SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
So.. in... let's say 2025, when this car is worth... $18k on a good day... and sustains $18k in damage... we end up with a lot of good used parts?
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Body shops take advantage when they work with Tesla's, there are many areas where there is only 1 authorized shop to work on Tesla's and that allows them to gouge and play with the customers in any possible way.
Part are expensive, labor is insane and sometimes it feels I'm in the wrong business.
My insurance didn't renew after they paid ~$20000 for a minor repair with no aluminum damage, still took 6 weeks and it could have taken longer if I didn't call Tesla and the body shop almost every day to speed up the work and parts. Now I'm paying almost double the insurance rate and no insurance company wants to insure me as I'm considered high risk (damage wasn't my fault, hit a coyote head on).
Body shop tried to cheat and increase price by charging for parts that shouldn't have been replaced (left headlight and few others) and not actually replacing them. I went onto pick my car and noticed it and kept quiet (took pictures of the old supposedly replaced headlight) as I wanted to notify the insurance company of the that and when they showed no interest in my findings, I confronted them and they gave me the stupidest excuse in the book that they actually forgot to replace the headlight before returning the car to me.
I can only imagine what else was inflated on that invoice that the insurance company had to pay. I've notified Tesla a bunch of times about the experience, they simply can't do much.
If I could have bought the parts myself, I'm quite sure the bill would have been no more than $3-4000 for both parts and labor.
When a scratch like yours cost almost as to what a new entry level car costs, something is terribly wrong on every level.
Tesla repairs and service is the N1 thing to consider when my next car will be purchased, despite the fact that I want to leave gas in the past, I can't afford to pay $3000 per year for insurance and be blacklisted by insurers, because I own a Tesla.
Part are expensive, labor is insane and sometimes it feels I'm in the wrong business.
My insurance didn't renew after they paid ~$20000 for a minor repair with no aluminum damage, still took 6 weeks and it could have taken longer if I didn't call Tesla and the body shop almost every day to speed up the work and parts. Now I'm paying almost double the insurance rate and no insurance company wants to insure me as I'm considered high risk (damage wasn't my fault, hit a coyote head on).
Body shop tried to cheat and increase price by charging for parts that shouldn't have been replaced (left headlight and few others) and not actually replacing them. I went onto pick my car and noticed it and kept quiet (took pictures of the old supposedly replaced headlight) as I wanted to notify the insurance company of the that and when they showed no interest in my findings, I confronted them and they gave me the stupidest excuse in the book that they actually forgot to replace the headlight before returning the car to me.
I can only imagine what else was inflated on that invoice that the insurance company had to pay. I've notified Tesla a bunch of times about the experience, they simply can't do much.
If I could have bought the parts myself, I'm quite sure the bill would have been no more than $3-4000 for both parts and labor.
When a scratch like yours cost almost as to what a new entry level car costs, something is terribly wrong on every level.
Tesla repairs and service is the N1 thing to consider when my next car will be purchased, despite the fact that I want to leave gas in the past, I can't afford to pay $3000 per year for insurance and be blacklisted by insurers, because I own a Tesla.
SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
Agreed, very messed up.
I was rear-ended, the other party took full responsibility, while my insurance did not go up, when I tried to switch every insurance carier told me that since I was in an accident (even though I was not at fault) my new rates would be higher...
HankLloydRight
No Roads
That's because you had the audacity to be in such a location at that time that put the insurance company's assets at risk. How dare you???
Xpress
Member
I also have damage to my rear 1/4 panel. The tesla recommended repair shop quoted me $4800 for the fix. They said that the panel can be repaired and repainted. It does not need to be replaced. The Geico estimate was only $1500 for the repair at a much cheaper labor rate of $40/hr vs $125/hr at the tesla recommended repair shop.
I am considering paying for it myself rather than claiming it thru Geico. I AM SCARED OF A LARGE PRICE HIKE (eg >$600/yr) TO MY AUTO INSURANCE. Currently I pay $2000/yr for 3 cars with very good coverage.
I'd like to get opinions if I should pay out of pocket for it or let Geico handle it ?
I am considering paying for it myself rather than claiming it thru Geico. I AM SCARED OF A LARGE PRICE HIKE (eg >$600/yr) TO MY AUTO INSURANCE. Currently I pay $2000/yr for 3 cars with very good coverage.
I'd like to get opinions if I should pay out of pocket for it or let Geico handle it ?
Super_Popular
Well-Known Member
Pay out of pocket. If you let Geico handle it it will show up as a claim when you try to switch companies. No matter if it's your fault or not if an insurance company has a hefty pay out it's counted against you.
Often times even just getting a quote through an insurance company is enough for it to get marked as an accident on your record and increase your rates.
Had same experience
I had the same thing happen. Damaged rear quarter panel in late Dec. Tesla shop said they could work with me to repair it - $3800. They said, if they went through insurance, typically the insurance company would want the panel replaced, and then the cost would be in the $9k range. I paid out of pocket. My logic was I'd save the insurance for something more major which hopefully won't happen. And there are places I don't drive the car now because I don't want to take the risk. Btw, the shop did an excellent job. Also I did look around for other shops, but gave up after a few (unsuccessful) tries
I had the same thing happen. Damaged rear quarter panel in late Dec. Tesla shop said they could work with me to repair it - $3800. They said, if they went through insurance, typically the insurance company would want the panel replaced, and then the cost would be in the $9k range. I paid out of pocket. My logic was I'd save the insurance for something more major which hopefully won't happen. And there are places I don't drive the car now because I don't want to take the risk. Btw, the shop did an excellent job. Also I did look around for other shops, but gave up after a few (unsuccessful) tries
KenN
Member
kevincwelch
Active Member
Reading this thread saddens me...again. This is potentially a huge issue for the Model 3. Mainstream America will be pushing their limits to afford it and its insurance costs.
I just finished dealing with a "hit and run" that involved my driver's side quarter panel. Luckily, a PDR team was able to restore it. The bill was $1380, including some labor from Tesla. I shudder to think of what it would have cost to have this repaired at an authorized repair shop. Since Illinois is a "no fault" state, my rates (21st C) would have gone up as well. I'm paying about $1600/y for two cars (Highlander, MS).
I just finished dealing with a "hit and run" that involved my driver's side quarter panel. Luckily, a PDR team was able to restore it. The bill was $1380, including some labor from Tesla. I shudder to think of what it would have cost to have this repaired at an authorized repair shop. Since Illinois is a "no fault" state, my rates (21st C) would have gone up as well. I'm paying about $1600/y for two cars (Highlander, MS).
That'll buff out!
Some body shops will and can repair some dents, deforms, and deep scratches without buying a new chunk of sheet metal, as long as they know how to work with it. The problem is that some body shops really aren't body shops anymore -- they're "replace the panel and repaint" shops.
If the aluminum is physically torn, though, sorry Charlie - out of luck. It *can* be rewelded but the labor to remove, straighten everything out, weld the aluminum, shape it, reinstall, and repaint is almost always more expensive than new sheet metal.
green1
Active Member
I have found the vast majority of shops are this way now. In fact, I have been completely unable to find any body shop in my area that does any metal work any more. There are now 2 classes of body shop around here, PDR (paintless dent repair) that can deal with very minor blemishes that don't need re-painting (they usually specialize in hail damage) and "body shops" that do nothing other than replace panels. All of the damage I have seen on this thread requires the later, and I doubt I'd ever find any shop around here that would do any of it without costing insane money.
My last vehicle was a mini-van and had a dent in the roof (mechanic hoisted it in to something on his shop ceiling!) it had cracked the paint so PDR wouldn't touch it, but it was still just a dent. No shop would do anything other than replace the roof (at roughly the same cost as the value of the vehicle). This made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I ended up doing it myself instead, but I'm not a body guy, so it was far from perfect, I just pounded it out from the inside until it was mostly flat, sanded off the paint cracks/creases, and found a spray can of about the same colour, I'm sure a skilled shop could have done a much better job, but with their refusal to do any metal work, they priced themselves out of the market.
Honestly, this is the correct move for weight reduction. Except to the extent that body panels have a crash-safety element, they might as well be plastic. Replacing plastic parts can be pretty damn expensive too, but not this expensive.
green1
Active Member
People always say plastic will be much more expensive because it can't be repaired and has to be replaced instead. But as long as that's what body shops are actually doing anyway, it's the way to go.
KenN
Member
For the record ...
a) above comment was completely tongue in cheek - you know, just in case anyone thought otherwise.
b) wife has been given notice that she will not be driving the Tesla again, under any circumstances!
For whatever it's worth, in my case the body shop (at the insurance company's request) did first attempt to repair the dent without replacing the panel.
I didn't see the result (the body shop is 100 or so miles away), but apparently the adjuster agreed it was not satisfactory, because authorization to proceed with the more expensive repair was quickly given.
Rebel44
Member
KenN
Member
She was pulling onto a main road from a driveway. Turned too early and clipped a concrete curb. While that seems innocent enough, the part that really grinds my gears is that she continued forward after the first impact - you can see along the rear door where the scrub starts - and kept driving and turning until the rear wheel was buried into the curb and the car was suspended by that damaged bit of bodywork. In my world, when you hear a grinding sound from outside the car, you bloody well STOP!
