noise. It was quite faint and of course did not create any sort of problem that interfered with the operation of my car, but my Service Center immediately replaced the drive unit and the noise disappeared. It has not come back. I now have about 50K miles on my car and it is running perfectly. There are some owners who had to have multiple drive units installed to get rid of the noise.

It does appear that newer Teslas are not developing the "milling" sound.

 

[Bet TSLA]

I now have about 50K miles on my car and it is running perfectly.

Yeah, I should have mentioned that I had put about 37,000 miles on my P85 when it first showed the symptom.

 

[tliving]

I've got the milling sound now (on my second DU), I haven't contacted the SC yet. It started towards the end of the last Quarter and I wanted to wait for things to quiet down. The way they explained it when they replaced the last one was that it was supposed to be fixed for good, but the noise is definitely back. Last time I had this noise, like the OP they decided to replace it within a block of test driving.

 

[msentesy]

I brought my P85 in for its two year service this past week. One of my complaints was that I was hearing a whine that started at about 10mph and was hearable up to about 30mph. It went away if I was slowing. Not too bad, but a bit annoying.

It took the tech about 10 seconds of test driving to tell me that I was hearing the infamous "milling" sound. So they replaced the drive unit (with a remanufactured rev P). I was a bit surprised to run into this as I hadn't heard any complaints on the forums about the problem for quite a while. They do seem to be quite confident that their current remanufactured drives are not going to have this problem again.

I remain very pleased with Tesla service.

Mine has a whine too - do you have a recording I could listen to, to see if it's something I should worry about?

 

[aerodyne]

Mine has a whine too - do you have a recording I could listen to, to see if it's something I should worry about?

You should replace it if still under warranty. What's not to like about a free new DU?

Sounds are given on the Tesla Tap site:

Sounds of Tesla Vehicles – TeslaTap

teslatap.com

 

[Bet TSLA]

Mine has a whine too - do you have a recording I could listen to, to see if it's something I should worry about?

If what "mine" means is a Model S of that vintage, then you should take it in for the service people to listen to. At your convenience, not an emergency. But there can be many different causes for a motor whine. Sorry, no recording conveniently available from my P85. Several online.

Do you have an extended warranty in force? That would make a drive unit replacement cost-effective.

 

[msentesy]

If what "mine" means is a Model S of that vintage, then you should take it in for the service people to listen to. At your convenience, not an emergency. But there can be many different causes for a motor whine. Sorry, no recording conveniently available from my P85. Several online.

Do you have an extended warranty in force? That would make a drive unit replacement cost-effective.

And @aerodyne

Mine is a new-to-me 2013 P85+, 8 year warranty good until December 2021. So I'm motivated to make sure it's replaced before the warranty is up.

I recorded it and the online support immediately ordered a replacement DU. When I took it to the Service Center, though, I was told the tech didn't think it was loud enough to be a problem, that "some milling sound is normal" and there was some handwaving about talking to engineering at Tesla -- which now I do not trust they will actually do.

People on the forums say that the P85s were particularly prone to the issue.

Here's the sound I hear:

If it's an issue, how would you recommend someone escalate / navigate this?

 

[Bet TSLA]

And @aerodyne

Mine is a new-to-me 2013 P85+, 8 year warranty good until December 2021. So I'm motivated to make sure it's replaced before the warranty is up.

I recorded it and the online support immediately ordered a replacement DU. When I took it to the Service Center, though, I was told the tech didn't think it was loud enough to be a problem, that "some milling sound is normal" and there was some handwaving about talking to engineering at Tesla -- which now I do not trust they will actually do.

People on the forums say that the P85s were particularly prone to the issue.

Here's the sound I hear:

If it's an issue, how would you recommend someone escalate / navigate this?

I just heard a little bit of a whine at the end of your recording. The "milling" sound at the TeslaTap link was spot on. Your sound is perhaps indicative of a motor that might eventually get there in another 10,000 miles.

How would I proceed? Information first. How many miles are on the car? on the current drive train? That vintage P85 may well have had it replaced multiple times. Mine was. So ask the service guy about the service history if you don't have it already. Also, a P85+ has a different suspension and staggered tires (right?) so the stresses are somewhat different. It had its own unique set of problems.

And finally, I'd temper my expectations. You aren't going to get a silent ride in a 7-8 year old car. But if it drives you crazy, you can sell it to (pretty much) any old guy without taking a hit on the resale, as they won't hear a high pitched whine.

 

[aerodyne]

And @aerodyne

Mine is a new-to-me 2013 P85+, 8 year warranty good until December 2021. So I'm motivated to make sure it's replaced before the warranty is up.

I recorded it and the online support immediately ordered a replacement DU. When I took it to the Service Center, though, I was told the tech didn't think it was loud enough to be a problem, that "some milling sound is normal" and there was some handwaving about talking to engineering at Tesla -- which now I do not trust they will actually do.

People on the forums say that the P85s were particularly prone to the issue.

Here's the sound I hear:

If it's an issue, how would you recommend someone escalate / navigate this?

Easy...I think. Show the tech the Tesla Service Bulletin on this issue. You can find it on the NHTSB site.

It says, as I recall, "upon customer complaint, replace the drive unit"

The milling is generated by pitted steel bearings caused by unintended current flow through same. They will eventually fail.

The new DU has ceramic bearings that are not conductive.

Also, refer in future to the milling problem as a vibration, not a noise. I'll bet you can feel it though the go pedal if you try hard enough. Vibrations are covered by warranty.

All else fails, try a different SvC, and say the milling problem has suddenly got much worse.

I just heard a little bit of a whine at the end of your recording. The "milling" sound at the TeslaTap link was spot on. Your sound is perhaps indicative of a motor that might eventually get there in another 10,000 miles.

How would I proceed? Information first. How many miles are on the car? on the current drive train? That vintage P85 may well have had it replaced multiple times. Mine was. So ask the service guy about the service history if you don't have it already. Also, a P85+ has a different suspension and staggered tires (right?) so the stresses are somewhat different. It had its own unique set of problems.

And finally, I'd temper my expectations. You aren't going to get a silent ride in a 7-8 year old car. But if it drives you crazy, you can sell it to (pretty much) any old guy without taking a hit on the resale, as they won't hear a high pitched whine.

Old guy here...I heard the whine...lol