I have a 2019 Tesla Model 3 – long range dual motor – with around 85k miles on it. Aside from needing to have the small battery replaced (amazing experience having mobile service do the work while my car was in the parking lot at my place of work), and the super annoying cabin air filter, the front suspension is the only maintenance / repairs that my car has needed.
As it has needed so little maintenance, when the recent front suspension issues occurred out of warranty, at a cost of over $1700, it was a bit of sticker shock.
The common issue that I had heard about was the front upper control arms, which I dealt with in 2022 when my car had around 40k miles. At that time, they covered the repair under warranty, but I don’t think it is a particularly expensive repair – around $250 – even if not covered under warranty. It seems there may have been some design issues with the grease getting washed away from the joint. Some people have had success injecting grease through the rubber cover. Tesla and most mechanics will replace them completely though. It seems they have may improved the design where the grease should last longer in newer versions.
Over the last few months, I noticed a creaking / squealing noise coming from my front suspension when turning my steering wheel. It was different from the original upper control arm issue in that I only noticed the squealing noise when it was cold outside. When the weather got below 40 degrees, I’d start to have the squealing noise, and when it got above 40 degrees, the noise went away.
I figured I should get it checked out, as the noise was clearly not normal. I assumed it would not be an expensive fix. Wrong.
I made my appointment through the app. When I arrived, a mechanic went with me for a ride to try to diagnose the issue. Upon pulling the car out of the parking spot, he said he was pretty sure he knew what the sound was, thinking it was the “compliance link bushing”. He said he has seen quite a few come in when the weather gets colder, as there is friction from the rubber bushing, getting noisy when it is cold.
They said I’d have to pay around $120 diagnostic fee to confirm the issue. I asked how long the total repair would take and about how much. They informed me that it shouldn’t take more than two hours and the repair would be around $300-400. I told them to go ahead.
About 15 minutes later, I got a notification from the Tesla App that my estimate had been updated. I clicked through and was shocked to find the estimate was now just over $1700. They said that is what needs to be fixed and if I don’t do the repair, there could be bigger issues down the road. I went ahead and approved the work. In about an hour, they were done and I was on my way home, and my wallet was $1700 lighter.
Here is what the invoice shows:
Confirmed customer concern on drive, found that compliance link bushing were torn
on both sides causing creaking noise when turning. While inspecting suspension tech found that
lateral link bushings were also torn, recommend replacement of pair of front lateral and pair of front
compliance links.
Removed and replaced pair of front lateral and compliance links, drove after to confirm customer
concern is no longer present at this time.
Correction: Links – Lateral – Lower – Front – Pair (Remove & Replace) – Remove and Replace
NYLON PATCH LATERAL LINK BOLT(1109912-00-B)
4.00 1.00
NUT&WSHR[SW],M14X1.5, [10],ZNFL,PTP(1109263-00-B)
2.00 3.56 7.12
LOWER LATERAL LINK – FRONT(1044341-00-E)
2.00 291.84 583.68
Parts Subtotal 594.80
Correction: Links – Compliance – Lower – Front – Pair (Remove and Replace) – Remove and Replace
NUT&WSHR[SW],M14X1.5, [10],ZNFL,PTP(1109263-00-B)
2.00 3.56 7.12
FRONT LOWER COMPLIANCE LINK ASSEMBLY – RIGHT HAND(1044359-00-A)
1.00 300.39
FRONT LOWER COMPLIANCE LINK ASSEMBLY – LEFT HAND(1044354-00-A)
1.00 300.39
Total Parts Amount 1,202.70
Total Labor Amount 387.10
Labor Hours 1.58
For a grand total paid after tax of $1710.07.
Hopefully I won’t have any other big repairs.