Annual maintenance and rust concerns on a Tesla Model 3

In this video I examine a bunch of areas where it's common for rust to form, and end up finding some spots where it's not. Here's a list of affiliate links to the parts I used in this video:
Ceramic Brake Pads: amzn.to/3WBBGbQ
Brake Lube: amzn.to/3UVLfkF
Brake Parts Cleaner: amzn.to/3wjhyAB
Fluid Film: amzn.to/3K1edch
Iron Remover: amzn.to/3UCrSeL
Dielectric Grease: amzn.to/3JVfXnr
Push Pin Pliers: amzn.to/3JWa61c
Hand Cleaning Wipes: amzn.to/4bx8mYg
Battery Terminal Brush: amzn.to/3QzVzw8
And big thanks to Peter at EvPartsGuy.com for hooking me up with the fenders! Feel free to give him a call if you need any new or used parts and tell him I said hi!
Torque specs: service.tesla.com/docs/Model3...
0:00 Intro
1:18 Rust behind fenders
3:49 Rust in rocker panels
4:00 Annual brake service
9:22 Brakes sticking after parked
20:11 Cleaning up brake rotors
22:04 Battery terminals
24:10 Fallout
26:28 License Plate
27:51 XRF Analysis

[@adamdport]

Here's a list of affiliate links to the parts I used in this video: Ceramic Brake Pads: amzn.to/3WBBGbQ Brake Lube: amzn.to/3UVLfkF Brake Parts Cleaner: amzn.to/3wjhyAB Fluid Film: amzn.to/3K1edch Iron Remover: amzn.to/3UCrSeL Dielectric Grease: amzn.to/3JVfXnr Push Pin Pliers: amzn.to/3JWa61c Hand Cleaning Wipes: amzn.to/4bx8mYg Battery Terminal Brush: amzn.to/3QzVzw8 And big thanks to Peter at EvPartsGuy.com for hooking me up with the fenders! Feel free to give him a call if you need any new or used parts and tell him I said hi!

[@Mr21December2012]

What car jack do you use?

[@rainerzufall9587]

those ceramic Pads will kill your Rotor (Rust streaks). Had ATE Ceramic on my BMW (ICE). I also assume that the Tesla pads are already “ceramic” anyway (low dust).

[@mememaster147]

It's common for cars with electric parking brakes to require a scan tool to activate the caliper retraction function. On cars with a manual integrated parking brake, you have to rewind the caliper with a tool that engages something on the face of the caliper to turn it. You literally screw the piston into the caliper. I suspect that your Model 3 requires a rewind tool as there's a couple of divots in the piston face that a tool could engage to turn it.

[@fredhamilton1701]

To answer your question: I just want more videos - long or short. You’re an incredibly clear, concise, and informative teacher. At this point I’ll watch anything you post, no matter the length. Someone suggested you do a video on clearing out the incredible amount of junk that collects between your condenser and radiator. A friend and I did our cars and it was quite challenging and I don’t think we did as thorough a job as we could have. I’d love to see a video on that. Thanks so much for these videos, Adam!

[@ripvanstinkle]

I promise I will watch every Model 3 maintenance video you make.

[@leodion8251]

Man I don't care about video length as long as you only post from now on. Thank you for the video and the information you shared with us .

[@benjaminkindle1841]

I appreciated how accessible this was for someone without any experience doing this kind of thing. I _almost_ feel like I could follow the steps myself, but I'll probably still use professionals to be safe :-)

[@adamdport]

FWIW the "professionals" that replaced my battery under warranty took not one, not two, but FIVE trips to finish the job. After the fourth, I inspected their work and noticed that they straight up lost a bolt while replacing the ground cable. While making this video I discovered that they broke one of the tabs on that red terminal cover. It honestly would have taken me LESS time for a better job had I just done it myself! Just because it's someone's profession doesn't mean they're a professional, and even if they have experience (not a guarantee), that doesn't mean they're competent. You can always pay someone to inspect your work, or find a gearhead who'd watch over your shoulder while you get comfortable. I hope this helps you find the confidence to start this new hobby!

[@justanormaluser1535]

@@adamdport great statement! I’ve seen this countless times with apple support.

[@aaronboggs5799]

Aside from some very basic knowledge I picked up in an auto mechanics class in high school, I had no real experience working on cars growing up. I wanted to learn, though, and started taking on basic repairs and upgrades (oil changes, brake jobs, stereo swaps, etc.) using KZbin and other online resources (car forums can be a great resource as well). I’m still only a basic DIYer, but it’s nice to be able to tackle small jobs on your own. I personally plan for jobs to take 2x - 3x longer than may be stated online or you think it ought to take, especially if it’s your first time doing it. Go slow, be careful, and double check your work. Expect to encounter frustrations along the way, but try to roll with the punches and you will learn a lot along the way and be able to take pride in doing things yourself.

[@maxmoq8423]

Your M3 is the same year and similar mileage as mine. In service mode, I suggest you run a "Thermal System Performance Test". Your test will likely fail. Then remove your frunk tub and check how much crap is in your radiator/condenser. I think you'll have a nice future video cleaning it coming up! ;) You will need to remove the bumper and slide out the fan shroud to properly get to the condenser to clean it.

[@fredhamilton1701]

I’m looking forward to seeing his video on that! A friend and I did it in his 2018 TM3 and it was pretty challenging and we disassembled a few things we didn’t have to, and I felt like we forced a few things that maybe we didn’t have to. So I can’t wait to watch his video on cleaning the radiator and condenser.

[@mowcowbell]

Or do what I did and buy a front grill guard that keeps all that crap from getting there in the first place.

[@rhamel1717]

Those presentations are so well prepared… also, the tone and talking speed is very well delivered and it helps international audience; I am not in the Tesla family; (Ioniq 5 & 6) but I enjoy all of his presentations. What is good for Tesla is also good for Hyundai; thank you for all those little details…! And have a nice day, 👌

[@Resist4]

Nice to see that someone is doing proactive cleaning and making a video about how to do it.

[@antoinepageau8336]

Very interesting. My 2022 model 3 now has 70,000 miles and I live in a heavy road salt area as well. Changing my winter tires over to summer I also take apart my brakes to clean and lubricate them. This year I noticed surface rust pitting all over the steel mono structure. Now that I see how easy it is to remove the whole fender liner I’m going to go back an apply a thin coat of that wax you used.

[@hakuchu]

Always such thorough content! Very much appreciated!

[@Martinko_Pcik]

I liked this long format. I watched it all. Very informative and I've learned something new.

[@danhumiston]

Adam, you are incredibly detailed and thorough! This is what sets you apart from other KZbinrs. Do not shorten these videos by skimping. I’m fine with your longer running times because I know I’m going to learn a lot. But you could experiment with breaking up some existing videos into “Part 1 of 4” with titles that tease the content of each. You could also lead your content description a link to full video. You do a great job. I’m excited when your videos come out!!

[@fredhamilton1701]

Thank you! These are the most informative, helpful, and easy-to-follow auto maintenance videos I’ve ever seen. Half the time I’m watching a KZbin video I’m just listening while I play a game, but I watch every single frame of your videos. Tremendous signal-to-noise (info-to-filler) ratio.

[@kelindrawn]

Please more long form videos. Thanks! :)

[@GeneralSpecifiK]

Thanks for this video! It reminds me I need to do my yearly brake service. After your video on the stinky AC issue, I installed the gasket product listed in the description (for my model Y) and I’ve not had any trouble since. I enjoyed the long format. Also liked the black and white “don’t do this” examples!

[@afina_tm3]

absolutely one of the most informative videos on general maintenance of the model 3 out there!

[@marjiebish]

Great video! Thank you for all the details. I didn’t mind the length. It was all very relevant for annual maintenance.

[@iandonkin6762]

This just popped up in my feed and you are a) very concise and b) far more thorough than a workshop tech will ever be in a franchised garage! Great job 👏

[@deandre1988]

Thorough job, love these long form well researched videos

[@simonreeves2017]

Hi Adam, greetings from the U.K. Thanks for this video, calmly and thoroughly narrated with good information. Top job!

[@samuelhaynes5425]

Can you do a condenser coil cleaning next? Your camera angles are great for showing what you’re actually working on. Keep up the videos please!

[@5777475]

Thanks for such a nice video. I watched it from start thru the end without skipping. Please keep doing this kind of video more.

[@ted_jerome]

Fantastic and thorough how-to video! I'd love to see you do one on cleaning the Model 3 radiator of leaves and other debris; it's a bit tricky.

[@shahedameer]

Awesome video! Thanks for the great info, and for being so so thorough

[@teslafudge1585]

Yes! More long form. This was great and super valuable.

[@zac9080]

Great stuff! Your efforts are appreciated!

[@stephenmiller9013]

I'm about to get a Model 3, and I have always worked on my own cars where possible. This is a fantastic video, so thank you.

[@magarity12]

Best model 3 brake video I have seen by far. Long form video is great.

[@shelllbye]

Please please make more TM3 videos. Very informative, good format, easy to understand. Enjoyed to they fullest!!

[@psdaengr911]

There's a rubber plug in each fender well can be removed to spray the inside of the rocker panel with fluid film. Doirectric grease is an excellent insulator and water repellent; apply it over the outside of an installed battery terminal - to keep moisture away from the inside. (Fluid Film does the same thing.)

[@boardnski156]

Yes, absolutely! Doing that has worked very well for keeping the rockers intact on my 12 year old daily driver purchased new. I'm in western NY where the DOT does its best to keep the salt mines in business.

[@tyeun1rocks]

So thorough... I love this channel.

[@oxyiinc7518]

Another great video, Adam! Keep up the good works!

[@GaryVirta]

I really like the idea of Tesla adding a brake maintenance schedule/mode/whatever. I have to change out my front rotors soon since they've gotten all rusted up on the edges from non-use, but this happened before they added the low-regen-braking-assist option. I'm hoping the new set won't have that issue. Your ceramic rear pad experiment is really promising; it would be great if you gave us an update on how they behave over the summer!

[@GaryVirta]

...aaaand I just realized that the replacement pads I ordered for the front brakes are exactly what you put on the rear 😁

[@AlainFattal]

I learned a lot! Thank you so much! Please keep doing Tesla-related content.

[@GWAForUTBE]

Thanks for the great service tutorial. For a 4 yr old car, your car looked in great shape.

[@chadnordstromvisuals]

Bruh. What good content. Thanks! Can’t wait to see more!

[@OptimizedTesla]

Dude. Excellent explanations. Great voice. I admire your dedication and thoroughness. Subscribed. I don't mind the length at all.

[@Maarten_vd]

Awesome content! Thanks for sharing your knowledge !

[@rgrams1]

I won’t be doing much work on the car myself, but it is great to understand things that might or should be done by Tesla service. I watched all 30 minutes. Thanks!

[@Blanka-999]

Quality content here, your videos are the best

[@TransactionVanS]

Fantastic job on the video and content. I prefer the long form videos. Thanks.

[@raymondobrien367]

Like to say, love your video. I am an ASE master tech now for over 45 years. What you might not have considered is a side effect of going to ceramic pads. The metallic pads actually clean up the rotors every time you drive. A year from now you will find much more rust and pitting on your rotors, eventually destroying your rotors. Nowadays over 98% of replacement brake rotors are Chinese. I would do whatever I could to extend the life of the OEM brake rotors because of this. We have found semi brake pads that have brass flakes. Don’t rust after a rain, the brass coats the rotor a brass coating, which protects the rotors from rusting substantially. Thanks again, posting videos like this! People need more people like you! Ray OBrien

[@adamdport]

Great info thank you! Can you talk more about your implication that ceramic brakes don't clean the rotors? How is that possible? I can't argue with 45 years of experience but it's hard to imagine-I'll certainly keep this in mind, maybe do a part 2 follow up next year?

[@JJPrachyl]

Long form is fine. Thank you for all your effort!

[@MikkoKorkalo]

I suggest opening the brake bleed before pushing the pistons in. Pushing in pistons will push old and potentially dirty brake fluid towards the sensitive abs pump. By bleeding, you let the dirt come out instead of going back.

[@Green-Mamba]

Excellent video simple to understand great work!

[@user-sq3bp8hd5x]

Love your videos, I had rust in underbody that lead to break line corrosion and sudden break failure. Was fixed under rust warranty but still scary. Thank you for the informative video again~

[@adamdport]

That sounds insane, do you have more details? I'd love to inspect wherever that was on mine, maybe do a part 2?

[@ArjanSchepers]

Great video, you’ve earned a subscriber. Very good camera work as well.

[@gabrielanulak9897]

Such a great video. Thank you so much!

[@johnqcitizen9177]

Awesome Awesome video Direct and to the point. No jokes No sales pitches, just a true how to video. Now you just need to buy a 2023 model x so i have some how-to videos. We will use this video on our 2022 M3sr+

[@radioone3447]

Long form like this is great!

[@eugene3d875]

Great video and format!

[@Dupont550]

Nicely done. Great video.

[@user-wj6sz3dc2m]

Great and instructive video😀Thanks

[@jeffgaufin2606]

Awesome video. Thanks for posting

[@zmarko]

Great Tesla specific video!

[@jacobheinz8236]

Finally found something useful to watch! YTube is getting boring these days.

[@fckgwrhqq2]

Thank you for a beautiful video! Long form better. Rust prevention - take a peek under trunk stops. It's a plastic nut-like element at the top of a taillight. I found some rust there, but haven't fixed it yet. Front brake pins - I was unable to remove some of them with a hammer. The spring element at the end of the pin got stuck. This year I greased it too. Will see if it helps next year. Rear brake springs - Tesla's service manual states, that the springs are teflon coated and don't need lubrication. Of course grease won't hurt them. :)

[@electricfamily7713]

Ty dude. Really detailed and helpful.

[@wimschoenmakers5463]

Great job ! 10:12 That pin to lock the transmission of a regular ( hybrid ) car is a bit scary. If the car is still moving and you push the button, that pin will break and parts of that pin destroy your transmission. So that's why you always use the old fashion cable handbrake BEFORE using the electronic transmission lock.

[@rogerwatkinson6633]

This is the first video of yours that I have seen - and I will be watching more for certain. I don't have a Tesla, and don't want one, but I AM interested in the technology. I found your presentation, accuracy and thoroughness to be engaging, and will certainly watch more of your videos. You refer to the longer format of this video?.. Well I for one am happy with the duration. TTFN

[@umeshchand6682]

Thanks a lot for the info. That was a great video now I can do all that myself.keep it coming longer is better.

[@Itzlbrimpf]

Such a great video! Thx for this tutorial(s)

[@curlytoezz]

I appreciate this video so much. Thank you very informative

[@sebastienfournier3672]

Very informative and well-presented video. It will be of use to any Tesla owner in Canada.

[@G3RTH]

Great thanks looking forward to the next video 👌👌👌

[@nxnu2119]

Amazing points I hope they use the breaks you memtions on the cars going ahead in the future

[@M3rken]

Thank you for this!!!

[@user-tk5cr1mq8t]

Yes, that brake sound is normal just like it was for my buddy's 1972 VW Beetle when I was in college in eastern Washington. It did the same thing and the brakes froze on one time in the winter.

[@PaulCarlsonXC]

Great video, very thorough!!

[@adamdport]

Thank you! What part of the video did you find most helpful?

[@PaulCarlsonXC]

@@adamdport For me it was the annual brake maintenance (I live in a snowy / salty state) ... I was going to schedule this with Tesla for close to $300 ... Your video made it very clear how to perform the work, so I'm going to try and tackle it myself ! Thanks again !

[@tafl-9198]

Great video 👍💪 Much apppreciated 😊

[@PeterNXavier]

Very informative video. Thanks.

[@user-fl4pi2ut9c]

Great video. Some things are differnt in my Model Y though. It's a 2023 built in Texas and has a 16v Lithium battery with a locking connector. I found out I can still use a regular 12v as a jump but that battery needs to be disconnected first. There is a safety that prevents a jump if it's connected because you could damage something. Not sure where the jump points are, should probably look into it, but considering it's a lithium battery, it'll probably outlive a normal lead acid battery by 10 years. Outstanding walk through on breaks. I think Tesla does automatically disable re-gen periodically but simulates the regen with pads so you can still do 1 pedal driving. I know that's the case for a cold or full battery, because it actually says so on the screen.

[@daleyurk4369]

I enjoyed this. Thanks!

[@rahpowah01]

I was literally just thinking of opening the fender liners on my 2021 to clear stuff out. Looking forward to what you see (commented before watching)

[@nicolaebeglet7180]

Nice video…. Thank you…. Very informative

[@nrcsean]

Nice video! Nice to see more people giving a better look at the potential rust issues these cars have, as I'm looking at buying one and it's a big concern with the salted slushy roads we drive on in winter here. Some examples look quite alarming for such young cars.

[@JRCarReviews]

Thanks for the video will come in handy when the car gets out of warranty. Long videos are better than short ones which make you lose focus fast.

[@boardnski156]

Fluid Film is good stuff! It's done a great job keeping my 12 year old car, purchased new, from turning into a crusty mess here in the Northeast. I have the spray gun and wands to get into all the hidden areas behind the rubber body plugs. Rocker panels typically rust from the inside out. Spraying Fluid Film inside the rocker panels will help keep them intact. Do that on a hot day to let it creep everywhere.

[@robertsnyder6982]

excellent video. Thanks

[@danial09255]

Ive gotta say this video is criminally under viewed. good work.

[@rayman4449]

Fantastic video, thank you!

[@Sairus.]

I have done the same , I do use ACF50 it’s really good .. over all great video thank you for sharing

[@ryanrowat6640]

Great video. With regenerative braking it is important to know it is only on the drive wheels; the RWD models do not have it on the front wheels only friction braking. Rotating wheels is probably important.

[@darthtrader688]

Great video!!

[@craigfreeman9280]

A great video, I just had the Tesla Service Center do my 4 year brake maintenance, it cost over 800.00USD, included a fluid change and a rear flex hose that was going to fail.

[@fiftyoneindustries2]

Great video

[@caponeprincess73]

I don't have a Tesla or EV but I really enjoyed the videos.

[@sergiupolivanez8545]

Thanks from Romania ! :)

[@rhdtv2002]

I don’t even own a Tesla but enjoyed it. I’m looking into getting a Tesla Model 3

[@AA-dg4oo]

Man this was so helpful

[@petersjstedt6170]

thanks. Lots of good knowledge : )

[@YuenanCao]

Very smart content

[@hpwray]

Very good video. Thanks. Extremely thorough. My opinion maybe a little shorter. But you cover a lot of different subjects.

[@alexanderschmidt9578]

the automatic brake for cleaning the brake pads would be brilliant, in Germany many Teslas fail the TÜV because the brakes start to rust after just three years

[@loganrossignol]

Glad you're making videos! The brake pad rusting to the rotor thing was something that didn't happen on my 2018, 2019, or my new Model Y, but I did own a 2021 M3P for a couple of years that I bought used in late 2022 and it had that happen. I live in Florida so not a dry place (esp during the summer, where it rains every afternoon). My 2021 M3P would get the pads rusting to the rotor after every wash, and the rotors were visibly rusted - something I haven't observed on my other Teslas (though I have had other cars that would get rusty rotors after a wash). Not sure why that used M3P had this happen. My new MYP's rotors don't rust, just like my other Teslas.

[@adamdport]

That's interesting, Tesla's parts catalog doesn't show that the part numbers have changed on the rotors or pads. Do you drive the others more? Do you use the brake pedal more often in the others to keep the rotors clean? It's possible that your pads are dragging a little so the rotors stay warm, could be that? If you're curious, you're welcome to try to reproduce it in the others using the tow mode and water method I showed in this video, I'd love to hear if they're somehow immune. Thanks for the data point!

[@loganrossignol]

@@adamdport As far as behavior goes, no differences really. I generally avoid using the brakes as much as possible, though I know FSD/AP tends to use them more than I would. I'm pretty sure on all of the cars, I can hear the pads rubbing on the rotors at least for a few moments after driving for the first time in a little while. The only thing I can think of is the previous owner of my 2021 tracked the car or did something with it that caused the difference - pretty sure it was a florida car its whole life and only had 8k miles on it when I bought it. My 2018 had 50k on it when I got rid of it in 2022 and our 2019 currently has 58k on it - the 2019 doesn't even have the benefit of the carport I park my cars under, it's always exposed to the rain and such, but never gets rusty rotors either.

[@saltydog9321]

long form tesla videos and short form tesla videos, as many as you can make, i'll watch

[@hudo4043]

Thanks for the video

[@lbeck37]

Very nicely done video. You might warn people to watch out for fluid overflowing the reservoir when you push the pistons back. It's only a problem if the reservoir has been topped up.

[@paulmeynell8866]

Really interesting thank you

[@_AI_Takeover]

This guy is a beast