Dropping Car Off for Body Work. Suggestions?

[PianoAl]

Our M3 is going to require a week of body work.

Should I set valet mode?
Should I turn off sentry mode?
When they drive the car, will sentry mode switch back on?
Should I leave the mobile charger with the car in case they need to charge up?

Thanks.

 

[RayK]

If it's being handled by an independent body shop (i.e., not Tesla owned / operated), then I'd set valet mode (and tell them), turn off sentry mode (should not turn back on) and leave the mobile connector (and ask them if they know how to use it and if there's

 

[UncertainTimes]

IIRC valet mode locks the frunk so if they need to access it for any reason they’ll have to contact you which might cause delays. I put mine in speed limit mode, passcode locked the glovebox, assigned the key card to a guest profile(which when in speed limit mode passcode locks switching profiles IIRC) and favorited the body shop location to keep sentry mode off. The body shop I used had their own mobile connector so I’d ask the shop.

 

[RayK]

Sorry my post got cut off as I my laptop lost WiFi as I was posting.

If it's being handled by an independent body shop (i.e., not Tesla owned / operated), then I'd set valet mode (and tell them), turn off sentry mode (should not turn back on) and leave the mobile connector (and ask them if they know how to use it and if there's an outlet for one of the NEMA adapters you have).

 

[Shelburne]

Personally, I wouldn't take my car to any body shop that wasn't a Tesla approved place. They have chargers. They know how to drive, or otherwise move the car. They know how to lift them, and most importantly they know the cars' systems and know how to fix them.

 

[EVRider-FL]

Don’t use valet mode at a body shop because it limits access to the car. I always switch to a different ”Service“ profile that I created when leaving the car so they don’t inadvertently change the seat position and other settings in my profile. Don’t use Sentry Mode and don’t worry about charging, since they shouldn’t need to drive the car much.

 

[PianoAl]

Personally, I wouldn't take my car to any body shop that wasn't a Tesla approved place. They have chargers. They know how to drive, or otherwise move the car. They know how to lift them, and most importantly they know the cars' systems and know how to fix them.

Agreed, but the closest Tesla place is four hours away, the repair will take a week, and we have only one car. Local place has good reputation.

 

[Shelburne]

Agreed, but the closest Tesla place is four hours away, the repair will take a week, and we have only one car. Local place has good reputation.

I sympathize with you. The nearest Tesla approved collision center was 74 miles from my house...about 90 minutes...that was bad enough. Fortunately, since my accident Tesla has authorized a new collision center "only" 30 miles away. Hopefully, with more and more Teslas on the road, more and more collision centers will go thru the authorization process.

 

[Doggiedog]

I had to take my M3P to a Mercedes Benz body shop since there is no Tesla body shop anywhere near me. I turned off sentry and all of the automatic locking features and the windows. I checked the car on the app and it says it's in service mode so they apparently have some setting they put it in.

 

[smatthew]

I had to take my M3P to a Mercedes Benz body shop since there is no Tesla body shop anywhere near me. I turned off sentry and all of the automatic locking features and the windows. I checked the car on the app and it says it's in service mode so they apparently have some setting they put it in.

Yeah, putting it in valet or speed limit won't do a thing if the shop has the capability of putting it into service mode. I believe shops with Tesla subscriptions have the ability to engage service mode.

 

[PianoAl]

The car is at the shop. They haven't turned on Service Mode (it's not a Tesla shop), because I can access the car.

Based on what I see on the app (below), are these things true?

​

1. They didn't lock the car last night.​

​

2. It was outside most of yesterday (suggesting they haven't started work (replace door, paint new door).​

That is, if the car is inside the building with no coverage, would those two images be incorrect (outdated)? I know that when I'm driving in an area with no cell coverage, my wife sees the location as the last place the car had coverage.

 

[jjrandorin]

The car is at the shop. They haven't turned on Service Mode (it's not a Tesla shop), because I can access the car.

Based on what I see on the app (below), are these things true?

​

1. They didn't lock the car last night.​

​

2. It was outside most of yesterday (suggesting they haven't started work (replace door, paint new door).​

That is, if the car is inside the building with no coverage, would those two images be incorrect (outdated)? I know that when I'm driving in an area with no cell coverage, my wife sees the location as the last place the car had coverage.

(moderator note)

Picture removed as requested. Please re post pictures if desired.

 

[PianoAl]

>Picture removed as requested.
Thanks!

Here are the pictures:

 

[PianoAl]

I called the shop and asked them to remember to lock it (even though there's a locked gate).

I said, "Have you started to work on it?"
He said, "We're pulling it into the building right now."

But it still shows as outside.

 

[Shelburne]

Last fall my M3 was in for collision repair at a Tesla authorized collision center. When I dropped it off they told me it would be several days before they could get to it. On the app, I could see that it was parked outside for 4 days, then I could see that it was inside the shop. I checked it daily and after about a week I saw that it was outside again so I called to see if it was ready for pick up. They told me that it wasn't because they were still waiting on a couple of parts. I asked if that was why it was now parked outside. The customer service rep had a good laugh over that and told me that I wasn't the only one tracking the progress of his Tesla repairs via the app.

 

[PianoAl]

RRig

Last fall my M3 was in for collision repair at a Tesla authorized collision center. When I dropped it off they told me it would be several days before they could get to it. On the app, I could see that it was parked outside for 4 days, then I could see that it was inside the shop. I checked it daily and after about a week I saw that it was outside again so I called to see if it was ready for pick up. They told me that it wasn't because they were still waiting on a couple of parts. I asked if that was why it was now parked outside. The customer service rep had a good laugh over that and told me that I wasn't the only one tracking the progress of his Tesla repairs via the app.

Right. Since this isn't a Tesla shop, I don't think they realize what I can see. I wish I could turn on the live camera without turning on Sentry mode.

If the app is correct, they are lying to me when saying they're working on it. The car still hasn't moved. I made it clear that we have only one car, so any delay is a problem.

 

[oreobbq]

RRig

Right. Since this isn't a Tesla shop, I don't think they realize what I can see. I wish I could turn on the live camera without turning on Sentry mode.

If the app is correct, they are lying to me when saying they're working on it. The car still hasn't moved. I made it clear that we have only one car, so any delay is a problem.

Close the app, you're only going to stress yourself out. Live camera was not built for this purpose lol. You don't want them to rush the repair job and they probably don't want the liability of keeping your car any longer than needed.

 

[PianoAl]

Close the app, you're only going to stress yourself out. Live camera was not built for this purpose lol. You don't want them to rush the repair job and they probably don't want the liability of keeping your car any longer than needed.

Good advice but hard to follow. They just moved the car into the building this afternoon.

 

[jjrandorin]

Good advice but hard to follow. They just moved the car into the building this afternoon.

If you start telling them "I see you did XXX because"... you are going to label yourself as "that problem customer". Perhaps you dont care about that, but in my opinion thats not a place you want to be, when people are working (or going to be working) on your stuff.

--signed, someone who has had to work on "customers stuff" for most of their career, but not car related.

 

[mswlogo]

If it’s a certified shop they will disconnect the battery as soon as they start work on it.

I left my X at a shop for like 3 weeks. It barely lost anything. I was amazed. So there is very little self discharge. It’s all the junk running.