P3D+ Sheet metal pop sound

[Jedi2155]

I get the sound every time I supercharge. It’s actually the same sound you get if you stomp on the floor in the rear seat. Seems Tesla designed the car with a hollow floor

It sounds to me like the thermal expansion of the thin metal of pack top or bottom

This actually seems like the most likely case. Elon did mention that they use to add insulation between the battery and the car but realized it was unnecessary. This hollow-less might be a result of that production design change.

The Absurd Reason Why Tesla’s Model 3 Assembly Line Kept Getting Delayed

Musk gave the public an amusing peek into that hell on the company’s quarterly earnings call Wednesday. “We did go too far on the automation front and automated some pretty silly things,” he said. Musk proceeded to offer the following example, about a fiberglass mat that was designed to insulate noise from the battery pack:

We had these fiberglass mats on the top of the battery pack. They’re basically fluff. So we tried to automate the placement and bonding of fluff to the top of the battery pack. Which is ridiculous.

.........

Musk said he asked his team whether the fluff was really necessary. The company tested a car both with and without the fiberglass battery insulation and found “no change in the noise in the cabin.” They concluded that the part was unnecessary and did away with the flufferbot.

 

[TORQU3]

This actually seems like the most likely case. Elon did mention that they use to add insulation between the battery and the car but realized it was unnecessary. This hollow-less might be a result of that production design change.

The Absurd Reason Why Tesla’s Model 3 Assembly Line Kept Getting Delayed

Well it may not have made a difference in exterior sound intrusion, but it effects the user experience. The floor in the back sounds like a tin can not an 80k car. Maybe over the winter sometime when the car is put away for the winter months I'll pull up the carpet and add my own pad under the carpet. It's not a huge deal, but it's not great perceived quality experience even though I know it really doesn't matter.

 

[crmatson]

I noticed intermittent, loud, thumping/banging sounds when V9 software was installing.

 

[Mand M]

We are experiencing an intermittent loud, clunking noise coming from random locations below the floorboard. It is something you hear and feel. It comes on randomly while driving. We have not been able to determine any scenarios where it is most likely to occur... after parked, traveling uphill, downhill, curves, straightaways, etc. Sometimes it is frequent during a drive, sometimes not at all. We are taking it to a service station (4 hours away) to have it checked in 2 weeks. It is very distracting and disturbing.

 

[Mand M]

I experience this as well. not sure my build date but my vin is 84187 Dual motor performance. I took delivery on Sept 19.

We took delivery on Sept. 15. Loud intermiitent clunk while driving.

 

[Nilroc]

I have experienced that same sound while driving. It has happened twice so far. When it happens it sounds like you have run over an object and it has hit the floorpan. I have a P3D+ picked up Sept 19th. I'm in the 100,000 serial number range.

 

[crmatson]

Adding that I have not experienced any noises when driving and have not used a supercharger yet.
VIN 72xxx
Deliver 9/14/18

 

[navinsiri]

I haven't heard the popping sound while driving only while supercharging. I also haven't ever heard it in our early vin (0033xx 0055xx) Model 3s

 

[Nicolas007]

So far I have experienced it while supercharging and while starting the car when it's not flat (like on a steep driveway or in the hills).
It's exactly the same type of bang you get when you put a baking sheet in the oven.

 

[R1Fast]

The only such noise I ever hear is during home charging (32a). Occasionally it sounds like someone is lightly slapping the side of the car once or twice at most. Other than that my 3 is dead silent both on the road and at SCs (though I've only SCd twice).

P3D, VIN 0999XX built late Sept 2018.

PS - for you guys affected by this while driving share your config. Will help isolate if it's only the PUPs, etc. since the noise described sort of sounds like coil bind on lowering springs due to improper rotational alignment.

Wouldn't be surprised if a bunch of PUPs got installed wrong during build or some such. Springs need to be aligned damn near perfect or they will make a certain pop and drive you totally nuts..

 

[Jedi2155]

I've only heard it during supercharging, software updates, and when the car is waking up after sleeping in the garage.

 

[mongo]

I've only heard it during supercharging, software updates, and when the car is waking up after sleeping in the garage.

That's most likely the main HV contactors.

 

[Bighorn]

I've been querying people about this for two months. Anyone who had heard it (and is knowledgable) knows it's not the contactor or a relay. I've come down to thermal flexion of a large metal plate. It's happened far too many times to count while supercharging over 24K miles. (I took delivery 8/17) It also can happen when turning into a parking lot (physical flexion), though it's harder to appreciate. Since I frequently sleep in the car, it can be disconcerting when it happens up to half a dozen times. An owner who took delivery in January said that service explained that it was normal and had a name for it, but he couldn't remember what. It would be nice if Tesla would acknowledge and explain the phenomenon and hopefully offer a remedy. The first time it happened was at night in Wyoming and I thought kids were throwing something at the car Tends to be worse during lower temperatures, which bolsters the thermal hypothesis.

 

[Superspectral]

I heard it today for the first time supercharging from 5% in 40deg weather. P3D+. The model 3 battery pack is literally covered with thin flexible sheet metal. It is not in an armored can like the S and X. The armor is in the 3 body. I think the sheet metal is pooching in and out from thermal expansion. I think harmless but obnoxious.

 

[mongo]

I heard it today for the first time supercharging from 5% in 40deg weather. P3D+. The model 3 battery pack is literally covered with thin flexible sheet metal. It is not in an armored can like the S and X. The armor is in the 3 body. I think the sheet metal is pooching in and out from thermal expansion. I think harmless but obnoxious.

S/X packs are a thin sheet metal top also. In some of the tear down videos, they basically roll it up.

Mayhaps Tesla should add a small closed foam / rubber self adhesive disk to the top of the pack in 1-3 locations to preload the lid...

 

[AnesDragon]

First time I ever heard this sound was during V9 software update. Since then I occasionally hear this sound when the car is shutting down or starting up.

 

[Bighorn]

First time I ever heard this sound was during V9 software update. Since then I occasionally hear this sound when the car is shutting down or starting up.

You likely are hearing something different than what's being discussed. More likely normal contactor sounds.

 

[Bighorn]

I've been querying people about this for two months. Anyone who had heard it (and is knowledgable) knows it's not the contactor or a relay. I've come down to thermal flexion of a large metal plate. It's happened far too many times to count while supercharging over 24K miles. (I took delivery 8/17) It also can happen when turning into a parking lot (physical flexion), though it's harder to appreciate. Since I frequently sleep in the car, it can be disconcerting when it happens up to half a dozen times. An owner who took delivery in January said that service explained that it was normal and had a name for it, but he couldn't remember what. It would be nice if Tesla would acknowledge and explain the phenomenon and hopefully offer a remedy. The first time it happened was at night in Wyoming and I thought kids were throwing something at the car Tends to be worse during lower temperatures, which bolsters the thermal hypothesis.

I took delivery 8/18, not 8/17 obviously. Ran out of the time window to edit the above.

 

[compu85]

I've noticed this on our P3D, they're what I assume are coolant valves inside the battery pack. There are at least 2 in the front, and one in the rear. When the front ones change over it almost sounds like a stone got kicked up under the car. You can feel it through the floor too (well, with shoes off and your feet flat on the carpet).

 

[mongo]

I've noticed this on our P3D, they're what I assume are coolant valves inside the battery pack. There are at least 2 in the front, and one in the rear. When the front ones change over it almost sounds like a stone got kicked up under the car. You can feel it through the floor too (well, with shoes off and your feet flat on the carpet).

I don't recall seeing valves like that in any tear down, and the pack cooling is all in series, so that wouldn't make sense (to me at least). There are valves in the front outside the pack though.