ACCIDENT!!! Oh No!!!!

[NeverFollow]

I was thinking about talking to my insurance
but not sure if they would penalize me if I merely told them about the accident.

IMO If you are going to pay with your own money, I will keep it quiet, as it might be recorded as a possible reckless driving event.

Note: I would call this little damage more an incident than an accident.

I have a towing coverage part of my insurance but I prefer using a separate towing membership,
as calling my insurance for a simple jump start, who know, could be recorded as a towing accident.

I noticed people with a damage car driving aggressively and cutting you off, expecting that you will hit them
and then will sue your insurance for a previous damage that they would try to get fixed.

 

[MrAliG]

I currently have an X on order and the stories of the cost of repairs have worried me.

Almost every car now on sale has a rear bumper that goes all the way up to the rear lights and extends well up the rear three quarter panel.

Thus in minor accidents like this it is much more likely that only the bumper needs repaired and not the car.

I think that manufacturers have done this as insurance companies ask for it to improve repair costs.

It seems that Tesla has not followed suit on the Model X or the Model S. The rear three quarter panel comes right round under the rear light. I note that they have fixed this issue on the Model 3. It would be nice if they redesigned the model X and S rear bumper the same way.

These incidents could still result in a large repair bill, but there would be a much bigger chance that they are isolated to the bumper which is much cheaper and easier to repair.

 

[outie]

I currently have an X on order and the stories of the cost of repairs have worried me.

Almost every car now on sale has a rear bumper that goes all the way up to the rear lights and extends well up the rear three quarter panel.

Thus in minor accidents like this it is much more likely that only the bumper needs repaired and not the car.

I think that manufacturers have done this as insurance companies ask for it to improve repair costs.

It seems that Tesla has not followed suit on the Model X or the Model S. The rear three quarter panel comes right round under the rear light. I note that they have fixed this issue on the Model 3. It would be nice if they redesigned the model X and S rear bumper the same way.

These incidents could still result in a large repair bill, but there would be a much bigger chance that they are isolated to the bumper which is much cheaper and easier to repair.

Bumper design to avoid collision damage is a federal mandate.

What are the Federal regulations for bumpers?





49 CFR Part 581, "The bumper standard," prescribes performance requirements for passenger cars in low-speed front and rear collisions. It applies to front and rear bumpers on passenger cars to prevent the damage to the car body and safety related equipment at barrier impact speeds of 2� mph across the full width and 1� mph on the corners.




This is equivalent to a 5 mph crash into a parked vehicle of the same weight. The standard requires protection in the region 16 to 20 inches above the road surface, and the manufacturer can provide the protection by any means it wants. For example, some vehicles do not have a solid bumper across the vehicle, but meet the standard by strategically placed bumper guards and corner guards.

 

[MrAliG]

I think that manufacturers have realised they can go above the minimum requirements to reduce insurance costs which is good for sales.

 

[FarmerDave]

Wife hit a deer at about 40 mph a month ago and the car has been at the body shop since. Last week the shop told me they received the new bumper cover and hood, but had to return both to Tesla as they were defective. So, still waiting on parts. I am also having the FWD's repainted at my cost due to heavy road rash just forward of the rear wheel wells. THAT area along with the front (again) will be Xpel'd as soon as the new paint cures. Sad part is that I just had it ceramic coated a week prior...

BTW, the body shop told me that the plastic wheel well surrounds on the FWD's must be removed to paint the doors, are one-time-use only, and have sensors in them.

 

[Super_Popular]

I had to have my FWD repainted as well from the 22"s throwing rocks on them. Cost me $2K. Next X I get I will order mud flaps. Tesla needs to fix this horrible flaw.

 

[K-MTG]

Wife hit a deer at about 40 mph a month ago and the car has been at the body shop since. Last week the shop told me they received the new bumper cover and hood, but had to return both to Tesla as they were defective. So, still waiting on parts. I am also having the FWD's repainted at my cost due to heavy road rash just forward of the rear wheel wells. THAT area along with the front (again) will be Xpel'd as soon as the new paint cures. Sad part is that I just had it ceramic coated a week prior...

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BTW, the body shop told me that the plastic wheel well surrounds on the FWD's must be removed to paint the doors, are one-time-use only, and have sensors in them.

Oh Wow! Is the X not drivable while you wait for parts?

 

[T3xrr]

I had to have my FWD repainted as well from the 22"s throwing rocks on them. Cost me $2K. Next X I get I will order mud flaps. Tesla needs to fix this horrible flaw.

So are the front wheels kicking debris onto the fwd?
I'm wondering if I should put xpel on those doors when I take delivery.

 

[Mark Z]

I was thinking about talking to my insurance but not sure if they would penalize me if I merely told them about the accident.

It may depend on the policy terms if accidents must be reported. Your fender scrape occurred on private property, no police report, and no injury. While you can keep it a secret, I would take the opportunity to discuss the options with the agent. In the past they would write a small check immediately for some issues. Now State Farm has different procedures for claims. But if you feel you can't ask questions without the concern of an increase, that is the first question to ask!

I reported my parking lot fender scrape to my local agent just to be safe if the other driver (a friend) was to seek a claim later. He did not and I provided some cash to help his touch up to his old clunker car. There was no rate increase for mentioning the fender scrape and not making a claim.

When I backed up into the cement planter, State Farm told me about keeping the cost under $1,000 to avoid an increase. Their estimate came in less, so no increase occurred. If it had been more, then I would have paid for the repair to avoid the increase.

 

[ckwong]

I had to have my FWD repainted as well from the 22"s throwing rocks on them. Cost me $2K. Next X I get I will order mud flaps. Tesla needs to fix this horrible flaw.

I'm thinking about getting 22s and this is the first time I've read about this. I have Xpel but would hate to have to replace it every year or how ever long it takes for the damage to be too much. How long it take for you to have to repaint the FWD? Does MX even have mud flaps?

 

[FarmerDave]

Oh Wow! Is the X not drivable while you wait for parts?

Yes, according to my insurance company b/c driver's side headlight and turn signal are loose. The car had to be towed 100 miles to the nearest Tesla-authorized body shop in Pittsburgh.

 

[FarmerDave]

I'm thinking about getting 22s and this is the first time I've read about this. I have Xpel but would hate to have to replace it every year or how ever long it takes for the damage to be too much. How long it take for you to have to repaint the FWD? Does MX even have mud flaps?

Tesla's don't have mud flaps because they add drag.

BTW, you can't apply paint protection film to damaged surfaces (I learned the hard way). Each pock mark would have a bubble which would look terrible and the film might not stay on anyway.

P.S. I have 20" tires except for winter when I mount 19" winter tires.

edit: for P.S.

 

[FarmerDave]

So are the front wheels kicking debris onto the fwd?
I'm wondering if I should put xpel on those doors when I take delivery.

Yes, the front wheels kick up debris onto the rear doors esp when highway crews put down anti-skid pebbles. You also get debris from passing cars - driver's side is worse than passenger side.

Definitely recommend Xpel on the rear doors upon delivery.

 

[T3xrr]

Yes, the front wheels kick up debris onto the rear doors esp when highway crews put down anti-skid pebbles. You also get debris from passing cars - driver's side is worse than passenger side.

Definitely recommend Xpel on the rear doors upon delivery.

Do you know if Suntek PPF also works as good as xpel?

 

[FarmerDave]

Do you know if Suntek PPF also works as good as xpel?

I don't know anything about Suntek PPF. I know that Xpel is self healing for small scratches and scrapes.

 

[cubbie]

):

I wasn't the one driving but this just happened....

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Any body shop recommendations?? The bottom bumper seems to be scratched while the top has a slight dent...mostly just scratched... Any body shop recommendations in O.C?? How much will this cost - replace or repaint?? I have the solid black paint..


): ):

Hi I am really sorry to hear about the damage to your car and hope you can get it fixed cheaply enough.

I recently came to Spain for a month on holiday when I had a coming together with a brick wall. Luckily I had my car wrapped in England for minor stone chips but this protected against all the scraping of the brick wall. Yes it made a dent in the front wing and damaged the plastic wheel arch trim. But looking on the good side I think the dent is repairable so I will have to wait till I get back home.

 

[K-MTG]

Got the car back today...it's flawless!!! They did a great job, you can't even tell the accident happened. It did cost $2900 (no insurance)! Will share some pics in the AM.

I also went to another place for an estimate...they wanted $8-$10k and 6 months to fix it....no way!!! I got it taken care of in 2 weeks...they also detailed my car and fixed the small chips I had in the front.

 

[Barklikeadog]

Looks like a scrape on the rim as well, that should be easy to repair.
my friend tore up his f150, much worse damage caused by a similar immovable object.
back door, side panel and rear panel and rim, aluminum of course.
6k, two weeks.

 

[Barklikeadog]

Got the car back today...it's flawless!!! They did a great job, you can't even tell the accident happened. It did cost $2900 (no insurance)! Will share some pics in the AM.

I also went to another place for an estimate...they wanted $8-$10k and 6 months to fix it....no way!!! I got it taken care of in 2 weeks...they also detailed my car and fixed the small chips I had in the front.

blah! good to hear. I posted without jumping to the end. 2900 and 2 weeks is spot on.

 

[Solarman004]

Got the car back today...it's flawless!!! They did a great job, you can't even tell the accident happened. It did cost $2900 (no insurance)! Will share some pics in the AM.

Great news! Congrats.
Now it's time to Xpel the stone wall...