Plaid S Front Suspension Creaking

[n2mb_racing]

Has anyone found the cause of this creaking? My front suspension creaks going over bumps at slow speeds. It creaks whenever going over bumps or turning in a way that torques the frame left / right. I've brought it in three times already and they say they can't reproduce it (of course), even though it happens every single time I drive the car.

Recordings:

Creaking Suspension

Listen to Creaking Suspension by Jon Viventi #np on #SoundCloud

on.soundcloud.com

 

[MFrunkerOG]

I tried to visualize the creaking in the audio. There’s a bit of background noise so I may have picked up on something else.

But… Here’s my take - there are 3 suspension links and one sway bar in the front

All have rubber bushings. There is sound in your recording that looks like the sway bar is creaking. If you can get under the car and take the front underside off, try to torque that down.

 

[SDRick]

99% sure the SC needs to remove, clean and re-torque the bash plate. After 3 visits I finally had to take mine to a different SC that knew what they were doing.

 

[r3nd3r]

mine usually happens when i am turning uphill or downhill. it sounds just like the audio you posted.

my S car has also developed this creaking and it drives me nuts. have you gotten yours fixed or do you know what is causing the creak?

 

[paulchou]

Mine had that exact same problem last year, had SC retorque the front bash plates, and then it went away.

But then, a few month ago, that same issue returned. I took it to the SC and ask them to do the same again - they said they did (though I am not 100% sure) - but the issue remains.

I then took it to a mechanics friend of mine's place, took down the aero shields, and checked torque settings on the front bash plate - it's all up to specs, according to the manual.

I even over torqued a bit the bolts that attach the skid plate to the body sills. But it seems to make the problem slightly worse? Regardless, the popping sound is still there... I do reckon that it's a bit better than when I had it last year, where it was loud and obvious every time I turn the steering wheel.

But the more I think about it, over-torquing should NOT be the issue, as judging by the fact that the issue returned this year, and if anything, the bolt would not naturally overtighten itself.

So my own hypothesis that fits all the data points above is perhaps we need to over torque all bolts beyond the specs, as I suspected that's what SC did the first time.

 

[PSNeo]

I was experiencing the same issue on my 2021 Model S Plaid. After reading several threads here on TMC, I brought it in to Tesla for service.

1st Visit:
Service removed and cleaned the skid plate and added some foam. This seemed to help initially but the noise came back after about a week.

2nd Visit:
Service removed and cleaned the skid plate again and also added some insulating tape. The technician also loosened the bolt on the front sway bar bracket and cleaned the area where it attached to the body of the vehicle and re-tightened. During inspection, salt and rust were found in several areas including on the front halfshafts. Ultimately, this was the suspected cause of the noise so both left and right were replaced.

Noise is gone for now. (It has been almost a month since the last visit.)

 

[n2mb_racing]

I was experiencing the same issue on my 2021 Model S Plaid. After reading several threads here on TMC, I brought it in to Tesla for service.

1st Visit:
Service removed and cleaned the skid plate and added some foam. This seemed to help initially but the noise came back after about a week.

2nd Visit:
Service removed and cleaned the skid plate again and also added some insulating tape. The technician also loosened the bolt on the front sway bar bracket and cleaned the area where it attached to the body of the vehicle and re-tightened. During inspection, salt and rust were found in several areas including on the front halfshafts. Ultimately, this was the suspected cause of the noise so both left and right were replaced.

Noise is gone for now. (It has been almost a month since the last visit.)

Was your noise like this?
Creaking Suspension

I've brought mine in three times to get this fixed and it just keeps coming back. The last service took 35 days and they didn't fix it.

 

[SDRick]

Was your noise like this?
Creaking Suspension

The last service took 35 days and they didn't fix it.

What was their excuse for keeping the car for 35 days?

 

[SDRick]

Mine had that exact same problem last year, had SC retorque the front bash plates, and then it went away.

But then, a few month ago, that same issue returned. I took it to the SC and ask them to do the same again - they said they did (though I am not 100% sure) - but the issue remains.

I then took it to a mechanics friend of mine's place, took down the aero shields, and checked torque settings on the front bash plate - it's all up to specs, according to the manual.

I even over torqued a bit the bolts that attach the skid plate to the body sills. But it seems to make the problem slightly worse? Regardless, the popping sound is still there... I do reckon that it's a bit better than when I had it last year, where it was loud and obvious every time I turn the steering wheel.

But the more I think about it, over-torquing should NOT be the issue, as judging by the fact that the issue returned this year, and if anything, the bolt would not naturally overtighten itself.

So my own hypothesis that fits all the data points above is perhaps we need to over torque all bolts beyond the specs, as I suspected that's what SC did the first time.

View attachment 947842

Thank you for the nice pictures.

I took it upon myself to check the torque which was in spec but still creaking. Took it to a different service center which removed, cleaned and re-torqued and has been good ever since. So I also have a theory as well. Either the plate needs to be removed and cleaned and/or possibly over torqued as you say.

 

[PSNeo]

Was your noise like this?
Creaking Suspension

I've brought mine in three times to get this fixed and it just keeps coming back. The last service took 35 days and they didn't fix it.

Yep...it sounded exactly like that.

 

[n2mb_racing]

What was their excuse for keeping the car for 35 days?

They couldn't figure it out. Every few days they'd drive it and hear the noise again. I had a '22 S as loaner so I didn't mind much.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Yep...it sounded exactly like that.

How hard is it to get to the bash plate? I'm thinking of just fixing it myself. I'm tired of these ridiculously long services.

 

[SDRick]

How hard is it to get to the bash plate? I'm thinking of just fixing it myself. I'm tired of these ridiculously long services.

First, it should only be 1/2 a day service. If they want to give you a nice car for a loaner, then I guess it doesn't matter if it's longer. Usually it is difficult to get a loaner.

Checking the torque yourself is rather easy especially if you can get under the car. The plastic shield is held by several plastic pop-up pins. Once that cover is removed the bolts are exposed.

 

[paulchou]

Thank you for the nice pictures.

I took it upon myself to check the torque which was in spec but still creaking. Took it to a different service center which removed, cleaned and re-torqued and has been good ever since. So I also have a theory as well. Either the plate needs to be removed and cleaned and/or possibly over torqued as you say.

My money is on torque settings. The aero-shield practically seals the bash plate in. I mean it's not air-tight or anything but it's hard enough for debris/dirt to get in, it's even harder for debris to somehow get in under the already tighten bolts. And in my case at least, I live in Texas, so there's no road salt issue.

My hypothesis is that the rigidity of the subframe and the bash plate (titanium) are different therefore the bolts need to be very tight or else there will be micro noises anytime the car frame is being torqued, such as turning, or go over uneven surfaces.

 

[cmaster]

Let me tell you, when the car is under load, it's hard to know what the problem is.

On my car, they thought it was the upper control arm. Replaced that and that creaking persisted. So, brought the car back and found out it's the air suspension. If the car is on a lift with no load, remove the wheel. And then try to see if you can get to the control arm and turn the wheel. You'll feel a vibration coming from the lower rubber of the air suspension. The noise from that part. The seal is rusted inside, and the air suspension just needs to be replaced.

 

[paulchou]

How hard is it to get to the bash plate? I'm thinking of just fixing it myself. I'm tired of these ridiculously long services.

Same. It's usually a two-day service for anything. Plus I am scared of them breaking something else completely unrelated (yes it happened multiple times).

You just need to remove the aero-shield to get to the bash plate. It's being held up by plastic pins and a few bolts. I am attaching the manual in case anyone is interested.

 

[MFrunkerOG]

First, it should only be 1/2 a day service. If they want to give you a nice car for a loaner, then I guess it doesn't matter if it's longer. Usually it is difficult to get a loaner.

Checking the torque yourself is rather easy especially if you can get under the car. The plastic shield is held by several plastic pop-up pins. Once that cover is removed the bolts are exposed.

Hmm. The skid/bash plate doesn’t cover the battery bolts. The aero plate just behind it (looking car lengthwise ) is the one that covers those battery bolts.

Which bolts are ya talking about?

 

[SDRick]

Hmm. The skid/bash plate doesn’t cover the battery bolts. The aero plate just behind it (looking car lengthwise ) is the one that covers those battery bolts.

Which bolts are ya talking about?

See paulchou's post above with the instructions and pictures. Those are the bolts in question.

 

[MFrunkerOG]

See paulchou's post above with the instructions and pictures. Those are the bolts in question.

Hmm. I’m going to be under the car in a few days! Installing the UP front lip diffuser. I’ll tighten them. Those torque settings feel kinda low. 50ish lbft doesn’t feel like a structural bolt, which is isn’t if it’s only for the battery protection plate. Still, doesn’t hurt to tighten it to 60ish

 

[n2mb_racing]

Same. It's usually a two-day service for anything. Plus I am scared of them breaking something else completely unrelated (yes it happened multiple times).

You just need to remove the aero-shield to get to the bash plate. It's being held up by plastic pins and a few bolts. I am attaching the manual in case anyone is interested.

Thanks! I'm realizing I probably need to jack both sides of the car to do this, since I don't want the car to be torqued one way or the other while loosening and tightening these bolts. Are you all using the funky Tesla jack stands for that?