Battery cracked [Tesla claims from pothole damage]

[stopcrazypp]

Well, the only two pics showing damage are 5 and 7:
View attachment 734894
View attachment 734893
Looks to me like this 2nd pic is the front edge of the battery.

The two scratches do seem to line up, but I'm not at all sure why they would indicate off-roading? If the first contact at the leading edge were a rock, why wouldn't it leave a scratch all the way down, as opposed to half-way down the battery pack?

They are probably talking about the mud visible on the control arm here:

The front aero shield is also grimy, although it could be road grime.

I'm not sure why it matters if it's off road or not though, as the warranty doesn't cover collision damage anyways (that damage is clearly from driving over something). For example if you have a tear hole on the front aero shield, Tesla doesn't cover that either. There is a provision to cover the battery in case of a fire, even if the owner was at fault (other than purposeful damage to it), but the battery here didn't catch on fire, so that part doesn't apply here.

The back damage looks fairly cosmetic to me, the second picture showing the front damage looks more serious as there seems to be a crack, which would need to be sealed. Ideally the pack is disassembled to see if there is any internal damage. Actually the bottom plate looks fairly thick to me, clearly not just thin sheet metal. Whatever item the car hit, lobbed off a decent sized piece. Others have also scrapped the bottom and the damage looks largely cosmetic. The weak part actually isn't the pack plate thickness, it's the front coolant couplings, combined with a regular fabric-like front aero shield. The pack itself can be totally fine but if you damage those coolant couplings the official repair is to replace the whole pack (that's also where the whole $700 controversy came).

Scraped the bottom of my model 3 last night :(

 

[P3dStealth]

Such a small amount of damage = $17,000.

The cyber truck is going to need a titanium plate over the whole battery or something.

 

[Gauss Guzzler]

I'll admit that I was being facetious with my duct tape suggestion in the beginning but now that I see the full extent of the damage I can actually suggest duct tape with sincerity.

What exactly is the problem you're trying to fix? Cars get scratched up all the time, especially on the bottom. I'd bet that there was just some debris on the road that you thought you straddled safely and didn't realize that it hit. Just glob some RTV over that little crack so the battery doesn't fill up with water in a flood and call it good.

 

[Tranquil Rage]

They are probably talking about the mud visible on the control arm here:
View attachment 734927

The front aero shield is also grimy, although it could be road grime.
View attachment 734928

I'm not sure why it matters if it's off road or not though, as the warranty doesn't cover collision damage anyways (that damage is clearly from driving over something). For example if you have a tear hole on the front aero shield, Tesla doesn't cover that either. There is a provision to cover the battery in case of a fire, even if the owner was at fault (other than purposeful damage to it), but the battery here didn't catch on fire, so that part doesn't apply here.

The back damage looks fairly cosmetic to me, the second picture showing the front damage looks more serious as there seems to be a crack, which would need to be sealed. Ideally the pack is disassembled to see if there is any internal damage. Actually the bottom plate looks fairly thick to me, clearly not just thin sheet metal. Whatever item the car hit, lobbed off a decent sized piece. Others have also scrapped the bottom and the damage looks largely cosmetic. The weak part actually isn't the pack plate thickness, it's the front coolant couplings, combined with a regular fabric-like front aero shield. The pack itself can be totally fine but if you damage those coolant couplings the official repair is to replace the whole pack (that's also where the whole $700 controversy came).

Scraped the bottom of my model 3 last night :(

That looks like the sway bar and that doesn't look like mud; more like corrosion from the powder coating getting chipped off and exposing the bare steel. The oily front aero shield could also be caused by a leaking axle seal, drive unit oil filter leak, and/or drive unit oil pump leak. This vehicle does not look like it's ever been offroad. I also think that the marks on the battery pack look relatively minor/cosmetic at first glance, but I suppose that the deflection of the outer casing could theoretically have damaged one or more of the cells and the battery is now a fire hazard risk.

 

[ry-ballz]

It's obvious something hit it. I'm not sure what you'd expect them to do.

On road or off road, it doesn't actually matter. The vehicle collided with something, that caused damage. That's exactly what insurance is for.

 

[stopcrazypp]

That looks like the sway bar and that doesn't look like mud; more like corrosion from the powder coating getting chipped off and exposing the bare steel. The oily front aero shield could also be caused by a leaking axle seal, drive unit oil filter leak, and/or drive unit oil pump leak. This vehicle does not look like it's ever been offroad.

I don't think it really matters either way. Not sure why the OP and Tesla is so focused on this part given it's irrelevant to whether there is warranty coverage.

I also think that the marks on the battery pack look relatively minor/cosmetic at first glance, but I suppose that the deflection of the outer casing could theoretically have damaged one or more of the cells and the battery is now a fire hazard risk.

Yes, that is one worry, which is why I said ideally the pack is disassembled to see if there is any internal damage (with the caveat this obviously isn't standard Tesla procedure, they just replace the whole pack if there is any question, they don't have any procedures that specify repairing of packs in the field). The other one is the crack may allow contaminants to enter the pack. If it's going to take a while to resolve and car would continue to be used, the crack needs to be sealed.

 

[zigmeister]

I would file an insurance claim. I know a guy who hit road debris and it damaged his battery. $20k charge and a few weeks later new battery covered. Pay the deductible and assume you have full coverage.

These photos could be of almost any car under carriage. But if Tesla is putting in writing road damage the insurance company will have someone look at it to. First an adjuster who will likely have it go to Tesla or another shop to verify that knows EVs. It’s why you pay a sh&t load of money for insurance. Use it.

They might total it and you can get a new car or get a new battery.

Something doesn’t sound right if you haven’t contacted your insurance. Talking with Tesla service is an utter waste of time.

 

[nativewolf]

I am completely perplexed...driver hit something. This is indisputable. Damage is so so minor. Seal it up and keep driving or pay. You want to fix something caused by your own driving practices then pay for it.