Brand new M3P rear-ended, question on possible damage

[Aviator Peter]

Got my new blue M3P, looks and performs great. Not 3 weeks later, while stopped at a light, got hit pretty substantially from the rear. The back bumper shows damage, the underneath trim piece popped out and the sides of the bumper popped out a little from the rest of the body. The hit was low. No alerts or messages and the car drives fine. No visible damage to trunk door or operation or internally. Reported to insurance and I secured a time with the Tesla body shop in Boston. My question is, what additional damage might there be? I am trying to get a feel for how bad this will be but don't know much about these cars or what is back there. Is this a simple bumper and trim replacement or could it be really bad? I want to be effective in dealing with the insurance companies right from the start so any experiences or tips would be much appreciated.

 

[afadeev]

Got my new blue M3P, looks and performs great. Not 3 weeks later, while stopped at a light, got hit pretty substantially from the rear.

Sorry to hear that.
It happens.

The back bumper shows damage, the underneath trim piece popped out and the sides of the bumper popped out a little from the rest of the body. The hit was low. No alerts or messages and the car drives fine. No visible damage to trunk door or operation or internally. Reported to insurance and I secured a time with the Tesla body shop in Boston. My question is, what additional damage might there be? I am trying to get a feel for how bad this will be but don't know much about these cars or what is back there. Is this a simple bumper and trim replacement or could it be really bad?

Pictures?
Short answer - it doesn't matter. Your body shop will figure this out and negotiate repairs with your insurance company.

I want to be effective in dealing with the insurance companies right from the start so any experiences or tips would be much appreciated.

You should NOT be dealing with the insurance company. At all.
Your Tesla-authorized body shop should be managing all interactions, on your behalf. If they are refusing to do that part of the job, find another body shop.

There is no way for you to be fully informed on the extent of the damage and proper list of repair parts, unless you have a lift in your garage and are comfortable taking the car apart yourself. Which you are clearly not, else you won't be posting these questions here.

The only way you want this to proceed is to have a trusted body shop handle the process competently, on your behalf.

Good luck,
a

 

[jay1122]

If it was me, I would go after the other side's insurance for the claim if it is a decent size company. Repair, rental and diminished value. Find a certified tesla body shop. If it is in their network, it will be a lot easier since they will agree with the shop's estimate automatically. You could use your own insurance and then subrogate. And then pursue the diminished value claim against the other insurance after repair. Honestly, just a typical rear end accident.

 

[Unclepaul]

Your body shop will present an estimate to the insurance company.

After they remove the bumper cover and other damaged components they will inspect for additional damage. If found they will again get clearance from the insurance company to effect a proper repair.

No way to predict what additional damage might be there until they get into it.

 

[Aviator Peter]

I dealt with my insurance company because the impact tweaked my back, which has had past problems, and I was in a lot of pain so was brought by ambulance to the hospital to be evaluated. Fortunately that all turned out okay. Some muscle relaxants and I am fine, even a couple days later.

For something like this, is there really significant diminished value? Is this something I need to lean on the insurance companies for?

Also while I would prefer to use the Tesla shop, they moved my appointment out to a month from now. Will the insurance company require that I get a sooner look at it? There seem to be mixed opinions on Tesla authorized shops. The appraiser will come to my house next Tuesday to have a look.

 

[Randy-12]

IMHO if you managed to need a ride to the hospital and your back was tweaked you had more than a little love tap.

It is more than likely more than just cosmetic damage done to your car.

 

[Aviator Peter]

Is there an event recorder which would log the severity of an impact?

 

[afadeev]

I dealt with my insurance company because the impact tweaked my back

You should ALWAYS deal with your insurance company first.
Its incentives are 100% aligned with yours. That, plus they have the experience, the time, and the lawyers to work on your behalf. That is precisely what you've been paying them for all these years!
Unlike the other party's insurance company, whose incentives are to delay, distract, deny as much as possible.

For something like this, is there really significant diminished value? Is this something I need to lean on the insurance companies for?

Diminished Value (DV) claim are a grey area, unless your state has them codified. MA does:

Diminished Value Claims in Massachusetts | DVCHECK

Massachusetts is a diminished value state. Legally, you can seek diminished value compensation for your car’s loss in resale value due to an accident.

www.dvcheck.com

Yes, DV is real.
Any vehicle with accident history is worth less than identical one without, simply due to the risk that it wasn't repaired correctly and competently.

Also while I would prefer to use the Tesla shop, they moved my appointment out to a month from now. Will the insurance company require that I get a sooner look at it? There seem to be mixed opinions on Tesla authorized shops. The appraiser will come to my house next Tuesday to have a look.

1. Work with your insurance company, and follow their guidance.
2. You may not have a choice, since Tesla refuses to sell parts to non-certified Tesla shops.
3. Yeas, Tesla certified shops are far and few between, and have extended wait times that are counted in months, not days.
   1. This also allows them to over-charge for the repairs.
   2. This also yields higher insurance costs to the owners.
4. Yes, this sucks, but is all part of Tesla ownership.

Is there an event recorder which would log the severity of an impact?

There is, but you won't get access to it easily. Ultimately, it doesn't matter.

HTH,
a

 

[Aviator Peter]

I asked the question of Tesla service and their reply was that there is always hidden damage and it will be discovered when the vehicle is disassembled. The insurance appraisers can only assess external damage then the shop will work with the insurer to deal with what cannot be seen from their basic visual inspection.

 

[Aviator Peter]

As a data point, the insurance appraiser put it in at $1149. It will be another month before it gets into the Tesla shop then we can see what it ends up being. I have a hard time believing the cost will be anywhere near this.

 

[THEbuz]

Got my new blue M3P, looks and performs great. Not 3 weeks later, while stopped at a light, got hit pretty substantially from the rear. The back bumper shows damage, the underneath trim piece popped out and the sides of the bumper popped out a little from the rest of the body. The hit was low. No alerts or messages and the car drives fine. No visible damage to trunk door or operation or internally. Reported to insurance and I secured a time with the Tesla body shop in Boston. My question is, what additional damage might there be? I am trying to get a feel for how bad this will be but don't know much about these cars or what is back there. Is this a simple bumper and trim replacement or could it be really bad? I want to be effective in dealing with the insurance companies right from the start so any experiences or tips would be much appreciated.

Almost nothing about TSLA is “simple”.