Model 3 - Vibration Noise from Steering Column Plastic Cover

[TeeThreee]

The steering shroud is surprisingly easy to remove and replace.
There are several aftermarket steering-mounted displays, and their installation video shows how to get the upper shroud off (no tools required other than a plastic pry tool if you want: I did it without)
Once the upper shroud is off, a single torx screw (centreline of bottom shroud) allows the lower shroud half to drop away.
Here is the process to remove the upper shroud. Once you have got to the point where the shroud is off there is no need to watch further.
Here is the instruction video:

 

[jsmay311]

The steering shroud is surprisingly easy to remove and replace.
There are several aftermarket steering-mounted displays, and their installation video shows how to get the upper shroud off (no tools required other than a plastic pry tool if you want: I did it without)
Once the upper shroud is off, a single torx screw (centreline of bottom shroud) allows the lower shroud half to drop away.
Here is the process to remove the upper shroud. Once you have got to the point where the shroud is off there is no need to watch further.
Here is the instruction video:

In that video, he takes the dash apart first. It looks like that's a necessary first step in order to access and detach some clips on the shroud, and then pull the plastic cover apart, no?

 

[TeeThreee]

In that video, he takes the dash apart first. It looks like that's a necessary first step in order to access and detach some clips on the shroud, and then pull the plastic cover apart, no?

Not exactly taking the dash apart: no wiring to disconnect or anything like that. It's four small clip-on pieces to remove (two at each end of the dash) then the whole wood-grain piece along the top of the dash is lifted off (the only major bit of the dash that needs to come away). That's the magic step: it allows you to get access to the forward end of the upper shroud, which is otherwise inaccessible. With that end of the upper shroud unclipped the upper shroud pops apart and levers off quite easily - no tools needed at all to lift that bit off.

I couldn't see any way of being able to lift off the upper shroud without unclipping the upper shroud at the forward end first. It looks somewhat terrifying (on the video) but when you try it it is quite simple. The clips are good quality, robust items and my experience was that there is no feeling at any time that you risk breaking one.

And with the shrouds off (have to take that torx screw out from under the lower shroud to drop it off to get the full access - not on this video) you have complete access to everything under the shrouds: easy to add self-adhesive felt or foam or tape or all of the above as needed to stop any rattle or squeak.

The other panels removed in the video to access wiring looms (like the panels under the dash) don't need to be touched to get into the steering wheel shroud. You don't need to watch more than the first 2 minutes 20 seconds of the video. Of course the video is sped up: it actually takes about 5 minutes.

 

[TeeThreee]

I should add to the last post that you can't remove the lower shroud without either removing the upper shroud or the steering wheel first. It's quite an ingenious bit of design: if you know the sequence to take and the parts to unclip it's about a 5 minute job. And removing the steering wheel is a lot of work to go through just to get the lower shroud off. And you still wouldn't be able to remove the upper shroud without taking off the woodgrain bit. All ingeniously interlocked.

 

[dduffey]

I had this issue, and I could stop the sound by squeezing the shroud together on the left.

I took some window foam lining (1" wide) that had one sticky side and one smooth side and stuck it on the inside of the shroud.

I cut about 6 inches, and then removed about 3 inches of backing so I could slide it up as best as I could then removed the backing to stay in place.

Doesn't affect the movement of the column since the other side is smooth.

Hope that is a solution you can use.

 

[Transformer]

Is it safe to remove the shroud, reattach the dash, then drive around to test if the rattle is gone?

 

[TeeThreee]

I've tried that and it was fine to drive as you suggested: remove the shroud, re-assemble the remainder of the dash, then drive around. You shouldn't do it for the long term as the shroud is there to protect the wiring. The shroud doesn't affect any steering wheel / indicator / gearchange functions and no wiring passes through either the top or bottom shrouds, so no wiring is disturbed in removing the shrouds.

I would take a second person for the test drive so that one person can handle rattle / squeak location while the driver concentrates on driving. Would be a real pity to write off your Tesla while trying to find a rattle!

It will of course remain a possibility that any rattle is caused by wiring against the shroud. If this is suspected, spiral wrapping the wiring loom in self-adhesive foam tape (domestic door leak seal tape) should fix that.

 

[android04]

Years ago I fixed the rattle coming from the steering column shroud by stuffing some pieces of foam in there with my fingers and it worked for a while, but the rattle came back this year. Using the video that TeeThreee shared to take apart the shroud, I fixed it again (pretty sure it's a permanent fix this time). I found the foam pieces I had stuffed in there and they had become compressed and were no longer effective. I decided that I was going to keep the two pieces of shroud from rubbing or vibrating against each other by applying something to the seams and locking pieces where they touch together. I used some Permatex Form-A-Gasket that I have on hand that is designed not to harden and stay flexible (see picture for exact product). I applied a small amount of the stuff to all the edges and locking pieces on the bottom shroud piece where the top piece would touch or lock into (circled the areas in RED in the picture). I wiped any excess with a cloth soaked in alcohol. For good measure, I applied a small piece of felt tape in the ORANGE area in the picture, and applied a small piece of adhesive foam right behind the wire harness and connector on the right side of the steering column. Now the only noise I hear is road and wind noise.

 

[Transformer]

I found a video on a dash rattle and tried a quick fix today which works so far:

2022 M3LR Dash buzz/rattle (not the normal one)

My dash buzzes/rattles on certain rough pavement. This isn't coming from the front left and it still happens with the speaker grill removed so it's somewhere further inside the dash. I have a service appointment for Friday but I have low confidence that they will hear it, find it, and fix it...

teslamotorsclub.com

 

[davidmac27]

Hi everyone, I spent some time with my 2022 MYP yesterday. I was being driven mad by a rattling plastic sound when going over slightly bumpy pavement and/or turning and I was certain that it was coming from the plastic steering column cover. After all, if you squeeze the steering wheel column cover, it would make a similar sound... So I took it apart and tried to silence the rattles/squeaks. It does snap apart, you just need to position it all the way down and out and remove the bottom screw and then grab the cover from the far back side (inside the steering column and increasingly tug downwards harder and harder until the snap connect fittings detach). Note that this bottom piece is attached by 3 screws: the bottom one and then two up by the steering wheel. You would need to remove the steering wheel to replace the bottom cover. I re-assembled, took it for a drive, and there was no improvement. I determined the sound was coming from the driver door cover down around the speaker in the door. I found I could reproduce the sound if I pressed in on the side of the door handle in the car. I took the door cover off, used duct tape to secure all loose wires and then lined the edge of the door panel plastic that touches the door’s paint with duct tape. I also took a piece of Saran Wrap, doubled it over and placed it on top of the male side of the snap connectors that hold the door in place along the bottom of the door panel since the one ahead of the speaker sounded like it may be squeaking. Took it for a test drive - no more rattles and squeaks. My advice would be to focus on the door panel and leave the steering column cover alone. Its connectors are fragile!