Costly Memorial Day per Tesla

[nawsteph]

Car: 2022 MYP with 20,618 miles. Looks shiny because of PPF.
Background: Visiting my son in Watertown, MA. Car parked on a quiet street next to his house. Apparently, a parade was scheduled and the next street was blocked. A 17-year old diving on that street decided to make a u-turn and backed into my car. We were outside and noticed the accident as it happened. I got to talk to the 17-year old (he apologized repeatedly, "stressed out") and then to his father. Both were extremely cooperative in providing information.
Long story short, a couple of dents on the front and rear left doors, which I thought would be 1-2 K to fix. A Tesla-approved body shop in the Boston area is currently doing the work for an initial estimate of $9,465.39 (not sure if this includes PPF replacement) and 3 weeks to finish. This will cost me $0, unless the PPF is not included, because of a deductible waiver on my policy.
Reason for posting: more data about the cost of an apparently small Tesla accident. Please make sure you have good insurance if you buy a Tesla.

 

[el-guapin]

Sorry this happened to You. THNX 4 sharing.

 

[ngng]

10k? That’s nuts. That’s almost 1/5 of the price of the car

 

[DBC-]

Two "new" doors, paint, blending in the new paint to existing, hanging the doors, aligning them, making sure the door electronics work and then all the shop overhead in a very high cost of living area. Plus PPF. Lots of labor and man-hours there. Most of the bill will be labor. Not shocked if there's 25 hours of labor in that at $300/hour.

 

[gtae07]

10k? That’s nuts. That’s almost 1/5 of the price of the car

I bet insurance jobs like these get ridiculously inflated because it's insurance and they'll pay. Doesn't help our premiums and makes it real hard to find someone to do non-insurance or custom work (because the money isn't there).

I think if it were my car and everything still worked right (and no wind noise/leak issues) I'd be sorely tempted to ask for the cash, and maybe fix it myself or just leave it. But I'm probably an outlier there.

 

[mreynolds767]

Not to make this potentially even costlier for the insurance company ; but does an owner have any right to a diminished value claim in situations like this as the car will have an accident reported which could negatively affect the resale value.
I have heard of this but never actually been in this situation.

 

[Darmie]

but does an owner have any right to a diminished value claim in situations like this as the car will have an accident reported which could negatively affect the resale value.

Each state may be different.

What is a Diminished Value Claim?​

A diminished value claim is a type of insurance claim that seeks to compensate a policyholder for the loss in value of their vehicle after it has been damaged in an accident. This type of claim is based on the premise that a car’s value decreases after it has been involved in a collision, even if it has been repaired to its original condition.

For example, if a car is worth $20,000 before an accident and is then repaired at $5,000, the car may still have a diminished value because it was involved in an accident. As the owner of the car, you are legally entitled to a diminished value claim for the difference between the pre-accident value of the car and its post-accident value.

To pursue a diminished value claim, a policyholder must typically provide evidence of the pre-accident value of their vehicle and the decrease in value due to the accident. This can be done through the use of appraisal reports or other documentation.

Not all insurance policies cover diminished value claims, so it is vital to review your policy or contact your insurance provider to determine if you are covered for this type of claim.