Bumper Repair

[wendel]

My wife ran back into a column while driving our MX today. She swears she didn't hear the sensors warn her that the car was about to hit anything. She took it to the Tesla service and asked them to check why / if the car didn't make any noise. Normally it warns us to the inch inside of 3 feet. The service guy tried and noticed that the sensor was muted (neither of us knew that the feature existed so if we turned it off it was an accident). So he turned in on and it worked. Then later he noticed that the sensor was on mute again but nobody had touched in the meantime. So he has taken the logs and is going to check to see if there is anything wrong.


Has anybody else had this experience. The initial repair estimate is $15k and the shop needs it for 45 days!

 

[Derek Kessler]

That's outrageous. I had to do some repair after a minor run-in between the back of a truck and a door left the door panel on my Model S dented and scraped — ran $2500 and took a week, much of it waiting, I suspect.

It's worth noting that aluminum is harder and thus takes long and is more expensive to repair. You have the misfortune of having damaged a part of the body that's been welded to the frame, making it more difficult to repair.

45 days is ludicrous, though. I'd double check how much of that is just waiting time and if you can make an appointment to bring it in when they'll have availability. And maybe check if there are any Tesla-authorized body shops around you can take it directly to instead.

 

[wendel]

Ok. I might have got it wrong about it turning off a second time but still trying to figure out how it went off. My wife couldn't figure out how to do it even after the Tesla rep found it. I don't think he initially knew that feature existed.

Yes Derek 45 days is ludicrous. The repair service wants to take it before the part is order so that we don't flake out and not return. We are going to try a couple more places tomorrow. We're in Los Angeles so we have a few shops to check out.

 

[ABCD]

Ok. I might have got it wrong about it turning off a second time but still trying to figure out how it went off. My wife couldn't figure out how to do it even after the Tesla rep found it. I don't think he initially knew that feature existed.

Yes Derek 45 days is ludicrous. The repair service wants to take it before the part is order so that we don't flake out and not return. We are going to try a couple more places tomorrow. We're in Los Angeles so we have a few shops to check out.

You can turn Parking Chimes On/Off under Controls - Settings - Safety and Security I believe. It's still going to show you distance & Yellow -Red on the Dash, but some people like to turn the chimes off

 

[vandacca]

Yes, I figured out how to turn these chimes off very quickly. When I hook up my hitch-mounted bike rack, the sensors go off all the time, so I've had to turn them off (very annoying). I haven't heard of them shutting themselves off, so it should be interesting to see what Tesla discovers.

@wendel sending you a personal message...

 

[Lbkmxp100d]

My wife ran back into a column while driving our MX today. She swears she didn't hear the sensors warn her that the car was about to hit anything. She took it to the Tesla service and asked them to check why / if the car didn't make any noise. Normally it warns us to the inch inside of 3 feet. The service guy tried and noticed that the sensor was muted (neither of us knew that the feature existed so if we turned it off it was an accident). So he turned in on and it worked. Then later he noticed that the sensor was on mute again but nobody had touched in the meantime. So he has taken the logs and is going to check to see if there is anything wrong.


Has anybody else had this experience. The initial repair estimate is $15k and the shop needs it for 45 days!

15k is ridiculous! There is no way the repair should be anywhere remotely close to 15k. From pic all the need to be done is new rear bumper and paint. Who quoted you this?

 

[Lbkmxp100d]

Sorry, just noticed it got some of the metal body too. Obviously going to need some metal work but still something any repeatable body shop can do at a reasonable price.

 

[wendel]

Sorry, just noticed it got some of the metal body too. Obviously going to need some metal work but still something any repeatable body shop can do at a reasonable price.

Ya. Based in Los Angeles so we have a few options for repairs so at least a consensus can be had. Getting more quotes soon and I'll update the thread for posterity. I've been out of town while this happened so I'm relying on my wife for the information but it sounds like replacing this part is complicated because it's aluminum and not steel/plastic. I think this is also why AirStream repairs are so expensive.

Personally I was hoping this part could be salvaged because I don't need it to be perfect (not leasing). I could tolerate small imperfections

 

[gfb107]

I had the following damage repaired for under $3000

Might not be obvious, but there was a crease in the quarter panel, so once the metal work was completed the entire panel had to be painted. The entire bumper was replaced

 

[bushburner]

these pics bring tears to my eyes

 

[K-MTG]

What is the cost of the bumper repair? On my Acura the plastic bumper cost $1500 to replace, probably 5x more for the Tesla.

 

[gfb107]

these pics bring tears to my eyes

I was an emotional wreck for quite a while.

 

[chillaban]

Pressing the left steering wheel button in during a parking chime will mute it as well. But at any rate, don't rely on parking chimes for detecting thin obstructions. Easy to say in hindsight, but always look carefully behind you and recognize that parking sensors are just an aid.

 

[paulrbrown]

Has anybody else had this experience. The initial repair estimate is $15k and the shop needs it for 45 days!

No idea about the $15k, but the 45 days may turn out to be a low-ball estimate. Our X needed a front bumper wrap and trim piece replaced, and we were able to delay taking the car in for repair for the nearly FOUR MONTHS that it took to obtain the default set of parts (bumper wrap, some supports, trim piece, etc.). Parts received and the car taken apart by a certified shop, it turns out that there's a duct piece (1050223-00-D) that was damaged behind the bumper, and we've been waiting THREE WEEKS with no ETA and no information about the availability or whereabouts of the part.

Beware! My advice would be to see if you can get the body shop to order any conceivable part that may be necessary to complete the repair before you give the car to them. Parts appear to be sufficiently scarce that they or you should have no trouble re-selling any that turn out to be unnecessary.

 

[gfb107]

I got the repair estimate on 12/21, dropped off the car on 1/18, and got it back on 2/1.

Here's my invoice, for anyone that's interested in the details. The part prices were quite low.

 

[paulrbrown]

I got the repair estimate on 12/21, dropped off the car on 1/18, and got it back on 2/1.

You're a lucky (wo)man! I'm suspicious that front-end issues are more variable than read-end issues due to likely changes in hardware and layout between AP1 and AP2, but only someone with up to date repair documentation would know for sure.

 

[gfb107]

The OP has considerably more damage to the quarter panel than I did, and the tail light assembly might need replacing.

Assuming 5x the body labor that mine had, it would be around $7K.

But if the labor rates are 50% higher, it would be around $10K

$15K definitely seems excessive

 

[JamesBLondon]

I got the repair estimate on 12/21, dropped off the car on 1/18, and got it back on 2/1.

Here's my invoice, for anyone that's interested in the details. The part prices were quite low.
View attachment 213159

Hey! This is great - do you know which part is the black plastic below the reflector and cost? I have a small hole (tow bar)....Thanks!!

 

[xyeahtony]

$15k? don't you have comprehensive coverage on your insurance plan?

 

[banned-66611]

Pressing the left steering wheel button in during a parking chime will mute it as well. But at any rate, don't rely on parking chimes for detecting thin obstructions. Easy to say in hindsight, but always look carefully behind you and recognize that parking sensors are just an aid.

Well that's batshit insane user interface. Why would you want to make something people rely on when reversing so easy to accidentally turn off right at the moment they need it the most?