Rear lower control arms being cut through due to the chains!

[sorka]

The scary thing is I drove it 30K miles this way.

 

[brkaus]

I agree. I’m also suspicious. My first comment was about enemies.

I looked under my car w/o a lift and it be pretty impossible to do that same cutting quickly.

Very scary had it separated.

 

[KyleDay]

Is your car securely garaged?

 

[sorka]

Is your car securely garaged?

It is right now since it's at home.

 

[Vitold]

The scary thing is I drove it 30K miles this way.

But that looks like a rather fresh cut, doesn’t it?

 

[sorka]

But that looks like a rather fresh cut, doesn’t it?

It does but wouldn't a 1 year old cut look newer than a 4 year non damaged portion of a component?

Again, I won't for sure be able to put this to bed until I get home and put one of those chains on.

 

[dark cloud]

The scary thing is I drove it 30K miles this way.

Thats what I was thinking; that was 10,11 months ago? I am also surprised you didn't notice this as you recently had your suspension apart.

Actually it makes me feel pretty good about the strength of the aluminum if that severely weakened suspension component in a performance version model S, with stiffer performance suspension, still held up after being like that for 30K miles!

Really surprised you wouldn't have heard this noise though if it is in fact from the chains....

 

[sharpgator]

How many miles did you drive with those chains? That’s quite a groove.

 

[michidragon]

Holy crap. That is NOT. NOT from "rubbing against your wheels".

You can see the 'skip' marks where a grinder bounced and missed the 'target'.

Could this be some inept thief trying to steal wheels?

 

[TrevTremaine]

Do you take it through any car washes? I wonder if the rails or other parts of the equipment might rub or grab in those areas.

 

[KyleDay]

As I stare more at the pictures, the cut seems so uniform I have a hard time believing it's something like chains rubbing.

Do you take it through any car washes? I wonder if the rails or other parts of the equipment might rub or grab in those areas.

Car wash would only do it to one side because the track is only on one side of wheels.

 

[dhrivnak]

Most chains are steel while I think the Tesla parts are aluminum. Steel is MUCH harder and with a little rust can be quite abrasive. So IF the wrong chain was put on wrong I can see this happening. That is far more likely than someone going under the car with a grinder to do a half job of disabing.

 

[brkaus]

Many chains have a wire cable on the inside. The grove matches a cable rubbing for a long time.

It’s the simplest explanation.

 

[mspohr]

Many chains have a wire cable on the inside. The grove matches a cable rubbing for a long time.

It’s the simplest explanation.

I agree. The inside cable could have become looped over that arm. It would only take a few miles to grind that groove.

 

[tezzla]

So that's how you make whompy wheels! Good catch sorka

 

[dark cloud]

So we could find out where he went by following the trail of aluminum shavings?

 

[sorka]

Do you take it through any car washes? I wonder if the rails or other parts of the equipment might rub or grab in those areas.

My car has never been through a car wash and never will be. I wash it with 15 micro fiber mitts so that I don't have to risk scratching from debris from a 2nd or even 3rd rinse bucket with grit guards. I'm swirl free after 75K miles even under a 10 watt LED paint light.

 

[kavyboy]

So that's how you make whompy wheels! Good catch sorka

Before I even read that I was wondering if anyone had recently seen a scruffy Australian skulking around with a grinder.

 

[ucmndd]

My car has never been through a car wash and never will be. I wash it with 15 micro fiber mitts so that I don't have to risk scratching from debris from a 2nd or even 3rd rinse bucket with grit guards. I'm swirl free after 75K miles even under a 10 watt LED paint light.

With that level of OCD I’d expect you’d know how to put chains on right.

I kid, I kid.

 

[sorka]

With that level of OCD I’d expect you’d know how to put chains on right.

I kid, I kid.

My wife was more surprised than anyone else. She's like "You never screw that stuff up!".