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Buying a Crashed Model X
- Thread starter EVOntario
- Start date
Tam
Well-Known Member
There are f-i-y gurus in this forum who can service a Tesla.
If you don't know how to fix it, I wouldn't mess around with a salvaged title because Tesla won't touch it unless you first pay around $10,000 for Tesla inspection. Additional repairs are extra. The cost of Tesla's repairs would most likely exceed the value of the car.
Tesla has been controlling its fleet very tightly. As soon as it knows that yours a salvaged title, it would disable your supercharging and refuse to sell you any part.
You have a cheaper alternative to pay for f-i-y gurus to fix it for much less but I suspect it still quite a lot of money.
Good luck!
Thanks. I've been a fan of Tesla since the Model S came out and I was also a day one reservation holder for the Model 3 but sadly there still out of my price range (especially since Ontario got rid of the 14,000 tax credit).
I was hoping this might be a way to get into a Tesla for cheaper but I guess not.
I was hoping this might be a way to get into a Tesla for cheaper but I guess not.
Yinn
Active Member
It's possible to get into one for cheaper, but it has to be a reasonable one. Some things are just easier to get/fix than others. For example, if you need a new hood, headlights, fender. Those things are readily available via ebay. But if you need subframe rails as an example, that's much more difficult. Then there's the constant part revision to deal with. I wouldn't be discouraged if you're looking for a project car; but if you're looking for a cheap and quick way to get one on the road - I'd recommend against it.
A much better way to get into these is to shop used, and shop high mileage. Tesla's trade in values on AP1s are less than half of the MSRP now. If you find a desperate enough seller it becomes obtainable and not much above what a salvaged one would sell for. I don't know what the one above is costing; but based on parts alone I doubt it's under $30k (USD) - Battery is worth $10-15k. Interior is $5-$10k assuming no major damage. All the glass is about $2-4k. All the lights are about another $1-2k. Wheels, Brakes, Suspension is worth another $3-$5k. We're over $30k based on used parts costs and we haven't touched the motors, modules, etc.
Your time is much better spent looking for a highly used car. Otherwise, get to know the 90's Honda forums. These guys have become experts at buying cars to vulture the parts they need; selling the rest of the car, rinse and repeat until they build a full working car. Sounds silly but it may very well be what you'd need to do to get the parts you'd need.
If you have to ask this question at all, YOU are not the right person for this vehicle. The right person for this vehicle already knows body work, etc and also has an "in" on getting parts for a tesla somewhere.
That person would not be asking on message boards about how hard it is to repair, as they would be able to look at it and decide themselves if they wanted to be bothered with it.
OP HARD pass on this, or you are opening yourself up for a bunch of wasted money.
M3BlueGeorgia
Active Member
That all changed about 4 months ago. Tesla now sells, non-restricted, parts regardless of the title or inspection status. They will even work on the non-HV portion of the car without an inspection. If you want them to work on the HV portion of the car you have to pay for, and pass, a HV inspection which, if I recall correctly, costs ~$550.
All of that is well and good, but I still think if someone has to ask this question on a forum, and is trying to buy it as a "cheap way to get into a tesla" they are making a huge mistake.
OPs later statement made it sound like its not a "project car" but instead OP is trying to buy a tesla for cheap:
If Model 3 is outside of the price range, I think buying a totaled model X and expecting to be able to repair it for less money than it would have been to buy a used one only works if one is doing the work themselves... and that person would not be asking how expensive it is.
OPs later statement made it sound like its not a "project car" but instead OP is trying to buy a tesla for cheap:
If Model 3 is outside of the price range, I think buying a totaled model X and expecting to be able to repair it for less money than it would have been to buy a used one only works if one is doing the work themselves... and that person would not be asking how expensive it is.
Yinn
Active Member
Is that a recent change? As far as I'm aware, they realeased a lot of parts but there's still quite a bit that are restricted.
Tam
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the update! Good news indeed! Thatt's quite a bargain! There's hope after all!
Yes, as I said it changed about 4 months ago. The policy is on their web site: Unsupported or Salvaged Vehicle Policy
The nasty portion is "When a vehicle is classified as a salvaged vehicle: Supercharging is permanently disabled." I could go for disabled until a HV inspection has been passed, and then it loses FUSC and goes to a pay-as-you-go plan, but progress has been made.
Here is the form for the inspection, dated 9/7/2018:
Yinn
Active Member
No change to the restricted parts, which are still too broadly restricted in my opinion... But a body shop should be able to get them for you. I just don't know how many Tesla certified body shops will work on salvage cars... (I know the one I normally use won't touch a salvaged car, Tesla or not.)
Yinn
Active Member
Yup, that’s exactly the problem. Even if they don’t work on them, it’s tough to convince them to get the parts for the car.
Some of it doesn’t even make sense. You can get most body panels, but the front fender is restricted. The entire rear bumper assembly is available; but a $0.10 rivet is restricted.
Please do not bother with trying to salvage a Tesla. My 1.5 week old 2018 Tesla Model X had a front-end collision and was in a San Francisco body shop over 2.5 months waiting on 1 part (left fog lamp). My car had no frame damage, all parts were replaced except one small area that was repaired. The total repair was over $16k. The Model X you've shown seems to have even more severe/structural damages. I will say from my experience, please do not attempt this route. It's an expensive, time and soul consuming process. Plain awful!!!
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Don't do it. Tesla doesn't support ANY rebuild in any shape or form. Your money saving by going with this car will quickly end in endless nightmare.
Looks like the left front air spring and/or suspension has collapsed, making it sit high at the right rear. May not be as bad as it looks.
Looking at the panel damage, it must have been a pretty slow frontal impact and a slight scrape down the left side. I presume the air bags didn't go off? If they did that would definitely be game over. But as others have said, this is not a project for someone without the necessary skill set to repair it.
