Hello, I recently got into a car accident in my model 3. Based on the expertise of the body shop that is servicing my vehicle, there are 56 parts that are needed to fix the front end of my car. The expected wait time is about 2-3 months. I dropped off my car on 09/29/2021, and have been eagerly waiting for updates. As of today, 4 parts were delivered. The body shop told me that the repair time is so long, mainly because Tesla is lagging with delivering parts. Tesla is one of the most renowned companies, yet they are not reliable at all when it comes to delivering parts. Living in San Francisco, I have to commute everywhere. I currently have a loaner vehicle from my insurance company, and the contract is expected to expire on 10/28. After that, I have to pay out of pocket until my tesla repair is completed. I am very disappointed that I have to wait so long to get my vehicle parts delivered. Waiting 2-3 months is outrageous, and it will cost thousands of dollars to loan a car for that period of time. Is there any way to receive a loaner vehicle from Tesla? Any helpful suggestions? Please let me know, thank you!
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Front end collision wait time/loaner vehicle possibility?
- Thread starter dparkk
- Start date
UncertainTimes
Active Member
Something something supply chain problems something something chip shortage something something pandemic
Owning a Tesla isn’t like owning a legacy automaker car. You need contingency plans for when the car needs repairs plain and simple.
Owning a Tesla isn’t like owning a legacy automaker car. You need contingency plans for when the car needs repairs plain and simple.
Shelburne
Member
Somebody backed into my M3 on the 10/12. I took it to a Tesla Authorized Collision Center the next day and got a detailed estimate that lists 39 damaged parts that will be replaced by new parts. The Total estimate is just over $8200. The insurance company's claims adjustor will be looking at my car on Wednesday, 10/20. At the collision center, they have told me that they should be ready to do the work by mid to late November and that it will take about a week, so figure it'll be ready by the end of the 1st week in December. After reading the OP, I hope I'm not being given an overly optimistic time frame, but we will see. And, fortunately, I don't need a loaner car. So far, my biggest complaint is that the collision center is 74 miles from my house. There are none closer, but that's life living in rural America.
But the amazing thing is that despite the front bumper being a total mess, and the Frunk lid being seriously warped and bent the car drives like it was new! No squeaks, no rattles. It handles perfectly. The only thing not working is the cruise control, because of the damage to the bumper.
But the amazing thing is that despite the front bumper being a total mess, and the Frunk lid being seriously warped and bent the car drives like it was new! No squeaks, no rattles. It handles perfectly. The only thing not working is the cruise control, because of the damage to the bumper.
Common story from the couple times I had to have parts ordered to fix minor damages. However both times the new parts showed up much earlier than the shop originally estimated. Do you get email notifications from Tesla about the ordered parts? I did the last couple times and it was definitely helpful in tracking the status of things.
Hello, thank you for your response, that is pretty reassuring to hear. I really hope my situation is like yours and my parts arrive sooner than expected. I got one email from Tesla so far, and the invoice says that 4 of the 56 parts were delivered. It is helpful, so hopefully, they'll stay on top of things, and continue to send email updates.
Hello, thank you for responding. I'm sorry to hear that you are experiencing some similar inconveniences due to your car getting damaged. I was lucky enough to get my car in the collision center on the same day as my accident. My estimate came out to 20k including labor, and the expected time frame is pretty long. What I'm being told is that most of the parts from Tesla are back-ordered which is why the timeframe is so long. If you are able to get your car back by December, that would be pretty nice. Yeah, Tesla is pretty reliable when it comes to the build of the car. I had no trouble driving my car after the accident, and I walked out of it without even getting a scratch. So that's a plus, and I'm very thankful. 74 miles is quite a drive, I hope your repairs go well, and you'll get your car back as soon as possible.
Yeah, I'm aware of the current circumstances that many of us, if not all of us, are facing. I just thought that maybe someone would be able to offer some insight about Tesla, that I did not know about. I'm a new Tesla owner, so I was just curious. I know that Tesla isn't a legacy automaker, it's just that I've heard so many good things about the company, and didn't really notice the minor flaws that they have. But yeah, you're totally right, I should've been more prepared. Thanks for your response!
That’s the email. Fingers crossed. Hopefully since it’s early in the quarter they spend more time making parts for repairs instead of allocating them to new cars, which is one excuse I heard last month.
Hello, thank you for your suggestion! I actually did do that, and Tesla sent me an email with the invoice of parts. I dropped my car off on the 27th of Sept, and I'm seeing that the parts were ordered on the 12th of October. Does it usually take that long to assess the damage to the car? I'm not sure if that is an appropriate timeframe. With my previous vehicles, the damage was able to be assessed within the week of dropping my vehicle off. I guess Tesla is just different? haha
27th to the 12th is totally on your body shop and whatever backlog or staffing issues they may have.
Of course a bit of it is on Tesla requiring certification so not every body shop can work on a Tesla. Makes the ones that can more crowded.
In any case, I would expect the body shop to be transparent about the time it’s simply waiting in their lot to look at it.
Of course a bit of it is on Tesla requiring certification so not every body shop can work on a Tesla. Makes the ones that can more crowded.
In any case, I would expect the body shop to be transparent about the time it’s simply waiting in their lot to look at it.
Depends on the shop; last time mine ordered them the same day I authorized repairs, but that was a pretty quick assessment (minimal damage). It’s possible they were slammed with fixing issues on end of quarter cars and couldn’t do a full tear down until then haha
Yeah I am hoping for the best right now. If Tesla could manage to do that, it would be great. Thanks for letting me know, any information helps!
Yeah, I understand. The front end collision I was in was kind of severe, so I was being patient with my collision center. Like you said, it was probably because of the collision center being slammed with fixing issues. Thank you for your input, I'm a bit more optimistic about the whole situation now.
Exactly, I am hoping that the collision center is being honest about the whole thing. When I walked into the center, I saw rows of destroyed teslas, so they were probably being slowed down because of that. I called them earlier today, and managed to get on their "priority list," so now I'm just hoping for the best. Thank you for your input, it is much appreciated!
I didn't realize that parts issues were as common as you say they are. I am learning now that I have experienced this type of issue. In the past, I've always waited an average of 15 days - a month so I never expected it. wow, 4 months is an absurd amount of time. The fact that you experienced this pre-pandemic is very alarming. I should be more grateful haha. Thanks for the input!
Thanks for sharing. We were rear ended Sept 1, got our estimate sept 2. Our M3 is drivable but probably not legal due to rear window damage, but we have not heard a word on parts from the body shop doing the work. Body shop told us Tesla doesn't communicate delivery estimates. Wondering if there is a way to contact Tesla to start pushing them. Has anyone had success with that?
rpiotro
Active Member
That delay back then was due to a prolonged strike against GM. Then no sooner had the parts started flowing again, Covid. I know this because one of my clients is a Buick/GMC dealer. Their wholesale parts department does an extraordinary $1 million per month in business. Put a crimp in their sales for a while.
Oh, that was only one part of it. The first dealership/body shop that had my car was caught selling cars out of trust and got shut down suddenly. Body shop manager called me and said “get over here right now and get your Enclave outta here before the sheriff’s office padlocks the building.” He and I pushed a half-disassembled Buick off the lot so I wouldn’t get wrapped up in the bankruptcy proceedings.
So that set me back a bunch as well - those initial parts orders all got cancelled and I went to the back of the line.
And I got away easy compared to others …
Google “Lexus of Englewood” for the details. (My car was at Norman Gale Buick)
