$25,500 accident plus 3+ months of waiting in ATL

[Fostice]

Wow. So... I lurk here all the time and have rarely posted because I only owned my M3 SR+ for 8 days before my wife got in an accident with it (18 wheeler hit her on the highway). But I wanted to share my “don’t get in an accident with a Tesla” experience.

So waaaay back in April 2019, our car was hit in the quarter panel with the charging port (driver’s side). Bad spot to get hit.

My insurance company, Allstate, sucks balls. They do not know how to insure and price Teslas. At. All. It took forever for them to agree with Magnum Collision in ATL (my chosen and highly recommended collision center). On top of that it took over a month for my quarter panel to get there. Then, once everything was settled, it still took weeks to fix my car. I just got it today after 3 1/2 months after the accident.

Thank God Tesla took ownership of the rental during this time due to parts delay otherwise I would’ve been hosed. Tesla is a great company and does take care of its customers due to its lack of infrastructure when they can. Or so it appears. But the industry surrounding Teslas, like collision centers and insurance companies, leave US the consumer...STRANDED.

Thought everyone here would like to see what 25k+ with of damage looks like and 3.5 months of waiting. Also Magnum Collision in ATL is apparently NOT as good as they used to be. Customer service is AWFUL!

 

[tvad]

Ouch.

 

[WilliamG]

Tesla is going to have to get with the program pretty sharpish considering the massive number of cars they're now delivering day in and day out. As early adopters, we sort of knew what we were getting into, but you can only be an early adopter so long before the cars become mainstream, and people aren't going to stand for it in the years to come.

Glad you're back on the road, and really sorry this happened to you.

 

[edigest]

Tesla is going to have to get with the program pretty sharpish considering the massive number of cars they're now delivering day in and day out. As early adopters, we sort of knew what we were getting into, but you can only be an early adopter so long before the cars become mainstream, and people aren't going to stand for it in the years to come.

So, OPs story was about a problem with an insurance company and a repair shop. What is it that Tesla needs to get with the program for?

 

[ktoran]

Do you think that charge is comparable to a BMW or other high end cars? How was the car when you got it back?

 

[mswlogo]

So, OPs story was about a problem with an insurance company and a repair shop. What is it that Tesla needs to get with the program for?

Did you miss the part about waiting for parts and how long it took to fix the car?
On an ICE this would be a 2-3 week problem and probably way less money too.

 

[Fostice]

Tesla is going to have to get with the program pretty sharpish considering the massive number of cars they're now delivering day in and day out. As early adopters, we sort of knew what we were getting into, but you can only be an early adopter so long before the cars become mainstream, and people aren't going to stand for it in the years to come.

Glad you're back on the road, and really sorry this happened to you.

Thanks buddy. After driving the car for 2 days.... boy did I forget how fun they were. I hope I never get in an accident again because these cars are so much fun.

 

[Fostice]

Do you think that charge is comparable to a BMW or other high end cars? How was the car when you got it back?

The car is in reasonably good shape. The replaced charging port is slightly misaligned, the plug inside the port is somewhat broken (and will be replaced by them), the windows didn’t automatically roll down when fully pressed (but I fixed it with a reset) and I had the wonky screen blur issue that’s been reported before (again fixed by a reset). Other than that it appears to drive just as well and the sensors work fine with autopilot so that’s good.

I have friends with BMWs and Mercedes and that didn’t look like 25k worth of damage to them... but I don’t know.

 

[VT_EE]

Wow. So... I lurk here all the time and have rarely posted because I only owned my M3 SR+ for 8 days before my wife got in an accident with it (18 wheeler hit her on the highway). But I wanted to share my “don’t get in an accident with a Tesla” experience.

So waaaay back in April 2019, our car was hit in the quarter panel with the charging port (driver’s side). Bad spot to get hit.

My insurance company, Allstate, sucks balls. They do not know how to insure and price Teslas. At. All. It took forever for them to agree with Magnum Collision in ATL (my chosen and highly recommended collision center). On top of that it took over a month for my quarter panel to get there. Then, once everything was settled, it still took weeks to fix my car. I just got it today after 3 1/2 months after the accident.

Thank God Tesla took ownership of the rental during this time due to parts delay otherwise I would’ve been hosed. Tesla is a great company and does take care of its customers due to its lack of infrastructure when they can. Or so it appears. But the industry surrounding Teslas, like collision centers and insurance companies, leave US the consumer...STRANDED.

Thought everyone here would like to see what 25k+ with of damage looks like and 3.5 months of waiting. Also Magnum Collision in ATL is apparently NOT as good as they used to be. Customer service is AWFUL!

I had very similar damage but only cost me $10,300. Parts only took 14 business days to come in so I didn't think it was that bad. Geico was great and fast. It helped that the body shop was Tesla Certified and a Geico Express operation. Parts were ordered the same day the adjuster did his estimate, which included removing the bumper to look for additional damage. The estimate was within $300 of the final bill. I was lucky that I could drive the vehicle while I waited for parts.

I should mention the slightly misaligned rear corner window was replaced and is now perfectly straight. I couldn't be happier with the body work. This picture was taken when I dropped it off to get the window fixed.

 

[Fostice]

I had very similar damage but only cost me $10,300. Parts only took 14 business days to come in so I didn't think it was that bad. Geico was great and fast. It helped that the body shop was Tesla Certified and a Geico Express operation. Parts were ordered the same day the adjuster did his estimate, which included removing the bumper to look for additional damage. The estimate was within $300 of the final bill. I was lucky that I could drive the vehicle while I waited for parts.

I should mention the slightly misaligned rear corner window was replaced and is now perfectly straight. I couldn't be happier with the body work. This picture was taken when I dropped it off to get the window fixed.
View attachment 439036 View attachment 439037

Wow! Great body work! Do you mind if I ask what Gieco’s rates are? Because I’m paying like 240 per month on this and a Jeep with Allstate and I have a near perfect driving record.

 

[VT_EE]

I pay $225/month for 3 vehicles: Mazda, Toyota, Tesla. 2 drivers with no accidents or tickets. I filed the claim through my insurance (Geico) because it was easy. The at-faults insurance will ultimately end up paying.