TESLA: P3X Performance Experience

For all my fellow Tesla owners, let me share a little Thanksgiving adventure with you. As you know, I live in Southern California—land of eternal sunshine and people who panic at the sight of a cloud. Well, right before Turkey Day, we actually got a rain shower. Yes, yes, I know… “It never rains in Southern California.” Well, it did. And apparently my Tesla took it very personally.

So, there I am, driving through what you East Coasters and Midwesterners would call “a light mist,” but what we SoCal folks classify as a full-scale monsoon. Suddenly my Tesla starts making this creaking noise. And not a cute noise either. I’m talking about the same sound your bed makes when you roll over… or when you’re doing—you know—other activities. A full-on creak-de-squeak-de-creeeak every time I turned left, turned right, or even thought about going over a speed bump.

It was embarrassing. People could hear me coming before they saw me. Imagine rolling by in a so-called premium car while everyone turns their head like, “Is that a Tesla or an old wooden pirate ship?”

Naturally, I assumed it would go away once the rain stopped and Southern California returned to its regularly scheduled desert programming. Spoiler alert: it did not. So after a couple weeks of pretending I couldn’t hear it, I went to YouTube to look up “Tesla creaking noise,” secretly bracing myself in case someone had posted a video of me driving by sounding like a haunted attic.

Instead, I learned that the bushings in my upper control arms were probably worn out. Because of course they were.

While I was already down the YouTube rabbit hole, I ended up watching a video from P3X Performance. Naturally, I reached out to Tesla to schedule an appointment—because who doesn’t love giving the mothership a chance first? They told me they were booked for a week. A whole week. I realized instantly that there was no universe in which I could survive that creaking symphony for seven more days. My sanity had already filed for divorce.

So, I started searching for anyone—literally anyone—who could take a look and fix my issue with the Tesla (not my issues, but that’s a whole different therapy session). I Googled it, and a bunch of companies popped up, but right at the top was P3X Performance with a 5-star rating. Meanwhile, some of the other places… let’s just say their stars looked more like they were taken hostage.

At first, I thought, “This has to be a fluke,” because I had just watched their video. So, I checked Yelp—and boom—another 5 stars. At that point, I thought, “Okay, one more check,” mostly still hoping to find a place closer to my house because convenience is my love language. I asked ChatGPT—and guess who showed up again? P3X Performance. At that point I figured: if I can’t take it to Tesla, at least this place seems to have a fan club and Internet groupies.

Now, P3X is nowhere near my neighborhood. Not even close. In fact, it’s closer to that little old lady you always hear about—the one in Pasadena—than it is to San Diego. And they said they were “reasonably priced.” Reasonably priced? Excuse me, what kind of reasonable? Reasonable like “Oh, that was affordable!” or reasonable like “We didn’t take your kidney—we just borrowed it for research”?

Since I wasn’t about to risk waking up in an ice bath, I took a half day off work and headed out. Luckily, Temple City, where they’re located, is a lot closer to my office than it is to my house. So off I went, hoping for the best and praying my car didn’t creak its way into a full-blown Broadway performance on the drive there.

I showed up 30 minutes early for my 2:00 p.m. appointment—because if you’ve ever driven in Los Angeles or San Diego, you know timing is everything. Leave five minutes too late and suddenly you’re parked on the freeway reevaluating your life choices. So yes, I came early in hopes of beating the dreaded rush hour that materializes out of thin air.

I park in their designated spot, walk inside, and I’m greeted by a lovely young lady who immediately asks, “How may I help you?” I tell her I’m the 2 p.m. appointment, and without missing a beat she goes, “Oh, you’re early—but I heard your upper control arms crying when you pulled in.”

Now normally, when you arrive on time for a doctor's appointment, they make you wait an extra hour just to keep the tradition alive. But this? This was the opposite of that. Within five minutes of walking in, my car was already being pulled into the shop. Then they called me over so the mechanic/owner/YouTube-guy—yes, the celebrity himself—could show me exactly where the noise was coming from.

After the diagnosis, they sent me to the front desk to go over the pricing. I said, “Before we discuss the cost, let me grab my defibrillator so I’m prepared for whatever heart-attack-inducing number you’re about to tell me.” I also asked if they had any discounts. The mechanic said, “Well, you just missed our Black Friday sale.” I replied, “Well, I’m Black, and it’s Tuesday.” He laughed and boom Friday pricing unlocked.

The owner told me I needed a Front-End Refresh Kit and an alignment. The refresh kit, according to them, would enhance my car’s performance and make it better than when it rolled off the assembly line. Fancy, right?

Here’s what the Tesla Front Suspension Arms Kit includes:

• OE Style Compliance Links, L & R

• OE Style Front Upper Control Arms, L & R

• OE Style Lateral Links, L & R

  
  

I agreed to the work and settled into the lobby. The co-owner told me it would take about two hours. The lobby was clean and cozy, so I made myself a cup of coffee and took it all in. When I’d peeked into the service bay earlier, the place was so spotless it looked like you could serve a five-course meal off the floor. They also had a clean restroom and a neat little showcase of their products.

An hour and a half later—ahead of schedule—my car rolled out of the bay, ready for its test drive home. And let me tell you: the difference was immediate. The noise was gone. Completely. The steering felt sharper than the day we first brought the car home in 2021. The mechanic told me I had definitely gotten my money’s worth out of my original bushings and control arms. Apparently, they’re supposed to be replaced around 50,000 miles. I had nearly 200,000 on mine. Oops.

Bottom line: if you need Tesla repairs and you’re anywhere in Southern California, P3X Performance is the place. Not only are they excellent mechanics, but they’re also good people. Kind, attentive, funny, and genuinely enjoyable to spend time with. I mean it when I say they get my full recommendation.

And after reading what other Model Y owners paid for the same repairs, it looks like I saved between $800 and $1,300 by going to P3X. They’re competitively priced, highly skilled, and best of all—I still have both kidneys.

Season's Greetings from the Black and White Travel Chronicles Team