Tesla will not compromise on safety of cars that is the whole reason they are giving this salvage cold shoulder. If someone dies in a Model S or if it starts on fire in a collision because body was not fixed properly and was not able to protect the battery during a crash, news channels are not going to say a "Salvage model S started on fire because it was not properly repaired" . They are going to say Tesla electric car started on fire people died! A salvage car should always be just as safe as a non salvage car. I'm sure you can spray foam in there and throw 5lb of bondo and drive the car around. In my book its not really fixing the car unless its within factory specs. You can just take all airbags out, take out all the doors cut off the roof and have a model s convertible, and you can argue that its still is safer than a motorcycle. If some one comes to our shop and just tells us, pull it a little here throw some bondo there, we will not do its too much of a liability. Car manufacturers spend 10's of millions of dollars to research and develop a car as safe as possible by butchering the car you throw all that research away.
Huh, where have I heard that before?
The problem is not your intention, the problem is that most likely the media will jump at the story without giving you the opportunity to clarify the situation.
Oh yeah... now we've come full circle.
So let's focus on the main point, "Tesla will not compromise on safety."
Tesla is
already compromising on safety by not selling airbags to salvage vehicles unconditionally.
Yes, Tesla is concerned about bad press, but if your concern is "Death while in a salvage Tesla Model S" then
airbags are a good tool to prevent death in a model S. Restricting access to airbags increases the possibility of death because it encourages salvage owners to drive their vehicle without airbags.
In my case, I have the requisite skills to fit a different manufacturer's airbags to my model S and if Tesla doesn't change it's mind, will do so, pass salvage inspection, and be driving to my hearts content.
The parts ban is not effective at preventing salvage cars from getting on the road. Watch this thread & BTR's thread for an example. In fact, the parts ban is counter-productive as it
encourages people to purchase used parts from other salvage vehicles that do not have as high quality as OEM parts. There is already a proliferation of used parts for this purpose.
I'll tell you what is effective though,
giving reasonable quotes for parts and service so that way an insurance company doesn't total the car in the first place. This would dramatically decrease the number of repairable salvage cars available at salvage auctions.
It would also stop insurance companies from raising the cost to insure a Tesla model S. It would make sure insurance companies don't decide that a model S is uninsurable. If the model S is deemed uninsurable, guess what's likely to happen next? The model 3 isn't even given a chance to prove itself and
insurance companies just outright won't insure a Tesla vehicle.
Tesla is slowly killing itself with this parts ban.
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The major fire prevention device in the model S is the pyroswitch that cuts off high voltage when the car is in an accident. I will be replacing that part. If there are more fire suppression devices you'd like me to inspect, please let me know so I can make sure they are properly operational.
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Car manufacturers spend 10's of millions of dollars to research and develop a car as safe as possible by butchering the car you throw all that research away.
They do indeed, and as a person actively involved in research and development I have absolute respect for this research.
It is because of this high quality research that Tesla has conducted that I will be driving in a car that is safer than what other cars I presently own.
If the response then becomes "Tesla doesn't care if you die in a Toyota car crash." Then this further proves that
Tesla already compromises on safety.
