Some advice please...

[Muzza72]

Hello all, I hit a wood bearer lying on a motorway on-ramp at about 30 mph in my "new to me" 2016 Model S70D. The pic is of the car on the way to the SC. Any idea of what is going on here? The tyre is blown out which is sort of expected. But what is with the camber? The impact was not that major.

 

[Doanster1]

Ouch. Sorry to hear/see that.
The control arm/other suspension component has snapped. It’s not just the camber that’s off.
Hope it’s not as bad as it looks once the SC diagnoses.

 

[Max*]

Que Keef.


Wait, I haven't been around much lately, does he still come along?

 

[.jg.]

View attachment 313108Hello all, I hit a wood bearer lying on a motorway on-ramp at about 30 mph in my "new to me" 2016 Model S70D. The pic is of the car on the way to the SC. Any idea of what is going on here? The tyre is blown out which is sort of expected. But what is with the camber? The impact was not that major.

May be the integral link is broken:

It may be worth checking here: Claim for damage to your vehicle
If it was on a motorway, then Highways England would be the relevant body - but whether or not HE will pay compensation may come down to who dropped the piece of wood that you hit.

 

[Muzza72]

May be the integral link is broken:

It may be worth checking here: Claim for damage to your vehicle
If it was on a motorway, then Highways England would be the relevant body - but whether or not HE will pay compensation may come down to who dropped the piece of wood that you hit.

Many thanks

 

[Muzza72]

Que Keef.


Wait, I haven't been around much lately, does he still come along?

Sorry, am I missing out on something?

 

[Muzza72]

This is the broken item....

I would value opinion on whether that should have gone like that?

 

[mongo]

This is the broken item....

I would value opinion on whether that should have gone like that?
View attachment 314067

The upper camber link tends to be the part that gives when the rear wheels hit an obstacle. I feel that is a better outcome than bending the frame.

 

[Muzza72]

Thanks for that. It makes sense to have a sacrificial link there. Unfortunately I had to limp to a layby, resulting in this damage to the inner wing

 

[mongo]

Thanks for that. It makes sense to have a sacrificial link there. Unfortunately I had to limp to a layby, resulting in this damage to the inner wing

View attachment 314068

Ouch!
Glad you are ok!

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

see the circled groove...caused by the damper bolt (arrow) hitting the arm when there is F/R flex... mine both look like that too. I don't think it takes much extra to crack them. Seems like a design flaw to me. I have pics of mine just in case anything like this ever happens. I brought it up to service and I think they just replaced the bolts (and charged me) and didn't understand what I had explained

 

[mongo]

see the circled groove...caused by the damper bolt (arrow) hitting the arm when there is F/R flex... mine both look like that too. I don't think it takes much extra to crack them. Seems like a design flaw to me. I have pics of mine just in case anything like this ever happens. I brought it up to service and I think they just replaced the bolts (and charged me) and didn't understand what I had explained
View attachment 314069

Based on the images I've seen, that shock bolt should never be near the upper link. In thos case, the link is bent and much lower than it should be.

Could the mark you saw have been made during assembly at the factory or caused during service, perhaps during a drive unit replacement?

If the shock bottoms out, the mid fore link is sort of in line with the shock attach point, so all the torque goes into that top link.

 

[Muzza72]

I can see that would cause a weak point. It would be interesting to find if that is by design or default.

Hope the SC don't drag their heels on getting the car back on the road.

 

[Max*]

Sorry, am I missing out on something?

There was a guy Keef that would come around and look for anything to due with Tesla suspension problems. He'd have a whole database full of photos pointing to it. He was sure there's some fault. He would love photos of wheels falling off... :crazy:

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Based on the images I've seen, that shock bolt should never be near the upper link. In thos case, the link is bent and much lower than it should be.

Could the mark you saw have been made during assembly at the factory or caused during service, perhaps during a drive unit replacement?
If the shock bottoms out, the mid fore link is sort of in line with the shock attach point, so all the torque goes into that top link.

Don't think it is from DU replacement but that may be possible I guess, I've had 2 and probably didn't look too close before the first one
I'll try and find my picture or take of a rear wheel and get a new pic. I don't think it is the shock bottoming out, it is the fore/aft flex of the bushings(?) combined with the suspension travel and in certain transition positions it seems that the bolt head scrubs the link.
this is kind of what I think cases some of the crazy twisted rear wheels when there is a curb hit or other semi minor damage hitting a rear wheel at the wrong angle. just a theory

 

[mongo]

Don't think it is from DU replacement but that may be possible I guess, I've had 2 and probably didn't look too close before the first one
I'll try and find my picture or take of a rear wheel and get a new pic. I don't think it is the shock bottoming out, it is the fore/aft flex of the bushings(?) combined with the suspension travel and in certain transition positions it seems that the bolt head scrubs the link.
this is kind of what I think cases some of the crazy twisted rear wheels when there is a curb hit or other semi minor damage hitting a rear wheel at the wrong angle. just a theory

Now that I look at it with more coffee, I see what you mean: If the assembly torques while compressed or extended, that would be interesting.

Image from Comments on Tesla Model S public engineering presentation

 

[David.85D]

Don’t discount the possibility those links are designed to fail like that as an energy absorbing mechanism. That tire looks shredded. It was a high energy impact.

Only Tesla can tell us what the design intent was.

 

[Muzza72]

Don’t discount the possibility those links are designed to fail like that as an energy absorbing mechanism. That tire looks shredded. It was a high energy impact.

Only Tesla can tell us what the design intent was.

I think you are right on the possibility it was designed to fail. The impact was similar to catching a kerb but while accelerating at about 60mph.

The tyre suffered a blow out. It is shredded from limping into a layby.

Look at the picture provided above. If that link didn't fail you would end up with the chassis twisting.

 

[Muzza72]

There was a guy Keef that would come around and look for anything to due with Tesla suspension problems. He'd have a whole database full of photos pointing to it. He was sure there's some fault. He would love photos of wheels falling off... :crazy:

Ok, what is the acronym for a Troll In Tesla?

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Ok, just had to get a patch so had a rear wheel off to get a pic...+ sent an email to service asking if this is 'good'
..and no, Auto Cross does not do this! If service uses that comment again like they did for my sunroof I will be ...not so family friendly