Does this quarter panel look repairable?

[roblab]

There is some ins and outs and stretching in the wheel arch area. Not just a dent that can be pulled or popped. You probably would not want a body filler build up job done?

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with body filler. It can be done well. It can be done on aluminum. Outside of the fact that it can be done cheaply and poorly, the shop I used had experience with aluminum and did the best they could -- and then used bondo. If one did not know, it is hard to find any clue. Matching the paint is more critical, but any good body shop will do it right. The main difference is cost, and everyone knows that Tesla's prices on parts is breath taking.

 

[calvinl0724]

Personally, I don't see anything wrong with body filler. It can be done well. It can be done on aluminum. Outside of the fact that it can be done cheaply and poorly, the shop I used had experience with aluminum and did the best they could -- and then used bondo. If one did not know, it is hard to find any clue. Matching the paint is more critical, but any good body shop will do it right. The main difference is cost, and everyone knows that Tesla's prices on parts is breath taking.

Personally I am open with a body filler job done well. Hell, worst case it failed miserably and I will get the whole thing replaced.
How do you guys go about finding a good body shop that does this? Google?

 

[calvinl0724]

View attachment 194231 I have a similar dent in my rear driver side door / rear quarter panel. A woman opened her door into my car as I passed by on a narrow street I got the estimate today from a certified Tesla shop: $6k.

I can't believe myself but 6k from a certified shop even sounds cheap to me now. Out of curiosity, how do they propose fixing your quarter panel? I assume they are *not* going to replace it?

 

[Skipdd]

I can't believe myself but 6k from a certified shop even sounds cheap to me now. Out of curiosity, how do they propose fixing your quarter panel? I assume they are *not* going to replace it?

Definitely not replacing for $6k. I too damaged right rear qtr panel. Replacing costs $10-12k. The part itself costs $8k if I remember correctly. It's not just the rear, it extends up above the window and is also riveted to the car in the trunk area. Its a major part replacement. I scraped mine and there was some deformation around the wheel. The cost to repair was $3800.

 

[TaoJones]

Was told $12K by a body shop to replace the rear quarter as well. Fortunately, I was there for a panel (factory) misalignment estimate and not damage.

Do we have for-sure confirmation that the Model 3 panels will be steel or at least not aluminum? I remember an assumption of steel but some speculation for other materials...

Steel would mean I could park next to cars again without risking an aneurysm .

 

[gerti]

Be sure to look up a local paintless dent repair shop and ask for an opinion. Some of these guys can perform miracles.

 

[Btr_ftw]

paintless dent can make that look great, follow up with a good body guy that can take over from there in terms of painting and possibly minor body filler.

 

[jfoxny]

I can't believe myself but 6k from a certified shop even sounds cheap to me now. Out of curiosity, how do they propose fixing your quarter panel? I assume they are *not* going to replace it?

The door and rear quarter panel will be repaired. The mirror housing which was also damaged will be replaced.

 

[Mike K]

A paintless guy likely won't touch that as there are several creases and it's at an edge. Creasing and being and bending at an edge are the two paintless dent repair no-nos. That is 99.9% in need of a replacement. I doubt you'll find any reputable body shops willing to flatten and fill it.

Doesn't insurance cover this? For a car this expensive I'd just shell out the deductible and call it a day.

 

[shokunin]

A paintless guy likely won't touch that as there are several creases and it's at an edge. Creasing and being and bending at an edge are the two paintless dent repair no-nos. That is 99.9% in need of a replacement. I doubt you'll find any reputable body shops willing to flatten and fill it.

Doesn't insurance cover this? For a car this expensive I'd just shell out the deductible and call it a day.

+1 to this. The hard crease by the rear door line profile is a very difficult to get out as the aluminum looks stretched. Use your insurance and get it fixed properly, that's why you pay the premiums.

The rear quarter panel is not a bolt on part like the front fender, bumper, or even the hood. The rear quarter is welded into the frame and extends into the interior door jamb up to the roof line down the hatch to the rear of the car. Aluminum welds need to be cut, quarter panel needs to be installed and aligned and re-welded by a qualified aluminum welder.

Most tesla shops charge super high labor rates as they need to go through all that training to be certified.

The hard part will be driving without your Tesla for a while. After your insurance adjuster gets an estimate have the shop order the quarter panel as there can be a long lead time for parts.

 

[calvinl0724]

Thank you all for your input guys. Sorry for the silence. Here's an update: after learning from several sources (here included) that this is not repairable, I went ahead and got it fixed through a certified shop using insurance. The process was a pleasant surprise: they were able to source the part, get the damage adjusted by the insurance company and finish the repairing in a total of less than 3 weeks.
Very quality work as well, I will take a picture if anyone wants to see.

Thanks again all!

 

[ArtInCT]

Calvin, that is great news. Which shop did you use if I may ask?
The reason I am interested, is that I have read about some instances where Tesla parts seem to be made out of "Unobtainium"...
Glad yours was NOT!
On the road again! Nice.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Yeah, I'm also interested in which local shop you used, "just in case".

 

[lolachampcar]

I'm interested in the net bill...... When I dealt with a similar amount of damage many years ago, RR quarters were running over $20K to replace.

 

[calvinl0724]

Apologies for the silence guys. Obviously I should check TMC more often. ..
For those of you interested, I used Precision Auto Works in Queens. Ask for Chris if you ever (god forbids) find yourself having to call them about your damaged Model S/X. They did great work and were very responsive throughout the repair, and also sent me regular updates with pictures. For those of you interested in the bill, like I said the total was between 10-12k. PM me if you want the details.

 

[Redmiata98]

I had to replace the entire liftgate on my X and the part cost $1650 with a two week delivery time. I used Severn Auto in Annapolis, MD. The estimator said that Tesla prices the replacement parts very reasonably. Two weeks for the main part and all of the dragalongs is quite a short lead time for delivery. The "unobtanium" might be true because Tesla will not sell the parts to uncertified shops.

I also started out thinking the dent could be fixed by an aluminum shop but even my insurance company agreed that the entire hatch needed to be replaced. Most of the repair cost is in the labor to install the hatch and the matching of the paint. I am due to get it back this Wednesday and they will have had it for 2 1/2 weeks. (I would have had it last week but they ran into a snag with the reprograming software.)

 

[gotz2ride]

I know you guys are no where near FL, but Brice at Central Florida Paintless Dent Repair does amazing work! Shoot him some good angles of it and ask what he thinks. Maybe make a vacation out of it. I moved across the country and have already wished he was closer. I know it sounds odd but hit him up. I had to look at my before pictures to figure out where the damage was


Central Florida Paintless Dent Repair

 

[SDRick]

The Central Florida Paint List and Prepare video is fantastic! What do they charge for a job like that?

 

[gotz2ride]

It can vary depending on the size. He makes it easy to get a pretty close quote. You can text him pictures of the damage from the angles he asks for. I think he want approx size and he will text you a quote. He was very professional and was able to get back to me the same day and scheduled me in that week. I just wish he moved with me LOL. But I will tell you it will be thousands less then a tesla approved shop! My dent was in the quarter panel about the size of my hand and it was maybe around $450.