Battery + coolant

[dmurphy]

Lots of logical people carry much higher deductibles (I carry $2,500), and any claim will cause your rates to go up. Filing a claim for $20K will absolutely cost you $4K+ over the years. So it can still make sense to deal with it in a cheaper way. Repairs to parts are done all the time- it's not like if a body panel gets dented that they replace the whole unibody of the car, so if there is a solid fix for this broken plastic nipple that doesn't cost $20K, it's pretty reasonable to do.

There is some solid irony here that Tesla insurance will pay for this if they do go to insurance

Why would I carry a higher deductible? That’s what’s not logical.

For us, the difference between a $500 and $1000 deductible was about $20/year.

So if I have so much as one claim every 25 years, I come out ahead with the lower deductible.

I can say unequivocally that’s already happened.

Filed a $21,000 claim 2 years ago. My rates didn’t go up one nickel.

So there’s some logic for you.

Here’s my last 6 month renewal. Model 3 is $371.51/6 months, and Model X is $490.31/6 months. How much, really, would a high deductible save me?

 

[gearchruncher]

Why would I carry a higher deductible? That’s what’s not logical.

For us, the difference between a $500 and $1000 deductible was about $20/year.

Every state and situation is different. My insurance company lets me see my rates with different deductibles.

The change on my Model X is $450 a year more if I go from $2,500 to $500.
On my Model 3, it's $360 a year.
For me, that's worth it against the chance of $2K more if an accident occurs.

I didn't say it was true for everyone, I said lots of logical people carry higher deductibles, and one should not assume every single person has $500 deductibles. You live in a no-fault state while most Americans don't so things might be very different (and probably why your rates didn't changes after you had a loss). Your rates are also very low for NJ, even with very expensive cars, so good for you, but I bet most people in NJ don't get those rates. People in this thread are paying more like $200 a month for just a Model 3, not $62.

My only point in any of this is to not assume anything about insurance. There are 50 states with 50 different laws and situations.

 

[Jeremy3292]

Why would I carry a higher deductible? That’s what’s not logical.

For us, the difference between a $500 and $1000 deductible was about $20/year.

So if I have so much as one claim every 25 years, I come out ahead with the lower deductible.

I can say unequivocally that’s already happened.

Filed a $21,000 claim 2 years ago. My rates didn’t go up one nickel.

So there’s some logic for you.

Here’s my last 6 month renewal. Model 3 is $371.51/6 months, and Model X is $490.31/6 months. How much, really, would a high deductible save me?

I do not see how you get that low of a rate with your M3. Progressive was the lowest I found by far at $840 for 6 months. Same coverage limits as you. Just checked State Farm and same thing. No accident history, no tickets, and I actually did a defensive driver course voluntarily to get a further discount.

 

[Randy-12]

Why would I carry a higher deductible? That’s what’s not logical.

For us, the difference between a $500 and $1000 deductible was about $20/year.

So if I have so much as one claim every 25 years, I come out ahead with the lower deductible.

I can say unequivocally that’s already happened.

Filed a $21,000 claim 2 years ago. My rates didn’t go up one nickel.

So there’s some logic for you.

Here’s my last 6 month renewal. Model 3 is $371.51/6 months, and Model X is $490.31/6 months. How much, really, would a high deductible save me?

Off topic...but wow...the liability coverage we have up north is way way higher than that! We start at $1,000,000 and up!

 

[gearchruncher]

Off topic...but wow...the liability coverage we have up north is way way higher than that! We start at $1,000,000 and up!

<Insert obligatory $1M in Canada is $250,000 in the USA joke here>

 

[gearchruncher]

I do not see how you get that low of a rate with your M3. Progressive was the lowest I found by far at $840 for 6 months.

It is absolutely pointless to compare insurance rates between states, and still pretty worthless between people in the same state.
Look at the variance in average rates in the USA here. There's over a 3:1 variance: Car Insurance Rates by State for 2022 | Bankrate

Also, you never know what other discounts someone is getting- homeowner, umbrella, special groups, minimal usage, 10 cars, minimal coverage, you're sleeping with the CEO of State Farm and forgot to mention it, etc.

We can all agree that $62 a month for a Model 3 and $81 for a Model X is dirt cheap and an anomaly. The insurance company can only afford a $20K loss on the model 3 once every 27 years, which is a bit crazy statistically..

All you can do is shop around in your state for the best rates, and do it annually.

 

[Big Dog]

deleted

 

[quikshifter]

that's the biggest fear. Had same thing with my car & I lucked out with the $900 repair you were quoted the second time and i installed metal skid plates from ebay.

 

[Jeremy3292]

It is absolutely pointless to compare insurance rates between states, and still pretty worthless between people in the same state.
Look at the variance in average rates in the USA here. There's over a 3:1 variance: Car Insurance Rates by State for 2022 | Bankrate

Also, you never know what other discounts someone is getting- homeowner, umbrella, special groups, minimal usage, 10 cars, minimal coverage, you're sleeping with the CEO of State Farm and forgot to mention it, etc.

We can all agree that $62 a month for a Model 3 and $81 for a Model X is dirt cheap and an anomaly. The insurance company can only afford a $20K loss on the model 3 once every 27 years, which is a bit crazy statistically..

All you can do is shop around in your state for the best rates, and do it annually.

I wholeheartedly agree but I live in SC not NJ and everything in SC is cheaper then NJ lol. So I was shocked to see that low of a rate especially in NJ.

 

[gearchruncher]

So I was shocked to see that low of a rate especially in NJ

I agree, and so would all the people in this thread that are in NJ:

Best NJ Insurance Options?

Ordered my M3 (LR AWD) this week, don't have a VIN yet but thought I'd call GEICO (my current carrier) and get a quote. They want to charge me 150% more for the M3 than my 2016 Mazda. Now, I get there'd be some premium -- but going from $100 a month to $250 a month seems excessive. Anyone have...

teslamotorsclub.com

So something is up with that rate, and it's not normal. This is why taking any one anecdote on the internet as an example of what rates are in a state is basically worthless. It's like when someone says "I have full coverage" but that tells you nothing about the deductibles or limits. I personally live in a HCOL area with tons of $150k+ cars around so I wouldn't consider my state minimums to be fully covered.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

First, Tesla needs to address this issue. It's outrageous to have such an expensive Death Star vulnerability like that.
Second, my friend only pays $28 for insurance.

Don't ask why I have his insurance bill on my phone. Or why I'm talking to a camera in my car.

 

[gearchruncher]

Don't ask why I have his insurance bill on my phone. Or why I'm talking to a camera in my car.

Or why this is a screenshot of a Youtube ad and the driver isn't in a Tesla?

First, Tesla needs to address this issue. It's outrageous to have such an expensive Death Star vulnerability like that.

Yeah, and all those ICE cars need to get rid of their oil pans!
What Tesla really needs is an approved fix when it happens for less than $20K, not just fixing cars going forward. Making and approving a repair kit is not hard, lots of companies have approved methods for all sorts of repairs.

 

[Darmie]

The electrified garage repair was done because the customer did not, at that time have insurance coverage. I'm under the impression if so, he would have filed an insurance claim. I think this is an expensive fix to a simple problem. I wouldn't put it past your insurance company to contact Tesla direct to come up with a better solution. As mention by @gearchruncher Tesla needs to start finding a more reasonable method for the repair.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

This battery damage could occur with something as minor as running over a traffic cone.
Oil pan damage usually requires you to crash into a something much more substantial, like a forklift. And a repair would be 1/10 the cost so it's not really a fair analogy. I agree that they need to get a repair kit out, but also an improved shield.

Of course they may have already done that. I believe the Model 3 now comes with plastic underbody trays instead of the original paper and the OP's repair quote seems to include a plastic replacement. I wonder if OP's original tray was paper or plastic and/or if anyone else has had this happen yet with the new plastic tray which seems much stronger?

 

[gearchruncher]

This battery damage could occur with something as minor as running over a traffic cone.
Oil pan damage usually requires you to crash into a something much more substantial, like a forklift. And a repair would be 1/10 the cost so it's not really a fair analogy. I agree that they need to get a repair kit out, but also an improved shield.

What? A cone can do this? It has to rip through the fiber undershield, and then break a coolant fitting off, after making it past the front of the car? I've hit a lot of cones in my life racing cars and never once had underbody damage of any kind.

I bet everyone that has had this damage happen has hit something very hard that could have damaged any car.

And a repair would be 1/10 the cost so it's not really a fair analogy.

If you drop all the oil out of your engine, you need a new engine. If you're going to tell me that maybe you don't need a new engine, then I'll tell you that breaking a plastic nipple off a $20K battery pack doesn't mean you need a new battery pack either, which is kind of the point here. We don't replace whole engines if you break off a small part, and Tesla shouldn't be requiring that of battery packs.

I believe the Model 3 now comes with plastic underbody trays instead of the original paper

And we have no idea what year this car is, so who knows what it came with.

 

[dmurphy]

So something is up with that rate, and it's not normal. This is why taking any one anecdote on the internet as an example of what rates are in a state is basically worthless. It's like when someone says "I have full coverage" but that tells you nothing about the deductibles or limits. I personally live in a HCOL area with tons of $150k+ cars around so I wouldn't consider my state minimums to be fully covered.

I wouldn't say "something is up" but I have many, many things going in my favor ... it's pretty much a perfect storm for a great rate.

20+ year customer with the same agent. So top tier (Tier 15) with State Farm.
No tickets. Ever. For either my wife or me.
No at-fault accidents. Last claim was for $21k ~2 years ago, but was a deer incursion, so not chargeable.
Also carry homeowners and umbrella policies with same company. ($1,036 per year and $182 per year, respectively.)
HCOL area as well - Morris County is typically a top-10 county for median income. Also very low crime rates. All off-street parking.
Very good credit rating.
Married.
No driving kids in the house (yet).
Definitely not carrying minimums - you see the limits and deductibles. It's a robust policy.

So yeah, a perfect storm of things that combine to make a solid rate. Any of the above factors change, it'll change drastically.

Your point, however, is absolutely on point. It's nothing to compare against - everyone has a different situation and different factors. Even a neighbor can have a drastically different policy.

I didn't post it as a comparison or anything, but simply that there's no reason for me to consider a high deductible in my situation... that doesn't mean it doesn't make sense for others. Just that simply there's no one right answer for any of this; it's all very much personal!

 

[Jeremy3292]

This battery damage could occur with something as minor as running over a traffic cone.
Oil pan damage usually requires you to crash into a something much more substantial, like a forklift. And a repair would be 1/10 the cost so it's not really a fair analogy. I agree that they need to get a repair kit out, but also an improved shield.

Of course they may have already done that. I believe the Model 3 now comes with plastic underbody trays instead of the original paper and the OP's repair quote seems to include a plastic replacement. I wonder if OP's original tray was paper or plastic and/or if anyone else has had this happen yet with the new plastic tray which seems much stronger?

I haven’t hit anything, but can confirm the underbody of my 2021 M3LR is hard plastic. I have heard of people getting rocks or other debris inside the wheel wells and ripping a coolant hose off or some thing else that’s exposed in there though.