Model 3/Y: rear lower control arm — wear diagnosis, full assembly replacement vs bushing pressing

Summary

The rear lower arm on M3/Y is a stamped steel arm carrying the coil spring, plus the knuckle-to-subframe attachment. It takes the entire vertical load. The bushings on it are the most heavily loaded in the rear suspension and often "go" first after 80–120 thousand km.

Symptoms / Diagnosis

• Knock over a bump from the rear: a dull metallic knock.
• Rocking on rebound (after a bump the rear corner nods longer than it should).
• Camber drift: tire chewed on the inner edge.
• At low speed over an obstacle or curb, a characteristic "bam" from one side.
• On longitudinal grooves, it pulls to one side.
• Sometimes a squeak on rebound in wet weather.

What to do

1. Diagnosis. On a pit / lift: rock the arm with a pry bar from the subframe and from the knuckle. If play is visible, the bushing is dead. Quote from chat (Daniil): "On a pit place an obstacle under the wheel, drive up onto it; that way the rear lower arm shows itself very well". Loading the wheel reveals play better than just rocking with a pry bar.

2. Repair options.

   a) Replace the arm as an assembly (Tesla / aftermarket). On M3 part 1044451-00-x (rear lower rear position). Replaced as a single unit. Pros: fast, all-new (including the bushings; this arm has no ball joint). Cons: price.

   b) Press in polyurethane bushings. Powerflex and SuperPro make kits that press into the old arm. Last longer, slightly stiffer on the road. If the seat surface in the arm is already damaged (bushing has spun), polyurethane won't save it and you need a new arm.

   c) Refurbish (rubber or bushing separately). Technically possible, but Tesla doesn't officially provide for it. Sometimes shops press in universal bushings from other makes in matching seat dimensions: the most "lottery-like" option, but acceptable if the arm is healthy and you don't want to replace it.

3. Parts selection. Tesla part numbers:

   • 1044451-00-F: rear lower rear position M3 (later revisions).
   • 1044451-00-x: Model Y, same part number (revisions B/E/F/G); not to be confused with 1188431-00-A, the Y toe link.
   • 1044441-00-x / 1044444-00-x: fore link, adjacent rear lower component; toe link 1044431-00-x (M3). Brands for aftermarket assemblies: Lemforder, Mevotech, Teknorot, Delphi. Polyurethane: Powerflex, SuperPro (search by part number in the catalog, there's a separate position for the rear lower).

4. AliExpress note. On AliExpress for this arm there's both "full arm assembly for $50–80" and "Chinese rubber for pressing", and both options are losers. With high probability you'll get an arm with a bushing that won't last a season. Buy Lemforder/Teknorot or, if really economizing, Powerflex into your own arm.

Belarus budget

Parts (one side):

• Tesla OEM: ~$200–290
• Lemforder / Mevotech / Teknorot (aftermarket assembly): ~$110–180
• Powerflex / SuperPro (polyurethane): ~$60–120 (without arm)
• AliExpress "kit": ~$40–80 (at your own risk)

Labor (Minsk shop labor ≈ $50/h):

• Replace one rear lower assembly: ~2 h × $50 = $100
• With spring removal (required): +0.5 h ≈ $25
• Pressing bushings (with R&I): ~2.5 h × $50 = $125
• Both sides: ~3.5–4 h ≈ $175–200

Total per side:

• Aftermarket assembly + labor: ≈ $210–305
• Polyurethane in your own arm + labor: ≈ $185–245
• Tesla OEM + labor: ≈ $300–390

After replacement, alignment is mandatory (~$50).

DIY notes

General-level:

• Lift the car, remove the wheel.
• Carefully unload the spring (lower the arm gradually, or use a spring compressor; designs vary, some Y have adaptive suspension).
• Unbolt the shock from the arm, torque per manual 115 Nm.
• Unbolt the sway bar end link (torque 55 Nm; TMC recommends: "always disconnect the sway bar so the knuckle can move freely").
• Unbolt the arm from the subframe (torque 115 Nm) and from the knuckle (torque 115 Nm for final tightening).
• ⚠ Before final torque, compress the spring under the car's weight (so the bushing sits at the working point, not at an extreme). If you skip this, the bushing will quickly die.
• On M3/Y the only rear eccentric is on the toe link (toe adjustment), so mark its position before unbolting. Rear camber is not factory-adjustable.
• On M3 Performance 2024+ and MY Performance 2026+ the shocks are adaptive, so carefully disconnect their electrical connectors before removal.
• After the job, a four-wheel alignment is mandatory.

Links / Sources

• EVANNEX: Rear Lower Rear Position Control Arm 1044451-00-F
• TMC: Rear Control Arm Replacement (detailed owner experience with torque values)
• MPP: diagnosing rear M3/Y noises
• Tesla Service Manual: Control Arm Assembly Rear Lower (Model 3)
• Motronix: Tesla Control Arm & Bushing Failure Guide
• YouTube: EVANNEX Front Control Arm DIY (front, but the R&I and torque techniques are similar)

Community experience

Search through the archive of the TESLA owner's group BELARUS chat. The rear lower arm and its bushings are discussed regularly, especially together with topics like "tramlining" and "rear camber issues."

Additional fixes from chat:

1. The "obstacle under the wheel" test. Daniil: "On a pit place an obstacle under the wheel, drive up onto it; that way the rear lower arm shows itself very well." A simple way to expose a blown bushing without a lift.
2. "Right rear arm not torqued" as a symptom. Nikita: "4 floating bushings blown, right rear arm not torqued, and front shock on driver's side is hammering metal". On rear arms, the bolt often doesn't reach the proper torque due to corrosion, and the assembly works "loose."
3. Car wanders on ruts. Pasha n1claus: "on my Three, when both regular and floating bushings were tired, it would wander on the road, especially on small irregularities. Did the suspension, then alignment, and it all went away."
4. Parts and selection. Chat repeatedly compared: "New OEM is 260 and there's no guarantee it will last better than China." Advice: buy from trusted Tesla shops with VIN-based selection, not from "AliExpress catalog photos."
5. After replacement, alignment without exception. Without it, the tire gets "chewed up" within 10–15 thousand km on the inner edge.

Who reported the issue: Nikita, Molchaliviy Bob, Stinger

Who found the fix: Pasha n1claus, Daniil, Ilya, Alexey

Discussion in Telegram: #3152, #4060, #194622, #263404, #324536, #342391