85D Damaged during Annual Servicing

[D.E.]

You have a right to expect a repair that results in the vehicle appearing undamaged. It is up to them how they need to do it. The taillight should be properly installed without rattle or leak.

Whether you can see damage at 100 feet or 1 foot doesn't matter.

They can match paint very well.

As far as the Xpel goes, I don't think coverage for 1 panel will be that expensive. If they cannot install it to the same standard used for the original then they must have it done.

You entrusted your car to them undamaged. They must return it to you in the same condition. They have insurance, they can repair your car so it looks as good as it did when you took it in. It is reasonable they should provide you with a car to use until yours is returned, whether a loaner or a rental. You are not expected to take your car from there with any visible evidence of damage. If they replace a body panel, the result should be indistinguishable from the rest of the car. The gaps should be even, panels and parts should align properly, the paint should match.

If their repair causes diminished value, such as with appearance on a Carfax report, then they are liable for that amount as well. Basically you should not suffer financial loss for their failure to properly care for your car.

You have a very nice, very expensive car. That should not change because you had it serviced.

 

[MP3Mike]

They have insurance, they can repair your car so it looks as good as it did when you took it in.

I thought I heard that Tesla was self-insured. So they don't really have insurance, they just pay themselves.

 

[D.E.]

They likely do self insure. The point is that they will have recognized there is financial responsibility for the vehicles in their care and there are funds to restore privately owned vehicles that are damaged by Tesla employees while in their care.

 

[DrComputer]

What was the compensation worth? More than a tradein reduction for the accident as Tesla will have records of it?

Yes, it was.

 

[Cyclone]

There is only one Tesla approved shop around here, and they are actually very good. They don't do XPEL themselves, it was a third party who doesn't seem to be very good at it. Nobody in Montreal does cQuartz to my knowledge - I had to go to Ottawa for the original XPEL & coating. The local body shop also didn't damage the tail light, in fact they installed a few new parts in an attempt to fix it. That damage happened at the SC when the first paintless dent guy took a shot at it.

If the car must be the taken to a better shop for the Xpel and cQuartz after the quarter panel and light are done, so be it - at Tesla's expense. Here in NC, I've seen them flatbed a car from Charlotte NC to Greenville SC, 100+ miles away. When necessary, it can be done.

 

[weareFIT]

Jdw,

I empathize with you. This can be a very stressful situation. I highly recommend you contact a Tesla certified and approved collision repair facility in your area, or contact Tesla Body Support for a shop recommendation. I’m confident an approved facility will assess the problem and provide a solution for a safe, durable and defect-free repair.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

JDW, this isn't your problem to fix and you shouldn't have to bother with insurance, approved body shops, or anything like that.

I love how understanding Tesla owners are, I am too, but only to a point. What happened to you would have sent me into the stratosphere and onto the phone hunting down every VP I could find. Shame on Tesla for giving you back something that looks completely gorked. The repair should have made that section look like new. The fact that the damage was not disclosed to you by the service center is tantamount to a coverup.

One ore more people at that service center deserve to be fired. From the initial damage, to failing to disclose, to wanting you to accept a crappy repair, it sounds to me like some heads need to roll and deservedly so.

Tesla has plenty of money to make you whole and to cover all expenses here, including giving you a top-of-the-line loaner until your car is repaired to a very high standard and to your satisfaction. Don't accept less.

 

[D.E.]

The fact that the damage was not disclosed to you by the service center is tantamount to a coverup.

One ore more people at that service center deserve to be fired. From the initial damage, to failing to disclose, to wanting you to accept a crappy repair, it sounds to me like some heads need to roll and deservedly so.

I'm afraid I agree, the person in charge of that service center needs to be counceled if not replaced. I would not take my car there knowing damage might or might not be disclosed. Yours was damage you can see, what of damage you don't see? Suppose a car slips off a jack or runs over an object that damages the battery pack. Would you expect this slipshod crew to tell you or is it likely they'd let you take the damaged car, planning to blame the damage, when discovered later, on the driver?

This is an elite repair facility caring for high end luxury automobiles. This is not the grimy, shoddy shop that cannot be trusted. When we buy Teslas, we don't have a choice whether or not to use these Tesla repair facilities. If it turns out Tesla condones this behavior in their shops, then the Tesla brand will suffer, the Tesla reputation will suffer, and sales will suffer, as they should. I cannot imagine Tesla approves and I doubt they will tolerate it.

Tesla service facilities should be open and honest when there is damage, and they should go to great lengths to make the car as good as it was before they damaged it.

JDW I think you have an obligation to report your experience to the head of servive at Tesla. You'll probably never hear of any actions, but not reporting it allows this behavior to persist, and it not only affects the care others get at that facility, it affects care you'll get in the future. Are you going to trust your car to these yo-yos in the future? If this is the level of care you can expect, are you going to buy another Tesla?

Best,
David

 

[DrComputer]

Just remember that there are people that work at the service centers and this particular situation is not necessarily indicative of Tesla as a company. When my car was damaged by Tesla at the service center they did everything in their power to make it right. I too had Xpel on my car and when the body shop did the repair work they removed the Xpel. The service center offered to take it to the original installer I used or I could take it to them and they would reimburse me for the cost (which is what I did). So for everyone that is bashing Tesla in this thread for the way they handled the OPs situation, there are probably many other people like myself that have had a similar problem with a very positive outcome. People tend to post about problems and NOT about the good things that happen.

 

[Electricfan]

When I came to pick up the car it was parked backed in with the passenger side against a wall. I picked up the car and drove back to work before I noticed the damage and returned to Tesla.

This is why I keep saying Tesla is no better, no worse than Ford, GM or any other traditional dealer. They were dishonest up front. The only honest response was to tell you about the damage before you found it, and certainly not give you back a damaged car. HIDING the damage intentionally was beyond the pale. As to accepting the repairs as bad as they are - if you do you encourage Tesla to treat everyone as badly as they treated you.

Insist on a decent repair, which you certainly didn't get. Take it up to the regional service manager in ANY case, making sure he/she understands they gave you the car back without telling you about the damage. Somebody at that service center deserves to lose his/her job. But they won't. Because again, Tesla is just like any other car company.

 

[SDRick]

Are all cars with a relatively minor dent that difficult and expensive to repair or is this unique to Teslas?

 

[jdw]

Jdw,

I empathize with you. This can be a very stressful situation. I highly recommend you contact a Tesla certified and approved collision repair facility in your area, or contact Tesla Body Support for a shop recommendation. I’m confident an approved facility will assess the problem and provide a solution for a safe, durable and defect-free repair.

Thanks. For the record, the original damage, the scrape and dent happened during my annual service. The next damage happened when the SC brought in a paintless dent guy to try and fix it - he buggered up the tail light, while being unable to fix the dent. Then, the local Tesla approved body shop got the dent *mostly* out and reapplied the XPEL, but the XPEL guy left about a ¼ inch gap from the edges and really didn’t tuck under the other edges well. They also minorly scratched the roof and the front of the fender while doing the XPEL, but did do a slightly better job of re-installing the tail light.

So since the original damage, every attempt to repair has caused additional small, but hard to fix damage. Admittedly, mostly minor, but to the point that I’m actually afraid to go anywhere near either of them and feeling petty for complaining about it. None of this damage is really fixable, without major surgery to the car i.e. new quarter panel, new tail light, new XPEL job (now the front and rear fender) and a new roof panel.

The SC has been very willing to help, but does not seem to have the competancy to do so.

I’ve been out of town for the past week, but will be taking another run at it next week and will post where this goes - thanks to all for the support and suggestions.

 

[jdw]

Follow on question ... this is a picture of the inside of my front passenger wheel well. Does anyone know if it is normal for the pictured connector to be hanging down like that exposed to the elements? Doesn't look like a weather proof connector, or a good idea to me, but I have nothing to compare it to.

 

[jdw]

Following up on my own post, unless the design has changed, it looks like I am missing a part of the inside wheel well. This is the only picture I could find online and it certainly doesn't match mine. Anybody know whether this picture is current or what the inside of the wheel well is supposed to look like?

 

[hacer]

Following up on my own post, unless the design has changed, it looks like I am missing a part of the inside wheel well. This is the only picture I could find online and it certainly doesn't match mine. Anybody know whether this picture is current or what the inside of the wheel well is supposed to look like?

View attachment 233531

Here is a picture of a May 2016 build dual motor with air suspension

 

[jdw]

Thanks, appreciate the pic! - wow, completly different again ....​

 

[jdw]

Based on these three pictures, it would seem that the SC also failed to replace the plastic panel that covers the wires that are hanging in space.