02/10/2026
𝗧𝗲𝘀𝗹𝗮 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹 𝟯 – 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀
This Model 3 came in for a health check, with some routine suspension work expected.
Part of our initial assessment is to drive the cars around the workshop, where we can reproduce suspension noises and feel how the car behaves. This is particularly handy when diagnosing air suspension rattles on the Model S and X.
As soon as this car started to move, we heard a distinct thud from the rear.
The cause was failed rear drive unit bushings. On higher-mileage Model 3s, the rubber in these bushings can crack and tear, allowing the drive unit to move excessively under acceleration. As well as causing the thud, this movement can put extra strain on the connected wiring and coolant hoses.
The bushings themselves are relatively inexpensive, but replacing them involves considerably more work. For this repair, we safely isolated the high-voltage system, disconnected the coolant hoses and removed the complete rear subframe, followed by the drive unit.
A generic bushing press kit wasn’t enough for this job either. There is limited space around the driver’s-side bushing, and the bushings are an extremely tight fit, so the correct tooling makes a real difference.
After replacing the bushings, reassembling everything and completing the required thermal system test, the thud is gone: The drive unit is properly secured in the subframe again.
As always after subframe removals, wheel alignment was required so we quickly utilised our Hunter aligner, sorted the suspension geometry and the car is quiet again 👍🏼