Undercarriage retaining water?

[Gottafly]

I’ve noticed that after driving in wet conditions and parking in the garage that there seems to be excessive amounts of water on the garage floor the next morning. I didn’t think much about it until I finished washing the car the other day and, after moving it, quite a bit of soapy water poured out of the undercarriage.

That got me thinking that either a drain line may be plugged or some design issue perhaps.

Wondering if anyone else has experienced or noticed it?

 

[duanra]

This problem has been reported a few time. It appears that it has to do with the way the undecarriage is attached. Tesla is aware of this issue and can easily fix it on request.

 

[GoCanucksGo1]

Yeah. I have same issues. I am resigned to having old blankets/towels between the car and drywall to prevent water damage in the garage.

I mentioned it to the service center and they just chalked it up to design.

 

[ChrisH]

If your drive way has any incline at all point the front of the car toward the lower end and it shouldn’t be an issue. But yeah. Poor design. Our bumpers apparently have a bunch of water and rocks in them.

 

[ngogas]

This problem has been reported a few time. It appears that it has to do with the way the undecarriage is attached. Tesla is aware of this issue and can easily fix it on request.

Curious what the actually fix is?

 

[futbolista]

I wash my car on an inclined driveway with the front section at the higher end of the incline. When I'm done I move it to the garage which is flat. Immediately after I park in the garage I usually see a steady stream of water for something like a minute from the undercarriage. I'm gonna try switching it next time so the front will be at the lower end of the incline and see if it makes a difference.

 

[SMAlset]

There have been some undercarriage service reports which you can find at the NHTSA site: Not sure what year/version car you have. Here's the 2018 Model 3 section, See Manufacturer Communications. Might take a bit to look through them. For example listed under Components: Equipment (1/19/19, Manufacturer Communication Number SB-19-12-001) this is listed:

"On some Model 3 vehicles, the front and/or mid aero shield panels might be susceptible to damage when driving through standing water. Updated panels are available which have a more robust design than the original panels."

Check the Product which would be the year of car and look at the Associated Document which would be the Tesla Service Bulletin for it.

2018 TESLA MODEL 3 4 DR AWD

 

[al503]

I wash my car on an inclined driveway with the front section at the higher end of the incline. When I'm done I move it to the garage which is flat. Immediately after I park in the garage I usually see a steady stream of water for something like a minute from the undercarriage. I'm gonna try switching it next time so the front will be at the lower end of the incline and see if it makes a difference.

Let us know if the decline works. After having large puddles in the garage, I tried leaving the car on the driveway (incline) for an hour. It didn't seem to help that much. Living in Portland, those puddles get very large during the rainy season.

 

[RScottyL]

I’ve noticed that after driving in wet conditions and parking in the garage that there seems to be excessive amounts of water on the garage floor the next morning. I didn’t think much about it until I finished washing the car the other day and, after moving it, quite a bit of soapy water poured out of the undercarriage.

That got me thinking that either a drain line may be plugged or some design issue perhaps.

Wondering if anyone else has experienced or noticed it?

If it is soapy water, did you go through one of those car washes that wash the undercarriage?

 

[ChrisH]

If it is soapy water, did you go through one of those car washes that wash the undercarriage?

I noticed that after using a foam cannon there were suds still in my door handles after rinsing lol

 

[richyrich]

I noticed that after using a foam cannon there were suds still in my door handles after rinsing lol

This is exactly why they freeze solid in winter and you have to use Thump-to-Open.

 

[Gottafly]

If it is soapy water, did you go through one of those car washes that wash the undercarriage?

No, It was a self-serve car wash. After soap and full rinse, when pulling out of the bay a lot of very soapy water came pouring out and left a trail across the parking lot.

My theory is the weep holes below the wipers/front windshield. Not sure if they installed a line that directs that water to the undercarriage or lower...or if it simply drains into a cavity that pools in the undercarriage. Either way, it should be a simple fix once they acknowledge and offer service repair.

 

[Subhuman]

Any update on this? Is the issue really something Tesla has a fix for or is it just a design issue?

I have noticed excess water under my car for sometime but didn’t really give it to much thought until this last week. When I got home from work after driving through rain / snow / slushy conditions I noticed water pouring out of the drain holes in the rocker panels. Nearly a solid stream of water for the few minutes I observed it. The next morning the entire garage was covered in a puddle of water. It had never been that bad previously.

while I understand rockers have drain holes, it seemed like an excessive amount of water.