Driver side fender / paint repair costs? TM3

[Zirak]

Hey guys,

Last night my dad managed to reverse park into my red Tesla model 3 and scratched the PPF and dented driver side fender and scuffed up the PPF for the bumper as well. Since it wasn’t wrapped to the edges, I can see a bit of paint damage.

I was wondering what was the going repair cost from an authorized body shop to get something like this fixed? And generally how long did it take for the replacement parts and the repair? I have been hearing that the repair times are much quicker compared to what it was couple years ago. I’d imagine they’ll likely have to paint it too considering they’ll have to blend the paint to match the other panels.

I’m in Hamilton and booked a couple appointments for tomorrow for a quote at 427 Auto and Budds Collision. I will be paying out of pocket.

 

[camalaio]

It's honestly pretty hard to tell how much paint damage there is. The paint damage will be the primary factor in cost I believe.

If they can just spot correct a little chip and pop the dent without cracking the paint, your cost is going to be pretty low. I'm not sure if a panel shifted or that's classic Tesla panel gap inconsistency - if something shifted, something more might be broken underneath.

For me, reworking and repainting the entire front bumper was about $1000. That's not a great reference, but it's something.

 

[Zirak]

Hmmm I see. From what I've been hearing from other people is that Tesla body shops usually just replace the damage panel rather than attempt repair. I'm not sure if that's what they do always but it would seem to me it would get a lot more expensive if that's the case... then they would also be repainting panels near it to make sure the paint blends without standing out. So I would assume they'd be re-painting the door, fender and bumper...

Also, this is a May 2018 build, one of the first Model 3s to reach Canada (as per the Oakville SC, I was the 25th person in Canada to receive a model 3), so it's likely just the typical Tesla panel misalignment of earlier builds.

 

[RyersonX]

Yea, its easier for the shop to replace the panel and less customer complaints. Its going to cost you if you really care about the look of your car. For me I would just be cheap and buy a dupli-color scratch fix for $20 to cover the silver.

If your car was a model y or x, that damaged part would be plastic and it should cost about $80 to repair.

 

[Zirak]

Got quotes from 2.5k to 6k all from certified body shops. Lol..

 

[RyersonX]

lol, how many car payments would that be?
I say just keep an eye on salvage model 3 parts. Or check out how other people fix their dented car using hot water or plungers.

 

[Zirak]

lol, how many car payments would that be?
I say just keep an eye on salvage model 3 parts. Or check out how other people fix their dented car using hot water or plungers.

Lol, none since I paid off my car last year.

There's paint damage after looking at it closely, so might not be DIY-able, probably wouldn't want to risk any further damage anyways. Anyways, I have someone who my PPF guy vouches for who has worked on Tesla's and their 3-stage red paint as well, he's not Tesla certified, but he would be able to get it done for 2.1k. Also his shop is right across the PPF place, which is where he will take it after the repair is done to re-wrap the panels in XPEL.

 

[RyersonX]

2.1k just for paint and wrap? You are going to spend more on fixing the dents?

 

[Zirak]

2.1k for the dent repair/three-stage paint. It will be extra for re-wrapping the three panels. Right now I have a full car wrap.

 

[MD-2000]

We've had two very minor dings fixed on our Tesla. In one case some kid let his door get away from him and dented the passenger fender above and in front of the rear wheel. In the other, yours truly was trying to straighten the charging cable and cleverly dropped the charging cable head on the top fender a little in front of the charge port door.

The first, the dent guy tried to go through trunk but there was a subwoofer in the way with a control module attached - in the end he went through the upholstery beside the door and the rear seat, which came off easily. In the other, he managed to work around the cables from the charge port. In both cases, the cost was about $170. In both cases, no paint damage. The first dent was a lot easier to repair because the PPF was torn too so we let him cut out an area of the PPF to pull out the dent. The PPF in that area was due to be replaced. Of course, this was the size of a door ding. I assume a bigger dent, more cost... The fellow who did ours (Dent Dynasty) has been kept busy between here and Calgary with hail damage fixes for assorted vehicles.

FYI, for us (VPS in Winnipeg did our wrap) at one point we had replaced the rear fender and along under the passenger-side doors to the front wheel well and it cost about IIRC $375. Road gravel tore the PPF but no paint damage. There's a "seam" along the rocker panel where smooth paint meets textured paint, and it leaked down that seam from the front wheel well. Dirt was getting in, about 3 or 4 inches along that seam. So the first dent, that PPF replacement was done under warranty. We have a relatively thick protective wrap, not a coloured one. (To prevent a dirt leakage again, they separated the wrap into two pieces along that seam.)

As mentioned, in your case the question is paint damage and how good you want the paint fix to be. Touch up vs repaint...? I assume the bumper wrap would be comparable to the fender wrap for cost or maybe a bit more based on area.

I must say, I am extremely pleased with both the wrap and the dent repairs. Both places were very professional and did a quality job, and pleasantly moderately inexpensive compared to some costs we've seen mentioned.

 

[Zirak]

You can have PDR done without film being removed. I've had it done twice on both the driver and passenger side front doors.

They will be re-painting sections and blending with the other panels to give it a seamless look.

 

[MD-2000]

It's just that for our door ding the person's door also tore the film. Fortunately the paint was fine, the film did its job. The repair guy said dent removal would be a lot easier without the film (Suction cup? Torn film interferes with dent removal?) We asked the wrap guys, since they were going to replace the film anyway under warranty, and had already assessed the damage, that it was OK to cut the film away (about a 3 inch circle) and they said yes.

The kid who did the ding (sentry mode!!) was about 7 years old and the door got away from him, and he was with his grandmother; she was polite and apologetic not argumentative. In the end we figured us with the car worth probably three times her car could absorb a mere $175 total cost rather than sticking her with an insurance claim. It was our good deed for the day...

I hope your repair does not come to as much as you expect, but once we're talking repainting, I guess it would. Good luck.