Welcome to Tesla Motors Club
Discuss Tesla's Model S, Model 3, Model X, Model Y, Cybertruck, Roadster and More.
Register

Body shop damaging the battery

This site may earn commission on affiliate links.
So a while back, I was rear-ended while stopped in my Model X at an intersection, while an ambulance tried to cross. The damage was relatively minor, but given that the bumper contains a lot of tech, my insurance estimated the repair at 70 hours of labour. Since there wasn't a "Tesla certified" body shop nearby, I was sent to a body show that is currently "in the process of" certification by Tesla.

Well, it's now been over 50 days since this body shop has had my vehicle. Not only are they 3 weeks over on their repair timeframe, they left my Tesla unplugged and outside in the bitter cold of winter over the holidays. The battery fully discharged to 0%, stayed like that for a few days, and then I lost connectivity through the app. The car stood in temperatures averaging -20 C (-4 F) for a week and a half, fully discharged. When they got back to work after New Year's, they had to pop the frunk and jump the secondary battery. I had warned them several times about the risks of fully discharging the battery. To make matters worse, a week later, they did the EXACT same thing!

I'm very worried that they've damaged the battery on my less than one year old Tesla. I've tried contacting Tesla Support, but so far the only helpful thing they've said is they can run diagnostics on the battery, remotely. I haven't been able to get any further reply more about this (i.e. what data they would get, etc.). I've also contacted an attorney, and am exploring seeking damages.

I'm wondering whether anyone has had a similar experience? Or more importantly, how can I determine the battery's health? I'm also worried that any potential damage might not show up right away, but only become apparent months or even years down the road.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance.
 
I’m also in a similar situation with my new Tesla. Completely discharged for 6 weeks and counting despite my asking them many times to charge it.

I’m surprised how few threads there are about this. If anyone gets more info please let us know. I still don’t have her back yet, and it may be another month waiting on parts.
 
Write to the body shop an email (it is important to write not to call so there is digital copy of whatever you said)
warning them that due to full discharge of 12V battery they are now obliged
to install a new 12V battery or you will not accept body repairs due to damage to other vehicle components
(12V battery will always be damaged if discharged below 30% for extended period (more than a week).
It is very important you do NOT sign acceptance report, even if bodywork is done perfectly (and you want your car today ASAP etc).
Also warn them that if they keep HV battery at 0% for weeks there is a risk of HV battery failure (it will not recharge).
If they can recharge HV battery after repairs then do not worry. Li-ion batteries do not suffer from degradation due to
low state of charge.
The only failure mode is when any cell has a voltage below safe acceptable, BMS will not allow recharge.

12V battery will degrade with 100% probability. Do NOT accept the vehicle without 12V battery replacement.
Li-ion battery will not degrade excessively (normal shelf life degradation expected) if BMS disables pack and
cells stay above minimum charge voltage.