"Refreshed" Model S model VIBRATION tracking and information thread!!!

[lbowroom]

It is an entirely new front drive unit, I can't imagine why they wouldn't fix that. Maybe they'd have to crash test it again? Beats me.

I previously had a 2016 p90dl with 25k miles that didn't have the vibration, but I probably returned it before it developed.

I'll make sure to sell mine before the warranty is up...

I agree with you, I think they’ve addressed the previous problems but have new ones. Many don’t understand the significant changes in the refresh and think it’s basically the same as their previous generation

 

[WilliamG]

I agree with you, I think they’ve addressed the previous problems but have new ones. Many don’t understand the significant changes in the refresh and think it’s basically the same as their previous generation

Agreed. I've not read of any refresh cars having the hard-acceleration shudder of the last-gen models. Sure, there's likely also not too many out there with high mileage, but I feel like we'd have heard of a few by now...

 

[SnowFlyer]

That's assuming they did no engineering changes to the front drive system on the refresh....

I hope you’re right.

I looked at all of these MS vibration issues pretty extensively six months ago when I was trying to decide what to do about my Refresh reservation that was up for delivery. I could have sworn I’d seen somewhere that Refreshes were indeed suffering from both the hard acceleration shudder and the light acceleration, moderate speed vibration.

Today I search around this forum and the web for a while and I’m not able to find anything about a refresh MS that truly has the hard acceleration vibration aka shudder. Hopefully Tesla finally solved it.

 

[jebinc]

It is an entirely new front drive unit, I can't imagine why they wouldn't fix that. Maybe they'd have to crash test it again? Beats me.

I previously had a 2016 p90dl with 25k miles that didn't have the vibration, but I probably returned it before it developed.

I'll make sure to sell mine before the warranty is up...

Same. Nice 55-60% depreciation hit for me already! Going for 75%, by year’s end!

 

[n2mb_racing]

Same. Nice 55-60% depreciation hit for me already! Going for 75%, by year’s end!

How? I paid $146 with FSD. I think the lowest ones I've seen for sale are $86.

 

[jebinc]

How? I paid $146 with FSD. I think the lowest ones I've seen for sale are $86.

Paid about the same, plus WA 10.2% sales tax. Last Tesla trade in value for mine was in the mid $70’s. “Driveway.com” offer was in the $60s. Just math. Didn’t look further. My point is still valid. Not worth selling, even if I wanted to move on…. The hit is real.

 

[12Pack]

The acceleration shudder/vibration happens on the all-wheel drive versions of the MS but not the rear drive variants to my knowledge and starts around 20,000 miles give or take. If your first two MS’s were RWD they won’t have it. In the AWD variety if they are lower mileage, or you drive conservatively then it may not have shown up yet.

Experts believe the acceleration shudder is due to the premature wear of front CV joints from being under too much load while at too great an angle. Many of us suspect that is likely to show up sooner for those of us who like to feel g-forces when we depress the accelerator, later for the more mild drivers. Vibration is initially is only felt during very hard acceleration then gradually begins to show up more during less spirited acceleration.

On my 2017 MS LR it first showed up around 18k mi. while accelerating up a hill while carrying a heavy load, which is the perfect regime to maximize the raising the front end and squat the rear. This suspension orientation maxes out the angles of the front CV joints which is where they are most finicky. I finally had a successful repair by replacing front half shafts at about 25-30k miles. Now it’s at 60k mi and the vibration has returned meaning the CV joints wore out in about 18k mi. initially and about 30k mi. after the “improved” replacement parts were installed. I certainly drove much harder my first 18k miles than my last 42k so hard to know if the longer mileage to symptom interval is due to better parts or more conservative driving.

I test drove a Car Max Raven LR with 25k mi. It was in great shape and felt find during normal driving but when I put the pedal to the metal boom, there was the vibration. Reproducible 100% of the time by hard acceleration.

My 2020 MS Raven performance with 27k miles now and plenty of aggressive driving has no sign of this vibration….

 

[MarcG]

My 2020 MS Raven performance with 27k miles now and plenty of aggressive driving has no sign of this vibration….

2020 Raven != 2021+ Palladium

 

[James Cole]

So no fixes yet? And does this affect the Model X as well?

 

[jebinc]

So no fixes yet? And does this affect the Model X as well?

No, yes.

 

[n2mb_racing]

So no fixes yet? And does this affect the Model X as well?

Maybe on my car. I supposedly have an "engineering prototype" new half shaft. It's been three weeks and about 600 miles and the vibration hasn't come back yet.

 

[James Cole]

Maybe on my car. I supposedly have an "engineering prototype" new half shaft. It's been three weeks and about 600 miles and the vibration hasn't come back yet.

You happen to know the part number of these and do they indeed change vs last ones you had?

 

[n2mb_racing]

You happen to know the part number of these and do they indeed change vs last ones you had?

They have the same part number as the old ones, which is suspicious. I emailed to ask if they have a new part number yet, but haven't heard back.

 

[SucreTease]

Maybe on my car. I supposedly have an "engineering prototype" new half shaft. It's been three weeks and about 600 miles and the vibration hasn't come back yet.

Are they in contact with you about how the prototypes working out?

 

[aerodyne]

They have the same part number as the old ones, which is suspicious. I emailed to ask if they have a new part number yet, but haven't heard back.

Is there a revision level, ie, a letter after the basic part number?

If not, or if it is the same as the part replaced, I call BS on this.

(Based on my 30+ years in product design & mfg)

 

[MP3Mike]

Is there a revision level, ie, a letter after the basic part number?

If not, or if it is the same as the part replaced, I call BS on this.

(Based on my 30+ years in product design & mfg)

My guess is that it is the exact same part. But it was mentioned that if had tighter tolerances. So they probably requested that the manufacture pick out one set that had tighter tolerances. (i.e. part binning, like Tesla used to do with drive motors, the better ones became performance, where the poor ones were labeled as standard.)

That could explain why some people report no vibration, they were lucky and got a set with tight tolerances.

If it works out for @n2mb_racing they will probably update the official part specifications with the tighter tolerances and then create a new part number/revision at that time.

 

[aerodyne]

My guess is that it is the exact same part. But it was mentioned that if had tighter tolerances. So they probably requested that the manufacture pick out one set that had tighter tolerances. (i.e. part binning, like Tesla used to do with drive motors, the better ones became performance, where the poor ones were labeled as standard.)

That could explain why some people report no vibration, they were lucky and got a set with tight tolerances.

If it works out for @n2mb_racing they will probably update the official part specifications with the tighter tolerances and then create a new part number/revision at that time.

Highly unlikely changes would be made without documentation and parts produced and released into the wild before the documentation.

It just not how things work, esp in these days of advanced inventory, QC, and supply chain management.

At the very least, a serialization change would be documented.

More likely, the "Customer Facing Assets" were fed a line of BS to get Customers out of the SvC feeling a little less unhappy.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Is there a revision level, ie, a letter after the basic part number?

If not, or if it is the same as the part replaced, I call BS on this.

(Based on my 30+ years in product design & mfg)

No new revision letter. Yeah, I agree. Though, I haven't been able to explain why it's working this time when the last two replacements didn't. Unless they never actually did the first two half shaft replacements, because I'm sure they looked perfect when they came out.

 

[n2mb_racing]

Highly unlikely changes would be made without documentation and parts produced and released into the wild before the documentation.

It just not how things work, esp in these days of advanced inventory, QC, and supply chain management.

At the very least, a serialization change would be documented.

More likely, the "Customer Facing Assets" were fed a line of BS to get Customers out of the SvC feeling a little less unhappy.

Though, to be fair, they contacted me about the replacement out of the blue. I had given up on bringing my car in for this issue.

 

[jebinc]

They have the same part number as the old ones, which is suspicious. I emailed to ask if they have a new part number yet, but haven't heard back.

Very (suspicious). Not rolling the P/N, or rev level (even for a romance change) violates engineering standard convention.