Upcoming Control Arms appointment question

[rockreid]

My 2018 Model 3 has the control arm replacement scheduled next week but my confirmation email from Tesla says they only ordered one control arm.


FR UPR CTRL ARM ASSY, RH
Part #: 1044326-00-H

my question is should they have ordered arms for both sides? The squeaking noise appears to me to be coming from the driver’s side and I am not sure what Tesla calls the “RH” side. My fear is that my car will be sitting at the repair facility a long time or worse yet having to go twice (it is over 2 hours away) if they realize they failed to properly order parts.

 

[leonar40]

I would assume they will only replace the one that is having the issue at that time, which is silly since they know it's a faulty design.

Tesla should really do the right thing and just bring everyone in on a recall for this. I'm at 44K miles and thus paying very close attention. But no issues yet so knowing my luck, it will happen right after I cross 50K.

 

[blecchus_rex]

I would assume they will only replace the one that is having the issue at that time, which is silly since they know it's a faulty design.

Tesla should really do the right thing and just bring everyone in on a recall for this. I'm at 44K miles and thus paying very close attention. But no issues yet so knowing my luck, it will happen right after I cross 50K.

FWIW, I'm at 46K miles and it just reared it's head for the first time this past week. The earliest I could get a service appt is early July.

 

[ARKEBUS]

I just had both front upper control arms replaced on my Apr 2018 M3. It took about 2 hours at the local Tesla Service Center.
I kind of miss hearing that lovely creaking sound !

 

[Skione65]

I just had both front upper control arms replaced on my Apr 2018 M3. It took about 2 hours at the local Tesla Service Center.
I kind of miss hearing that lovely creaking sound !

What was your mileage out of curiosity?

Ski

 

[ARKEBUS]

Mileage was 37,000.
Pretty low for over 3 years driving, thanks to COVID.

 

[golfcart]

Same here at 42k miles. Squeaking sound coming from drivers side. Both control arms being replaced under warranty at service center.

 

[chdavis]

Same here at 42k miles. Squeaking sound coming from drivers side. Both control arms being replaced under warranty at service center.

Can you post the invoice so I can use it as proof at my SC? My RH control arm is squeaking and they’ve only ordered the one. I would like them to replace both

 

[Amendale]

I had both arms replaced 2-3 times now. At 45,000 miles. For sure faulty design. They keep revising the ball bearing, but not sure how well it will hold up given the history. If the control arms fail out of warranty I will look at aftermarket solutions.

 

[BuzzinAround]

They won't replace both, but only the failing side. My model 3 is in for a bad rear strut and only one side is getting replaced. I asked the shop foreman and he noted Tesla would only cover replacement of the damaged item. This makes sense since Tesla is ultimately the one footing the bill for parts and labor.

 

[chdavis]

They won't replace both, but only the failing side. My model 3 is in for a bad rear strut and only one side is getting replaced. I asked the shop foreman and he noted Tesla would only cover replacement of the damaged item. This makes sense since Tesla is ultimately the one footing the bill for parts and labor.

I understand and that’s been my experience as well. That said, if you read the post I quoted, the poster said that one control arm was squeaking yet the service center replaced both. Thanks.

 

[MrJeffWilson]

My Model 3 had 18,000 miles on it when I took it in for a rear glass replacement (crack in the glass near the trunk). I mentioned a squeak coming from the front wheel and they noted immediately that it was an upper control arm and a "known issue" with early 3's. They replaced both of them. Nice and quiet now. Getting a free wheel alignment was a bonus, too. This was at the Milwaukee service center. They also lubed my squeaking steering column. No charge for anything. They were great to deal with.

 

[CharleyBC]

We were just in for something unrelated last week, and they inspected (we passed) and sealed them. I didn't even know this was an issue; they did it proactively. The Tesla guy said it's more of a problem in wetter areas.

 

[golfcart]

I understand and that’s been my experience as well. That said, if you read the post I quoted, the poster said that one control arm was squeaking yet the service center replaced both. Thanks.

They haven't actually done it yet but my service quote shows both have been ordered and are scheduled to be replaced under warranty. I think since this control arm thing is kind of a known issue maybe they are being more proactive because of that?

The long story is that I was recently there for service because a nasty pothole took out my front right rim and tire and they had resealed BOTH ball joints while it was there... the squeaking on the left side started shortly after that. My guess is that is why they are just replacing both for me in a couple of weeks.

 

[chdavis]

Coincidentally, my right side control arm just started squeaking yesterday. It's warranty replacement is inevitable, but if they had done both when they replaced the left hand side, it would have saved me a tripped.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

They won't replace both, but only the failing side. My model 3 is in for a bad rear strut and only one side is getting replaced. I asked the shop foreman and he noted Tesla would only cover replacement of the damaged item. This makes sense since Tesla is ultimately the one footing the bill for parts and labor.

If you have more than 10K miles, ask them if they’ll cut a deal for you to pay to replace the other side because they should always be replaced in pairs. When another car company did that to me, I felt the difference and ended up having to replace the other side after the fact.

It’s super, super easy to replace the rear shock (not a strut in any way shape or form) on a Model 3/Y, so very little labor time once the car is on the rack.

 

[BuzzinAround]

If you have more than 10K miles, ask them if they’ll cut a deal for you to pay to replace the other side because they should always be replaced in pairs. When another car company did that to me, I felt the difference and ended up having to replace the other side after the fact.

It’s super, super easy to replace the rear shock (not a strut in any way shape or form) on a Model 3/Y, so very little labor time once the car is on the rack.

I have 8k miles on my car. I was going to argue to get the pair replaced even if it took money out of pocket, but in the back of my mind I figured with such low mileage the wear should be minimal on the older piece. After getting my car back I don’t notice any imbalance, but I typically drive my M3 pretty casually.

I’ve done coilover installs on my own cars in the past and was figuring I’d might do that on the M3 once my warranty ends.

 

[golfcart]

Both control arms were replaced yesterday and so far everything is quiet and feels great. There was no charge for the service as both were done under warranty after resealing the ball joints did not solve the problem. I dropped the car off at 9am and picked it up after dinner so my total downtime was just a day and I was provided $100 in Uber credits to take care of my transportation during that time.

I wish I didn't have failing suspension components this early in my cars life, but I am happy with the way it was handled by Tesla and had another good experience with the Virginia Beach service center. Hopefully this fix lasts a while as I am in my last year of the warranty period.

 

[67King]

It is going to depend on the place you take it to. Before the local service center opened, they scheduled me for one 3.5 or so hours away. Gave me an estimate, replaced under "goodwill." as I was out of warranty. COuldn't go that far, was hoping for their mobile service guy. Ended up waiting, and the local place scheduled me, but wouldn't honor the goodwill. So in your case, if they'll do both will depend on the service manager.

That said, the local service center sold me one right there as a walk in customer. It was the latest version we had seen, suffix was J. They had several G suffix of the right side, but I wouldn't take that. Could have bought one then and there, too. The actual number they had on hand was 25. At any rate, I ended up buying one on ebay for under half price, and doing the job myself, but that's neither here nor there. But in your case, they may have only ordered one because they may have had several others in stock.

 

[Trekker_]

I'm sorry, but as someone who is a fully certified ford tech, and did warranty work for Ford, Cummins, Cat, International, and some others.... Y'all have some weird views on what warranty work should be done. Manufacturers only replace damaged parts. If a service center replaces items they can't show needed replacement, people don't get paid. Also I did see someone say that control arms have to be replaced in pairs.... No. There is no reason that control arms would ever have to be replaced in pairs. You won't feel a difference. If you "felt" anything, it is in your head or the alignment was done incorrectly. To those saying Tesla should recall the cars to replace something squeaking, you don't understand recalls. Recalls are for safety concerns not because something squeaks. A TSB is made for common issues (such as a squeaky control arm) so that when someone brings in a car with that complaint, they can find the reasoning quicker. I helped write some TSBs when I was 18-19 for Ford because we had some reoccurring issues that me and one of my coworkers found the fix for and submitted to our shops Field Engineer for review.

I saw one person say they damaged a rim and then it started squeaking.... No kidding, you damaged it? Hitting something that bends your rim will definitely destroy bearings or bushings on a control arm.