Why I returned my 2019 Tesla Model X?

[AWDtsla]

Raven PSM motor cogs. If anything at all, the noise is very very audible 0-30 mph. However at 80mph is a big nothing. 22dB lower than cabin noise. That's ~160 times less power than the cabin noise. How is this a complaint?

 

[TamiCrealo]

for some weird reason, I do not hear anything abnormal in your sample audio.
I am on a long-wired earphone connected to an old computer, I do not know if all these connection had lost the pitched noise you menthioned.

I have raven XP ludicrous, and I do hear some high noise while driving, but I am pretty sure these are normal eletric sounds.

 

[Steve m]

Good point, but keep in mind other noise band is not in higher frequencies. If you listen to isolated pure 4kHz even with lower amplitude, you will get annoyed pretty quickly. Here is a link to pure 4kHz audio, feel free to adjust the volume down and try listening it all the way.

This is what in the background of audio recording I have posted in my blog.

A 4khz tone may be in the background of your origional recording but this tone file is obviously many many many dbs higher.

Not an honest comparison.

 

[nintendomas]

i hear the same whine in my raven. annoying on the highway. radio i guess covers it up but still sad tesla can't fix it. i would think dual motor model 3 would experience the same?

 

[hill]

It’s a temporary fix, and while they’ll replace the first set, they’ve been fighting me on the second set. The promise of a new part has been for years now. My specific SC has dug in and is adamant about me leaving it perpetually in Always Low and shrugs when I tell them I need to tow or drive on gravel roads and need the clearance.

People have been successful when they arbitrate such things - like the inevitable yellow screen border. Once it becomes precedent at arbitration, Tesla becomes more amenable to doing the right thing, but not until then. The High Frequency pitch will probably take multiple people having to arbitrate as well, as Tesla seems to be by default/knee-jerk reaction, "oh pfft - that's normal" ..... right - until enough owners dog pile onto the issue - whether it's fit-&-finish, ghosting windshield, or whatever.
.

 

[Uncle Paul]

On the other hand, Tesla promotes their cars as offering quiet operation...not silent.

 

[Kashif]

Thank you all for great discussion!

As some people here also confirmed that they have a similar issue, but my main purpose was to share my findings and make the potential buyer beware. It could be that my particular model had more than usual noise than other. Now it's up to Tesla if they want to take it seriously as they have lost a customer.

 

[jboy210]

I definitely do not hear anything in the sample even with my studio headphones on. I also washed it through Audition and saw the spike, but it was barely appreciable to me.

One of the "features" of getting older is you lose you ability to hear coil whine and other hi freq sounds. I hear people complaining about their MacBook Pros with SSDs (post 2013) making noise all the time, but I am blissfully immune to the noise.

On the other hand I have Tinnitus so have some constant ringing in my ears 24/7. Another "joy" of getting older.

I wonder if the tendency of X and S buyers to be older accounts for few complaints about this noise.

 

[GotOne]

@ Kashif, I am an old guy with some hearing loss. I could not hear the 4kHz spike in your driving recording. Of course I could hear the 4kHz when played on it's own. I wonder if it is caused by some resonance? Too late now, but it would have been interesting to see if/ how the "spike" changed as you varied your speed +/- from 60mph. Too bad that you felt so bothered by the "whine" to give up the most remarkable car on the planet... really!

 

[Saghost]

what was/is your average wh/mi on old and new car? My Nov 2017 build X 100D uses less energy than March 2017 X 100D I had. Then whenever you have 5 or 6 seats is a visible factor (due to weight change) and then P adds another extra weight consideration (and then the tire size too I guess).

E.g. if we look at ABRP's recommended value for X 100D at 386Wh/mi at 65 MPH, that's waaay higher than I actually observe.

Kinda off topic for this thread, but I'll play. I went from a 6 seat X75D to a 7 seat Ludicrous Raven (two months ago it'd be labelled a P100DL.) Two sets of weight gain. And the consumption went down ~10%.

My 2016 X was rated at 308 Wh/mile (that's where the projected range crossed the rated miles.) This new car is rated at 324 Wh/mile. But my lifetime average was 332 Wh/mile on the 2016 over 46k miles.

I just finished a ~8k mile road trip with the Raven and it averaged 315 Wh/mile, even though it was mostly at 75 with some 80 mph sections (and more 70 mph and 65 than 80.) There's no way my 2016 would have approached that number on that drive - I'd expect it to be up over 350 Wh/mile somewhere.

The new car can easily manage <300 Wh/mile on many 70 mph legs....

 

[verygreen]

Kinda off topic for this thread, but I'll play. I went from a 6 seat X75D to a 7 seat Ludicrous Raven (two months ago it'd be labelled a P100DL.) Two sets of weight gain. And the consumption went down ~10%.

My 2016 X was rated at 308 Wh/mile (that's where the projected range crossed the rated miles.) This new car is rated at 324 Wh/mile. But my lifetime average was 332 Wh/mile on the 2016 over 46k miles.

I just finished a ~8k mile road trip with the Raven and it averaged 315 Wh/mile, even though it was mostly at 75 with some 80 mph sections (and more 70 mph and 65 than 80.) There's no way my 2016 would have approached that number on that drive - I'd expect it to be up over 350 Wh/mile somewhere.

The new car can easily manage <300 Wh/mile on many 70 mph legs....

coincidentally 332 is the rated mile for X 100D (I don't think 308 is a valid rated miles for any X model?) it was originally rated at 324 and then Tesla changed the number to 332 in the summer 2017

Cannot comment on your low speed consumption, because I tend to drive on US interstates, and those are sort of much higher speed normally.

 

[Saghost]

coincidentally 332 is the rated mile for X 100D (I don't think 308 is a valid rated miles for any X model?) it was originally rated at 324 and then Tesla changed the number to 332 in the summer 2017

Cannot comment on your low speed consumption, because I tend to drive on US interstates, and those are sort of much higher speed normally.

Not sure where you are getting numbers from, but 308 is where the rated and projected equalized on my 2016 X75 - 75s are more efficient than 90s/100s, seemingly by more than the weight difference would explain.

Those speeds were quite consistently the highest ones that do not invite attention from local law enforcement, but as always YMMV...

 

[AWDtsla]

I tried listening for this noise cruising at 70-90mph. I could not hear it. That may be because I have the HVAC on (auto), but I refuse to turn it off in this weather.

So that's that.

 

[Watts_Up]

i hear the same whine in my raven. annoying on the highway. radio i guess covers it up but still sad tesla can't fix it.
i would think dual motor model 3 would experience the same?

So far I didn't noticed it, unless it was cover by the road noise.

I did some sound recording and used Audacity to edit and check the waveforms but cannot find similar issue.

I should run some FT on my audio recording as OP did.

I wonder if the noise is coming only from the front drive, and if so how to know if the front drive is active or shutdown?

I only noticed the front engine noise when make hard accelerations.

 

[jboy210]

FWIW, I do hear an subtle electric train or BART car whine in my X. But I assume that is normal for all electric motor driven vehicles. Or at least I have heard with every electric vehicle I have ridden in.

 

[Yinn]

I definitely do not hear anything in the sample even with my studio headphones on. I also washed it through Audition and saw the spike, but it was barely appreciable to me.

One of the "features" of getting older is you lose you ability to hear coil whine and other hi freq sounds. I hear people complaining about their MacBook Pros with SSDs (post 2013) making noise all the time, but I am blissfully immune to the noise.

On the other hand I have Tinnitus so have some constant ringing in my ears 24/7. Another "joy" of getting older.

I wonder if the tendency of X and S buyers to be older accounts for few complaints about this noise.

Ahh hearing loss. It’s a feature not a bug. Now, how do I sell that to my wife when she says I’m not listening?

 

[jboy210]

Ahh hearing loss. It’s a feature not a bug. Now, how do I sell that to my wife when she says I’m not listening?

Repeat after me: "You talking to me? I did not hear you?"

 

[tyfon]

There is no whine like this in my raven X.
There are no rattles or strange noises either which is almost bad because now I hear if my pack of chewing gum is bouncing a bit.

(I'm 39 and can still hear crickets outside)

 

[Watts_Up]

23 db bellow the other noise? I would just turn my sound up a notch.

A 4 khz tone may be in the background of your original recording

but this tone file is obviously many many many dbs higher.

Not an honest comparison.

Still not as close to that SF BART screeching noise

... the ride was nearly as loud eastbound between the Glen Park and 24th Street Mission stations,
where the sound hit 99 decibels. Seven other stretches .... exceeded 95 decibels.
SFGATE, March 13, 2019
​

 

[jboy210]

Still not as close to that SF BART screeching noise

... the ride was nearly as loud eastbound between the Glen Park and 24th Street Mission stations,
where the sound hit 99 decibels. Seven other stretches .... exceeded 95 decibels.
SFGATE, March 13, 2019​

I bet most of the measured noise was from the steel wheels on the steel track versus the motor.