Should I be concerned about bottom scraping?

[threexthecharm]

Prospective buyer here, though let's be honest I'm just about 99% convinced I'm getting one as soon as my lease is up in a couple months.

That said, no amount of of research and YouTube videos and lurking in this subreddit could compare to real-world usage, so I recently test-drove a Model 3 just to see how it fits in with my lifestyle. (This was with a LR RWD w/ 18” wheels, which matches what I plan to buy except now they only offer AWD.)

I live in SoCal, and upon trying to park it in my garage (one of those "underground", angled/sloped downward entries common underneath apartments here), I noticed a scraping noise alongside the middle of the bottom of the car. This is different than my current Chevy Volt, which tends to bottom out at the front of the car (they're notorious for having a large plastic lip that is constantly scraping). My guess is the Model 3 (because it's so heavy with the battery) has no problem with ground clearance in the front/back of the vehicle but due to the geometry of my own parking situation it presses the bottom/middle against the ground as I'm pulling in.

So my question to y'all is: should I be concerned about this when buying my own? Long-term, will this be a problem? Is the bottom of the car resilient (enough)? Should I consider getting the 19” wheels instead? Should I also look into getting a kit to raise the car an inch or so? (I don't care about looks/efficiency necessarily, just want to protect it if important.) Changing the garage/concrete isn't much of an option since I live in apartment...

 

[coleAK]

Prospective buyer here, though let's be honest I'm just about 99% convinced I'm getting one as soon as my lease is up in a couple months.

That said, no amount of of research and YouTube videos and lurking in this subreddit could compare to real-world usage, so I recently test-drove a Model 3 just to see how it fits in with my lifestyle. (This was with a LR RWD w/ 18” wheels, which matches what I plan to buy except now they only offer AWD.)

I live in SoCal, and upon trying to park it in my garage (one of those "underground", angled/sloped downward entries common underneath apartments here), I noticed a scraping noise alongside the middle of the bottom of the car. This is different than my current Chevy Volt, which tends to bottom out at the front of the car (they're notorious for having a large plastic lip that is constantly scraping). My guess is the Model 3 (because it's so heavy with the battery) has no problem with ground clearance in the front/back of the vehicle but due to the geometry of my own parking situation it presses the bottom/middle against the ground as I'm pulling in.

So my question to y'all is: should I be concerned about this when buying my own? Long-term, will this be a problem? Is the bottom of the car resilient (enough)? Should I consider getting the 19” wheels instead? Should I also look into getting a kit to raise the car an inch or so? (I don't care about looks/efficiency necessarily, just want to protect it if important.) Changing the garage/concrete isn't much of an option since I live in apartment...

Depends on the scrape. Larger wheels won’t make a difference since the outside diameter tire is pretty much the same for 18” 19” 20”. So you would have to a “plus” tire size to get the clearance up but have to be careful as larger tires can rub. Could you use a piece of 2x4 in the dip to make the slope slightly less? I had a relatively steep gutter to cross to get to my driveway when I had my 911 GT3 and a 2x4 in the gutter was just enough to not scrape.

 

[Mr. Burrito]

I'd be concerned, even if it actually doesn't damage the battery (which is hard to say), that Tesla might weasel out of some future battery related warranty repair when they witness years of scraping on the bottom. Might want to consider a Y instead (or moving).

 

[kpedraja]

Prospective buyer here, though let's be honest I'm just about 99% convinced I'm getting one as soon as my lease is up in a couple months.

That said, no amount of of research and YouTube videos and lurking in this subreddit could compare to real-world usage, so I recently test-drove a Model 3 just to see how it fits in with my lifestyle. (This was with a LR RWD w/ 18” wheels, which matches what I plan to buy except now they only offer AWD.)

I live in SoCal, and upon trying to park it in my garage (one of those "underground", angled/sloped downward entries common underneath apartments here), I noticed a scraping noise alongside the middle of the bottom of the car. This is different than my current Chevy Volt, which tends to bottom out at the front of the car (they're notorious for having a large plastic lip that is constantly scraping). My guess is the Model 3 (because it's so heavy with the battery) has no problem with ground clearance in the front/back of the vehicle but due to the geometry of my own parking situation it presses the bottom/middle against the ground as I'm pulling in.

So my question to y'all is: should I be concerned about this when buying my own? Long-term, will this be a problem? Is the bottom of the car resilient (enough)? Should I consider getting the 19” wheels instead? Should I also look into getting a kit to raise the car an inch or so? (I don't care about looks/efficiency necessarily, just want to protect it if important.) Changing the garage/concrete isn't much of an option since I live in apartment...

I have the same issue and a similar below-grade garage set up. I've had my 3 for about 18 months and haven't noticed any adverse impacts. But I also haven't put it up on a lift either, so...

 

[RobDickinson]

mine scrapes a little on my drive, too much of a hump.

It scrapes the rocker on either side which is the lowest thing, and plastic and replaceable.

 

[Vaillant]

Here’s a lift kit you could get:

MPP 1.75" Suspension Lift Kit | Mountain Pass Performance

I think waiting on the Model Y could be a good alternative as well. Or maybe you can tape Teflon rub strips on the bottom of your 3.

i used to have a Volt, too, and it took a while to get used to the front air dam rubbing sound!

 

[swaltner]

When driving up steep ramps into parking lots, coming at them at an angle so one front wheel hits the ramp, then just a little later the other wheel hits seems to work wonders. Just 10 degrees off straight on helps out quite a bit. If the ramp down to the parking lot isn’t too narrow, you might try a similar technique.

That works great for the occasional ramp, but for something you encounter on a daily basis, you may prefer a vehicle with higher ground clearance (a Model Y or the lift kit mentioned above).

 

[KenC]

I'd be concerned. Any way you can take a pic of your underside and measure the length of the scrape, or a video as you enter the garage? Either way, the MPP lift kit is a reasonable solution.

 

[gaswalla]

So my question to y'all is: should I be concerned about this when buying my own? Long-term, will this be a problem? Is the bottom of the car resilient (enough)? Should I consider getting the 19” wheels instead? Should I also look into getting a kit to raise the car an inch or so? (I don't care about looks/efficiency necessarily, just want to protect it if important.)

Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes

 

[RobDickinson]

I've been told the lift kit will screw my warranty in NZ anyhow

 

[threexthecharm]

Feels like the best consensus is the lift kit, especially (as my husband pointed out) taking into consideration the sheer amount of other potential surface hazards / angled slopes in LA that I don't have control over.

Does anyone know if this lift kit voids the warranty at all?

 

[rotus8]

I had to repair a bottom scrape result yesterday. I needed to remove the front undertray for anti roll bar replacement. I found a scrape that was just over a bolt holding the cover. The scrape was not too bad but I found that the bolt would not unscrew; it just spun around without coming out. It turned out that the captive nut for the screw had broken loose from the hit. I managed to get the screw out with some contortions, then had to disassemble the bracket and weld the nut back on. Probably added close to an hour to the job.

A scrape may not look too bad, but there are fragile things under there.