On a set of quick jacks, we were ready to start work on fixing the front suspension clunk. The front aero wheel covers snap in place and are easy to remove.
With the aero wheel covers removed, the stock wheel actually does not look that bad from a design standpoint. The covers really trap the brake dust and most people don’t remove them to clean the wheels.
We removed the wheel to see the stock 4-piston caliper that was apparently painted by the previous owner with an attempt to create the “Brembo” logo on the caliper.
We turned our attention to the culprit of our suspension clunk, the stock hybrid upper control arm.
The hybrid plastic-steel upper control arm is the source of the common Model 3 front suspension clunk. This is what needs to be replaced.
5 comments
For some reason I cannot see any photos using multiple browsers.
Are the photo links broken?
Seems fine to me
BTW, is there no “tesla,” section under projects?
The stock upper control arm design is the real story here, and it is good to see it called out. A plastic and steel hybrid arm with a water-trapping ball joint is a failure waiting to happen, especially on a car that sees rain and road salt. Replacing it with a one-piece forged aluminum arm is the right fix, not just a performance upgrade. My tip for Model 3 owners hearing a clunk over bumps is to check that arm first and not let a shop replace the whole strut assembly when the arm alone is the problem, because the cost difference is large and the arm is a known weak point on these cars.
The new Tesla Y-L seems to have a magnetic damper in the rear. It would be interesting to see what the aftermarket brings out for that, that still works with the dash settings, but offers better valving or perhaps an aftermarket controller that offers even more settings than comfort and standard.