Undercarriage mat hanging down

[ghlancey3]

I recently ran over a concrete block on the freeway and tore the undercarriage material on my dual motor Model 3. The car drove fine except for the tear flapping on the pavement. No other visible body damage but I took it to a certified Tesla body shop right away to check that nothing else underneath was damaged. Yeah! The block hit right near the steering mechanism on the drivers side, bending the underbody frame supporting the front motor and steering mechanism. The repair tab came to $7,300.

Turns out the block hit at the lowest point of clearance underneath the car. Two inches over and only the plastic undercarriage would have needed replacement.

 

[ZapM3]

My underbody panel also failed while driving in the rain last week

. It was replaced under warranty without me having to argue for it being covered.

 

[Johnstac]

After bottoming out on a dip I didn't see, the "aero shield" as they called it began sagging. One day on the way to the beach with the family, they wind caught it and the whole front of it fell. I couldn't remove it on the freeway so I had to turn around and go home. I had mobile service out to replace it. They charged me $165 for the shield and 58.50 minimum labor to replace it.

I'm going to watch the dips a little more closely going forward.

 

[Kandiru]

OMFG I did not realize M3s are that cheaply made, sticking to MS for replacement.

 

[nayr14]

I had the same thing happen, had to argue with the service center to get it replaced under warranty. I believe it happened after a rainstorm, I might have driven though some puddles but nothing memorable. I had to pull up the TSB on my phone (even though I mentioned it in the service notes), they acted like they'd never seen it before...

 

[rdskill]

OMFG I did not realize M3s are that cheaply made, sticking to MS for replacement.

they don't build the M3 using the fiber material since summer 2019.

 

[jrodrig]

just came back from tesla service and they replaced the front felt cover with the same type of felt cover. Mine had partially ripped off also and I had to totally remove it instead of dragging it around. They replaced it for free and told me there was no plastic replacement. Service shop was in Sarasota Florida.

 

[PNWLeccy]

I had my 6/18 aero undercarriage part replaced with "B" part revision that looked exactly the same as the felt "A" part on my car.

 

[mctorah]

i've ruined my aero shield twice
both times not my fault - simply by driving at higher speeds on slushy snow roads.
the heavy slush gets behind the sheild and rips it.
first time covered by warrantee. 2nd time i had to pay.

now i bought an aftermarket metal aero shield so this wont happen anymore

Off Road Archives | Mountain Pass Performance

 

[mctorah]

MPP Model Y/3 "Smash Me" Front Skid Plate | Mountain Pass Performance

 

[Casmium]

Also had a lot of Iceland snow build up on top of it causing it to come loose, service center fixed it for free

 

[Shelty]

Just remove it, until you get it replaced

My front undercarriage is coming off and grinding. How big of a deal would it be to take it off and leave it off for months?

 

[Shelty]

The undercarriage covers were an issue in 2018 and early 2019 M3s. I think it was redesigned in later 2019 on.

Think they can put the mew design on a 2018 M3?

 

[Gasaraki]

Think they can put the mew design on a 2018 M3?

Yeah, I think it you went to a service center and they had to replace the underbody covering, they would be putting on the new more durable body cover for you.

 

[nyterp18]

Drove through a very small puddle while doing about 35-40mph and both the front and mid aero shield panels ripped and are hanging down. Tesla service is trying to charge me $400+ to repair the two - what has everyone's experience been with this? This seems to be a very well known issue and it should be covered under warranty.

 

[nyterp18]

just came back from tesla service and they replaced the front felt cover with the same type of felt cover. Mine had partially ripped off also and I had to totally remove it instead of dragging it around. They replaced it for free and told me there was no plastic replacement. Service shop was in Sarasota Florida.

What year and model do you have?

I have a 2020 Model 3 and the front and mid both ripped after driving through a small puddle at around 35-40mph. Tesla service is trying to charge me $400+ and is stating that the 2020 has an "updated version" that isn't covered under warranty.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

What year and model do you have?

I have a 2020 Model 3 and the front and mid both ripped after driving through a small puddle at around 35-40mph. Tesla service is trying to charge me $400+ and is stating that the 2020 has an "updated version" that isn't covered under warranty.

I think they're right about the updated version.

Reports of this are much less common now so I suspect the new versions are actually stronger - however, they still have to be bolted on properly (the thing to check there is whether all your bolts are still in place). Got Dashcam video of the incident? Always curious to see what it takes.

I would examine your bolts and make sure they are all there especially on the leading edge. If they aren't all there, I would argue to Tesla it was likely dragging in front and acting like a scoop (the damage pattern should be consistent with this - a large section folded back from the front). Otherwise, you are probably out of luck, unless you can talk them into covering it.

 

[texas_star_TM3]

why this part can't be lightweight plastic or even aluminum (aside from cost) is beyond me... the soggy type of cheapo felt seems just prone to rip

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

why this part can't be lightweight plastic or even aluminum (aside from cost) is beyond me... the soggy type of cheapo felt seems just prone to rip

You can purchase aluminum ones after market, if you really want to use your car as a boat. According to Elon, it works well as a boat. Maybe there is an optimal tread pattern?

 

[Rmchrger]

My 2020 came with the plastic versions installed. But I wanted more protection than plastic. I purchased the aluminum plates from RPM tesla. I know they are hit or miss so I did call first to verify they had them in stock and ready to ship. They shipped right away and arrived on time. Woohoo! I did have to trim a few spots on the rear panel and had to add a couple of small spacers in 2 spots with slightly longer bolts. Blue locktite on everything. I believe I got some of the first sets they had. I sent them improvement pics but never heard back. Front piece was direct boot on. No improvement in sound and the stick on sound mat is doesn't stick on very well. The rubber mat may need to be removed at some point when it finally does come loose, but I bought it for protection not sound. Overall happy with them and more piece of mind knowing stuff is more protected.