Model 3 brake service at home

[Swordtail]

I've read lots of posts about jacking up a Tesla at home. I'm no mechanic but would like to have a go at servicing the brakes which (unlike tire rotations) requires quite a bit of brute force to remove retaining pins and pads.

I'm struggling to see how you'd get the car onto jack stands. I like the look of the Tesla stands which integrate with the jack pad but they're so expensive I might as well pay someone to do it.

I understand you can jack up the car from the rear point and then put a stand under the front when it gets high enough. I found that the front doesn't rise as quickly as the rear.

Is this OK as I assume the frame is warping by doing this? Does this not damage it or strain the battery?

I have two hydraulic jacks so as an alternative I thought I could jack the front and rear with those. Would it be safe to service brakes like this? I guess if one jack failed hopefully the other wouldn't!

So;
1) Jack up rear until a jack pad can be put under the front even though frame warps
2) Jack up front and rear with hydraulic jacks
3) Something else?? (other than "Get Tesla to do it"!)

Cheers!

 

[GlynG]

Its just a car, like all others, With every car there is the jack point but other points of strength in the car are suitable to lift or support the car, however just jack up the car at the closest jack point to the wheel your taking off and work on the car without jack stands - its perfectly safe. With three wheels still on the ground the car is stable on the jack and no matter how much effort you put into servicing the brakes the car wont fall off the jack and the jack isnt going to fail.
In donkeys years (50) of using jacks I've never had one fail as in suddenly lower or falling apart but I have had a jack that very slowly lowers the car when it shouldn't do over an hour or so (never heard or known of one failing either but I assume they can do - just like you may get hit with a bus when crossing the road) and if I'm getting underneath the car I will place jack stands at high strength points - like the suspension anchor points - just in case (and never needed one yet)
The brakes are easy and not a lot of effort is needed to take apart and rebuild its not like your going to be shaking the car about.

Body flex? - no problem, all car body's flex when driving and jacking up - designed to do this so it isn't an issue if you want to jack up the car from say a rear point and jack it high enough to lift the front wheel off the ground (its just easier to lift the car by the nearest point to where you want to work.
Two jacks? - If you really are concerned with the potential for a jack to fail then as you have two jacks - jack the wheel you want off the ground then place the second jack at the other jack point on the same side of the car and jack that up too -then If a jack failed the other would continue to support the vehicle.

 

[GRiLLA]

Its just a car, like all others, With every car there is the jack point but other points of strength in the car are suitable to lift or support the car, however just jack up the car at the closest jack point to the wheel your taking off and work on the car without jack stands - its perfectly safe. With three wheels still on the ground the car is stable on the jack and no matter how much effort you put into servicing the brakes the car wont fall off the jack and the jack isnt going to fail.
In donkeys years (50) of using jacks I've never had one fail as in suddenly lower or falling apart but I have had a jack that very slowly lowers the car when it shouldn't do over an hour or so (never heard or known of one failing either but I assume they can do - just like you may get hit with a bus when crossing the road) and if I'm getting underneath the car I will place jack stands at high strength points - like the suspension anchor points - just in case (and never needed one yet)
The brakes are easy and not a lot of effort is needed to take apart and rebuild its not like your going to be shaking the car about.

Body flex? - no problem, all car body's flex when driving and jacking up - designed to do this so it isn't an issue if you want to jack up the car from say a rear point and jack it high enough to lift the front wheel off the ground (its just easier to lift the car by the nearest point to where you want to work.
Two jacks? - If you really are concerned with the potential for a jack to fail then as you have two jacks - jack the wheel you want off the ground then place the second jack at the other jack point on the same side of the car and jack that up too -then If a jack failed the other would continue to support the vehicle.

I wonder if the small proportion of Tesla owners that get crushed under their poorly secured cars remember to come back to these forums and share their experiences, for balance.

 

[Ashdeman]

I wonder if the small proportion of Tesla owners that get crushed under their poorly secured cars remember to come back to these forums and share their experiences, for balance.

You don't need to go under the car to do the brakes and GlynG said if he was going under the car he would use a stand elsewhere.

Personally if I was servicing the brakes I would do a corner at a time and just use the jack. Put the removed wheel underneath the car too.

 

[Fursty Ferret]

A car that's jacked up on one corner is resting on three springy flexible rubber balls. It's not too hard to knock it off the jack and I'd strongly recommend adding an additional layer of protection, and in addition, not putting your fingers between the bottom of the brake disk and the ground at any point.

 

[Burley]

Serviced mine using a hydraulic trolley jack. Lifted and worked on a corner at a time - always put the removed wheel underneath the car so if the jack should fail, there is something to help stop the car hitting the floor or you!

 

[Swordtail]

Thanks for all your opinions on this. I think I'll use my two trolley jacks to jack up the front and back at the same time and leave it at that.

I like the idea of putting a wheel under in case a jack were to fail but couldn't this damage the battery or other other parts of the underside if it were to fall? With a wheel off, I'm guessing the jack itself, even if fully down, would still hold the car sufficiently off the ground to prevent the brake disk hitting the floor?

 

[pgkevet]

It's not damage to the car that should worry you. It's any bits of you it falls on. How about a test jacking, measure the angles under your trolley jack and make up a wooden safety block to slide in there?

 

[qwickshot]

It's not damage to the car that should worry you. It's any bits of you it falls on.

This!!

 

[Swordtail]

I don't really see how bits of car can fall on you doing a brake service even if the jack gave way suddenly.

The wooden safety block sounds like a good idea though maybe along the lines of in the pic cut out better?

 

[Mr H]

Just use an axle stand

 

[MrT3]

I don't really see how bits of car can fall on you doing a brake service even if the jack gave way suddenly.

You are likely to put your head into the wheel arch when replacing pads, bleeding brake fluid etc.

Never work on a car that is just on a jack. Too many people have been injured or killed in the past when a jack gives way.

 

[Don.Church]

Curious as to why your Model 3 needs brake servicing? High miles? Used on the track? With regen braking, the hydraulic system normally get much use

 

[Adopado]

Curious as to why your Model 3 needs brake servicing? High miles? Used on the track? With regen braking, the hydraulic system normally get much use

It’s because the brakes get little use that they benefit from servicing. In the UK and other places that use a lot of salt in winter and have wet weather the brakes tend to corrode more quickly. The pad retaining pins can seize and the pads don’t operate evenly so you can end up with unswept areas on the disc.

 

[Don.Church]

It’s because the brakes get little use that they benefit from servicing. In the UK and other places that use a lot of salt in winter and have wet weather the brakes tend to corrode more quickly. The pad retaining pins can seize and the pads don’t operate evenly so you can end up with unswept areas on the disc.

Makes perfect sense.

 

[M3noob]

I wonder if the small proportion of Tesla owners that get crushed under their poorly secured cars remember to come back to these forums and share their experiences, for balance.

Sadly, I knew a guy that was crushed under his jacked up car. BMW driver, but still a human being.

 

[GlynG]

Sadly, I knew a guy that was crushed under his jacked up car. BMW driver, but still a human being.

Wasn't fixing the indicators then.