Model S lowers itself after park? How long it takes to get a lower bumper?

[20140emission]

May be someone had this experience. After I pull up a parking space with one of those concrete block, I was sure I did not hit it. After shopping and loaded up the car, I proceeded to back out of the space and heard a loud noise from the front. The left side of the lower bumper was ripped out. I know I bought a 10-15lb water melon but is it heavy enough to lower the car of the variable suspension system lowered itself for some reasons. It was set a normal height.
Now is the frustrating part. It took 2 weeks to get an appointment at Costa Mesa Service Center in So Cal. just to have them looked at the damage. I was told, obviously the lower bumper needed to be replaced. 3 weeks later, I still could not get anyone to tell me if my part has arrived. I have been driving with a rope holding the bumper to the front hood. Also, I could not get an estimate of how much it will cost.
Tesla has been increasing sales of so many cars with out expanding their service network. Getting an appointment is a royal pain in the neck. When I made the appointment, I specified I need a loaner. The day before the appointment, I got a text telling me all their loaner cars had been sold out. They offer Ulber to shutter me around. It was good I did not plan to drive to Vegas that day.

 

[jorobsand]

The air suspension will continuously self-level, even if the car is parked and "off". I even thought there was an in-car warning about this function but now can't seem to find it.

 

[20140emission]

The air suspension will continuously self-level, even if the car is parked and "off". I even thought there was an in-car warning about this function but now can't seem to find it.

Thank you. Tesla service rep said it will not do that. I believe it was exactly what happened. The car had to be lower far enough for it to rip out the lower bumper.

 

[jorobsand]

This is directly from the manual, "Smart Air Suspension causes Model S to self-level, even when powered off."

Although, for what it's worth, it also states, "Note: Model S also sets Jack mode automatically if it detects that the vehicle cannot lower to its target height, or if it detects that an object is supporting the vehicle's weight (for example the bumper of the vehicle is resting on a curb)."

 

[MurrayJimW]

Tesla needs to turn this off. As near as I can tell there is no situation in which the car needs to lower or raise itself when the driver has no way to be aware it has happened in their absence. At the very least there should be a message on the dash upon the driver's return advising them of a changed suspension height. This happened to me in a loaner. I almost ripped the entire front of the car off. Fortunately, the damage was isolated to some clips and did not tear the front plastic fascia. I'm thankful this was not my own car it happened to. I would have absolutely blamed the software in the car and by association Tesla and I'm certain it still would have been my responsibility. Now that I am aware of the issue I make it a point to examine the car whenever I come back out of somewhere and if there is any doubt I go to very high before moving. This appears to be a trap few are aware of that can be extremely costly to repair.

 

[dethman]

Ah, fun times with costa mesa service center.

 

[brkaus]

I find coil suspension cars will also settle when sitting for a while. I frequently pull into a spot easily and find the front of our Acura dragging on the way out. Not only after big dinners.

Always wait a while after pushing on the brake for the car to fully initialize. Always back out slowly. Better, back into spots. There is more clearance in the back.

 

[JohnnyG]

#metoo....

I usually don't exit in haste, and I usually look back to verify the handles retracted and the mirrors folded. Any last minute leveling should have been completed by then. That said, there have been multiple times that I parked the car with the suspension raised (Very High / High), only to come back and find it lowered (High / Standard). Not cool, man!

 

[20140emission]

Thank you guys. Since I have not received any words about the replacement, I have an appointment to visit Costa Mesa because I could not get anyone to answer my calls. I will find out if they admit it is the fault of the software and foot the bill. I have my insurance claim as a back up but I don't want to pay the deductible either.

 

[David.85D]

Or back in and don’t gamble with the nose clearance....

 

[20140emission]

If I knew this ahead of time, I certainly would back in or have the car butt sticking out more.

 

[possum22]

I had this happen twice to me on my 2015 S85 RWD, only requiring a thump with my hand to push the bumper in to it's normal place near the driver's side headlight, today it bottomed out after going over the speed bump going out of the car park, I was parked closer to the exit this time, as the car never done this before.

I will next time put the suspension on high when going in to the parking area.

 

[20140emission]

I had this happen twice to me on my 2015 S85 RWD, only requiring a thump with my hand to push the bumper in to it's normal place near the driver's side headlight, today it bottomed out after going over the speed bump going out of the car park, I was parked closer to the exit this time, as the car never done this before.

I will next time put the suspension on high when going in to the parking area.

I had this happen twice to me on my 2015 S85 RWD, only requiring a thump with my hand to push the bumper in to it's normal place near the driver's side headlight, today it bottomed out after going over the speed bump going out of the car park, I was parked closer to the exit this time, as the car never done this before.

I will next time put the suspension on high when going in to the parking area.

You were lucky because mine was ripped off from the screw and cracked the piece. Now my dilemma is to get the part which had been on order for close to a month now.

 

[mongo]

To some extent, this can happen with any car. When you drive, the tires and the air heat up increasing tire pressure. This has the effect of raising the car slightly (increased distance from wheel hub to ground, independent of the air suspension). When the air cools, the car will lower a bit. Not a huge effect, but if the curb was close, it can catch.
The shape of the front dam also allows it to ride forward over an obstacle better than it reverses off of it, especially if it one of those parking blocks with rebar sticking up.

 

[Genohmic]

This is directly from the manual, "Smart Air Suspension causes Model S to self-level, even when powered off."

Although, for what it's worth, it also states, "Note: Model S also sets Jack mode automatically if it detects that the vehicle cannot lower to its target height, or if it detects that an object is supporting the vehicle's weight (for example the bumper of the vehicle is resting on a curb)."

For about the first 3 weeks after I got my car in August of last year, my car would do this whenever I drove and parked in my spot at work. I would nuzzle up to the little concrete barrier and walk away from the car taking one last glance to make sure that everything looked fine. Now this didn't happen every time but often enough that I was worried about randomly doing damage to my car myself or when forced to valet it. I would come back to the car to drive home from work and it would be in jack mode with the bumper now resting on the concrete barrier. It was highly annoying but it was something that resolved with an OTA update. I don't remember doing anything in particular to make it stop but it hasn't been an issue again since those first few weeks. The first time that it happened though I was worried that I had just ripped my front bumper off so soon after just getting the car. I totally understand the frustration.

 

[rsg123]

My wife was supercharging her loaner P90D with air suspension (which she has done a dozen times at this particular supercharger since we’ve had the car for about 6 week). When it was done she backed out and there was a loud noise. The front black trim piece was broken and hanging down to the ground and there was also damage to the undercarriage plastic right behind that piece.
Our MS doesn’t have air suspension. I feel like this issue of the car lowering by itself should be more well known, and that Tesla should definitely be telling people before they drive loaner cars with this suspension. The bumpers at this supercharger are standard issue tiny Tesla bumpers which are very small.

 

[quickstrike12]

I’m glad this topic came up. I’ve been wondering about this myself and have started last few weeks to pay attention where the front bu,per hangs over the curbs. Sometimes I get in and the car starts to raise the front end up before I start. I feel like it’s a bit of small time bomb that’s gonna get me at some point when I don’t pay attention (or wife drives and doesn’t know to watch for it).
Wish there was a setting to change the default action somehow.

 

[Az_Rael]

I’m glad this topic came up. I’ve been wondering about this myself and have started last few weeks to pay attention where the front bu,per hangs over the curbs. Sometimes I get in and the car starts to raise the front end up before I start. I feel like it’s a bit of small time bomb that’s gonna get me at some point when I don’t pay attention (or wife drives and doesn’t know to watch for it).
Wish there was a setting to change the default action somehow.

Ours started doing this (you can hear and feel the air suspension raising the car after parking it). I assume we have a leak since it was new behavior and we are planning on taking the car in to service to have them look at it.

 

[quickstrike12]

Ours started doing this (you can hear and feel the air suspension raising the car after parking it). I assume we have a leak since it was new behavior and we are planning on taking the car in to service to have them look at it.

Interesting. Please report back if you have time. I’m very curious what if anything they determine.

 

[gt2690b]

Ours started doing this (you can hear and feel the air suspension raising the car after parking it). I assume we have a leak since it was new behavior and we are planning on taking the car in to service to have them look at it.

was wondering if mine had a leak as well please post your findings after SC visit... i previously drove an S2000 and scraped the front bumper once.. now I am a lifetime never put any bumper over a curb driver