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Upper Control Arm Creak Options

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I'd like some help on deciding how to handle the upper control arm creak issue. My car has 40K miles on it. The creak started recently.

It is 4.5 hours to the closest service center.

Mobile service can meet me at a supercharger that is 3 hours away.

Options:

1. Live with the creak.
2. Request arm replacement at the SC (if they have the parts)
3. Request a mobile appointment to have them inject grease or reseal it or whatever.
4. Inject some grease myself ( I don't want to undo the control arm and move it around, an option that reportedly fixes it for a while).

For option 4, can someone tell me exactly where to inject the grease (red or green arrow or elsewhere), which grease, about how much (I'd get a syringe), and the size of the needle. Many thanks!

UpperControlArm.jpg
 
Today I jacked the car up, getting the front wheel off the ground. I then squeezed the rubber boot with my fingers and lowered it back down.

Before doing that, the creak happened if I turned the steering wheel a little to the right and left. After doing that, the creak no longer happened with turning the steering wheel. However, if I stand on the door sill and jump up and down, it still creaks.

Conclusion: jacking the car up and down makes a small difference. I'll how long that lasts.

No one has advice on the type of grease and where to inject it?
 
regarding option 1: the creak will get much worse over time.

For option 4, this is what we use. Inject into the fold marked with the red arrow. It might take a day or two of driving for the noise to go away completely.

96C2622A-ABD5-45DD-8FD9-09EF53FE0117.jpeg


Tips:
  • Heat the grease up to lower its viscosity before injecting.
  • 10 mL should do the trick.
  • You can patch the hole with a dab of rubber cement if you want.
 
Last edited:
Excellent, thanks Earl
This just started happening to me, and the parts won't be available for about a week. Should be under warranty for me. But my question is - how safe is the car to drive in the meantime? Sounds like hell.
People on here tell me it's perfectly safe.

I'm assuming injecting grease won't void the warranty.
 
Update:

I used the syringes above. I'd recommend a needle larger than 18 gauge, because it's very hard to squeeze the grease through. I used Phil Woods bicycle grease. If you have a grease gun with a needle attachment, that would be better, because I had to squeeze the plunger for a long time, and it moved very slowly. I tried heating the grease in the microwave, but even though it was too hot to touch, it wasn't any less viscous.

I probably got about 10 ml in there, and it was oozing out the hole when I finished. I tried dabbing some rubber cement on the hole, but that was a little tricky, and I might do that again.

It took about 120 miles for the creak to go away, but it is now gone!

Thanks for the advice.
 
I tried the fix suggested with grease and syringes and it completely eliminate the squeaking after one drive around the neighborhood. Total cost: $30 and enough leftover to do it 8 more times before I need new needles.

I bought all from Amazon:
Syringe and needles 14Ga
Wheel Bearing Grease in a tub
J-B Weld Silicone Sealant

1. You can access the ball joint without removing the tire quite easily. I just cleaned the area and adjusted the rubber a little to find a good spot to inject in the area that the red arrow pointed to in the first post.
2. Take the plunger without the needle and insert into the grease tub and slowly pull straight up to fill. After you get 10 ml, screw on the needle.
3. Hold close to the needle and push into the rubber boot.
4. Slowly push the syringe until you empty the syringe. I moved the needle around a little bit to deposit it in different spots.
5. Pull the needle out and if some doesn't come oozing out, maybe inject some more.
6. Work the grease in by pushing down numerous times on the fender. I could immediately hear the squeak get quieter on each push. Once no more squeak, take it for a drive an make a lot of turns. Go through some bumpy parking lots or roads.
7. Clean grease off the area. Use the J-B Weld and blot a small amount in the area and spread with finger (I was wearing latex gloves). This should be left to cure for 24 hours.

I noticed when grease was oozing out from the hole that the original grease looked light brown and thin. It's only been a day but the problem is completely gone.
 
Tesla replaced it under warranty today, and sealed the other one. They didn't mind that I injected it with happy juice (aka grease).

I had this issue recently, SC scheduled me about 6 weeks out (because they didn't have the parts in stock). My issue was only with front-right, but they replaced both front control arms. Fully covered by warranty at ~45K miles and ~30 months since vehicle delivery.
 
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