Hello. My car was rear-ended in Sept 2022. The at-fault insurance company (Allstate) admitted fault and gave me the option to choose my own shop for repair. I chose Tesla collision center. After 2 months of wait, Tesla quoted the repair cost of about $30k (9k in parts + 21k in labor). All state appraised the repair cost to be of about $18k (7k in parts + 11k in labor). As seen there is about 10k in labor cost difference. Anyone had such experience?
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At-fault insurance company quoting less than Tesla collision center for car repair.
- Thread starter Y2S3XY
- Start date
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
I think this should be solved, negociated,.. between your own car insurrance and the other party,
unless you receive directly the cash?
My car get repaired and the body shop was constantly sending new quotes, especially after removing parts.
So not only the bumper assembly needed to be replaced, but finaly also the whole rear panel.
Also when replacing the rear quarter panel, the roof glass has to be removed.
And even after taking multiple precautions, the roof glass broke and had to be replaced.
Also, make it clear about the car rental coverage, the insurance might only want to cover 30 days
while you car might be not available for months, especially if the car is not drivable, or cannot be locked
and should be parked inside a garage or given to the body shop until it get repaired.
Considere contacting a Diminished Value appraisal for additional payment.
If you get any injury, hire a lawyer.
unless you receive directly the cash?
My car get repaired and the body shop was constantly sending new quotes, especially after removing parts.
So not only the bumper assembly needed to be replaced, but finaly also the whole rear panel.
Also when replacing the rear quarter panel, the roof glass has to be removed.
And even after taking multiple precautions, the roof glass broke and had to be replaced.
Also, make it clear about the car rental coverage, the insurance might only want to cover 30 days
while you car might be not available for months, especially if the car is not drivable, or cannot be locked
and should be parked inside a garage or given to the body shop until it get repaired.
Considere contacting a Diminished Value appraisal for additional payment.
If you get any injury, hire a lawyer.
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There is only one Tesla collision center near me. Others are certified Tesla shops which I do not feel comfortable with. Would ideally prefer to have the car repaired at Tesla’s collision center.
Already have a lawyer for PI. I will definitely contact my insurance company (Statefarm) if there is no mutual agreement between Tesla and Allstate.
Do other certified shops have bad reviews? I personally don't see anything special about a "Tesla Collision Center", it's all about the shop and the kind of employees they hire.
gx9901
Active Member
I got rear ended in October of 2021. The at-fault driver's insurance was also Allstate. I contacted my insurance first about the collision and Allstate also contacted me separately and assumed 100% liability. Basically I went through my insurance to cover the repairs, and they subrogated the case and returned my deductible. Allstate did cover my rental car after my own coverage ran out after 30 days. I think it's in your best interest to work through your own insurance and have them take care of things with Allstate.
When I hit a deer with my model 3, there were only 5-6 Tesla collision centers in the entire US. Being in the Chicagoland area, I was lucky enough to be close to one.
I would rather have my car worked on by “specialists” who work only on teslas all day/every day.
There’s also the belief back then that Tesla collision centers had priority in terms of getting parts. Is that anti-competitive behavior? Probably, but if that meant that my car would get repaired faster, I’m all for it.
If you have the opportunity to get it worked on by tesla directly, go for it! Especially with the extensive damage it sounds like.
Going through this right now with my insurance. Was hit, other car's insurer accepted fault. My insurance USAA did an estimate via photos and insisted I use one of their shops, but only one in my area is actually tesla certified and can order parts. I go tomorrow for an actual in person quote through the shop, anything over the $1600 that USAA estimated, they will pay for, and then chase down allstate for a pay back on all of it. Also having allstate cover my rental and do diminished value refund.
mspohr
Well-Known Member
Car repair doesn't seem to be a "fixed price" contract.
I used a Tesla authorized repair center for rear end damage. There was an initial "estimate" but as they dug into it, there were several addendums for additional work. All of this was approved by my insurance company and the at fault company without question.
Also, suggest going through your own insurance company regardless of fault and let them deal with third parties.
Additionally, one of the two people who rear ended me sued me and the other person for some random reason. I just reported this to my insurance company and they handled everything with this frivolous claim.
I used a Tesla authorized repair center for rear end damage. There was an initial "estimate" but as they dug into it, there were several addendums for additional work. All of this was approved by my insurance company and the at fault company without question.
Also, suggest going through your own insurance company regardless of fault and let them deal with third parties.
Additionally, one of the two people who rear ended me sued me and the other person for some random reason. I just reported this to my insurance company and they handled everything with this frivolous claim.
If you get into an accident you have the right to pick a certified body shop of your choice. If the other party is found to be at fault and there is an issue with agreeing on payment, let your insurance company deal with it. That’s what you’re paying them for. They don’t want to pay for the repairs, so they will work to ensure you get what it takes to cover the repair.
But, it also depends on what the person’s coverage is as well that hit you. If their policy coverage is less than the cost to repair, your insurance may need to cover the difference and decide if they want to take the individual to court to collect the difference.
Again, don’t negotiate or talk to the other party’s insurance company. That should be done via your insurance company. Let the lawyers argue amongst themselves.
But, it also depends on what the person’s coverage is as well that hit you. If their policy coverage is less than the cost to repair, your insurance may need to cover the difference and decide if they want to take the individual to court to collect the difference.
Again, don’t negotiate or talk to the other party’s insurance company. That should be done via your insurance company. Let the lawyers argue amongst themselves.
K, good points and all valid, but its getting even more complicated these days. I just came from a Tesla certified body shop close to me in NJ, for an estimate after being rear-ended (clearly the other party's fault and they and police report supports that). I went through my insurance, Allstate who made the appointment for me with my "selected" body shop. The first thing the owner said to me when I asked to confirm the Allstate "approved" status was...."we were until today"! LOL. Apparently, Allstate is pushing back on the hourly rate the body shops that fix Teslas are charging and contending that they will only pay $X rate instead. This shop charges the same rate that Tesla collision centers charge in our area $125/ hour. He was literally talking to Allstate today (and over the past few days apparently) trying to make the case that the coverage should be the bottom line COST of the estimate to cover their insureds' damages, not the hourly rate for labor. Many other insurance companies work this way with him for Tesla vehicles.
Eventually, if Allstate doesn't cover the full repair estimate, I will have them go after the other party's insurance company or I will do so myself (not that I want it to come to that).
He further explained to me that he had to spend over $200,000 for equipment to work on Tesla vehicles and send technicians for training to become Tesla certified. These technicians are then paid a higher rate than other workers in the shop.
To U and Y above, I have no qualms about having this shop do the repairs vs. a Tesla Collision center that is located in another state from me. He was completely knowledgeable about Tesla repairs and the difficulties and requirements of restoring these cars to look as good (or better than new). Yes, it will take awhile to get the required parts, but luckily in my case, the car is drivable and fully functional, no damage to cameras or sensors.
Bottom line is that Tesla is going to need these repair centers "built out" to support the number of vehicles on the road, similar to charging stations. They just do not have their own infrastructure (collision centers a state away from me) to service all the vehicles they are building and selling.
Eventually, if Allstate doesn't cover the full repair estimate, I will have them go after the other party's insurance company or I will do so myself (not that I want it to come to that).
He further explained to me that he had to spend over $200,000 for equipment to work on Tesla vehicles and send technicians for training to become Tesla certified. These technicians are then paid a higher rate than other workers in the shop.
To U and Y above, I have no qualms about having this shop do the repairs vs. a Tesla Collision center that is located in another state from me. He was completely knowledgeable about Tesla repairs and the difficulties and requirements of restoring these cars to look as good (or better than new). Yes, it will take awhile to get the required parts, but luckily in my case, the car is drivable and fully functional, no damage to cameras or sensors.
Bottom line is that Tesla is going to need these repair centers "built out" to support the number of vehicles on the road, similar to charging stations. They just do not have their own infrastructure (collision centers a state away from me) to service all the vehicles they are building and selling.
Just wonder if they continue sending new quotes and the quotes is over the standard of total, will the insurance company total it rather than continue repairing it?
Watts_Up
Well-Known Member
Well, my car was ready but I could not get it as the insurance and the body shop were still negociating.
It would have been certainly simple to get a new car. I made in fact a reservation at that time but didn't used it.
However, I had also a medical claim, which took about three years to get solved, and including lawyer fees,
this was even much higher than the body shop costs.
What was your final outcome on this? Mine came back at 30k as well but its only a model 3 standard range.
I went through my own insurance company (they estimated 40k) and they deemed it total loss.