Got a loaner Tesla, put it on auto drive , went thru a pot hole had 2 flats...

[ArtRando]

I'm a huge Tesla fan. Own a Model S , for 2 years now.

I recently had to take a loaner since my door handle wasn't working and within 30 min of getting it , I wanted to try the auto drive, since my car doesn't have one. Set the auto drive and within a few minutes the car went thru a pot hole on the highway and I had two flats.

Long story short, waited for the tow truck, got towed. Got a new loaner.

Now being billed for $900.

Any suggestions.

 

[habanero69]

Play the lottery? AP cannot/will not avoid or deal with pot holes. That is strictly operator controlled. Write check for $900 and avoid that road in the future. Other than Tesla maybe offering to replace at their COST, I don't think you have much recourse...

 

[Az_Rael]

That is unfortunate. I would just pay the $900 since its probably not enough to bother with filing an insurance claim for the damage.

What were all the charges for (other than two tires)?

 

[sdorn]

No way Tesla pays full retail for tires. I would push to get them to lower the invoice to their cost. They shouldn't be making a profit on you for something like that.

 

[chillaban]

I'm not sure what to suggest. Autopilot is not meant to avoid potholes — the driver is still responsible for any collisions or other events that happen while the car is operating, regardless of whether or not it's in Autopilot mode. And every car company makes you sign a loaner agreement where you accept financial responsibility for any damages that happen with the loaner. It's one of several reasons that, after maybe 50 trips to car dealerships (had a lemoned BMW amongst other troublesome German vehicles), I've come to like the free taxi / shuttle option vs getting a loaner.


Sorry about your bad luck, though.

I guess the only thing to ask is what the $900 repair bill breaks down to. That sounds overly expensive for tires, unless the wheels were damaged too.

 

[sdorn]

That is unfortunate. I would just pay the $900 since its probably not enough to bother with filing an insurance claim for the damage.

What were all the charges for (other than two tires)?

I doubt most insurance policies would cover road hazard items like a blown tire from a pot hole. If there was other damage then maybe they would cover that, but as you said probably not worth the hassle and increased premiums.

 

[Az_Rael]

I doubt most insurance policies would cover road hazard items like a blown tire from a pot hole. If there was other damage then maybe they would cover that, but as you said probably not worth the hassle and increased premiums.

True, I was assuming some damaged rims or something in addition to the tires for $900.

 

[chillaban]

I doubt most insurance policies would cover road hazard items like a blown tire from a pot hole. If there was other damage then maybe they would cover that, but as you said probably not worth the hassle and increased premiums.

FWIW, I asked a licensed agent in Michigan and in California about this. Both of them told me that they will cover such a claim, but it will be viewed as an at fault collision, so unlikely to ever make financial sense unless you had a really spectacular run-in with a pothole!

The way that it was explained to me is that if your car is stationary and moving debris collided with your car, that would be considered comprehensive. But if your vehicle were in motion and you hit something stationary (whether it's a pothole or road debris), that would be a clear cut collision claim, where you would be at-fault for failing to avoid the obstacle. If you were in motion and got hit by moving debris, then it is far less clear.

 

[Az_Rael]

If you were in motion and got hit by moving debris, then it is far less clear.

I once had a work truck lose a 5 gallon bucket full of tools etc right in front of me once tearing up various parts of the front of my car. The "quiz" when I called my insurance agent seemed to hinge on whether the bucket was still in the air when it hit me vs on the road. I said it had bounced up into me and they filed the claim as comprehensive vs collision.

(This was before smart phones, so no dash cams or anything)

 

[bonaire]

I wonder what the claims were like when Tesla did the 1-week test-drives in Europe last year. Drivers would be responsible for any damages, wouldn't they?

 

[Max*]

Ah, I see the problem....


Tesla doesn't have Auto Drive!

 

[azred]

I had the same problem with a pothole many years ago near the Stanford campus, or least that was what I told the rental car company. The truth was the pothole was a divided highway curb, but what the heck.

 

[ArtRando]

Thanks for all your replies.. I just paid the $900 . What bothered me is the fact that I was replacing tires on a 90D with 17000 miles. All I asked was for them to pro-rate it a bit for the 17000 miles that were on the tires already. Woman said she'd make a note of it for the future but nothing she could do now. Asked to see the tires , said they were in a pile and it's too late to do that. $800 for two tires and $100 for labor.

My insurance agent said that comprehensive would have been if my tires were slashed or I damaged them somehow while it was parked but with my collision having a $1000 deductible I didn't file a claim.

I'm going to see if I can go after the county for the huge pot hole . Went back there today with my other loaner and the pot hole was filled up and repaired.

Feel aweful but still love the fact that my car is back and it's washed and clean. It was a $900 detail job

 

[ArtRando]

That is unfortunate. I would just pay the $900 since its probably not enough to bother with filing an insurance claim for the damage.

What were all the charges for (other than two tires)?

$900. $400 for each tire and $100 for labor

 

[skitch23]

I'm going to see if I can go after the county for the huge pot hole.

This was going to be my suggestion. The city I used to work for processed these types of claims fairly frequently for locations that were under active construction. That said, I had a blow out in one such location and my claim was denied.

 

[Drewflux]

As above. I have been down this path before and won. In my case it was 2x tyres and rims that were less than a month old.

 

[3s-a-charm]

Thanks for all your replies.. I just paid the $900 . What bothered me is the fact that I was replacing tires on a 90D with 17000 miles. All I asked was for them to pro-rate it a bit for the 17000 miles that were on the tires already. Woman said she'd make a note of it for the future but nothing she could do now. Asked to see the tires , said they were in a pile and it's too late to do that. $800 for two tires and $100 for labor.

My insurance agent said that comprehensive would have been if my tires were slashed or I damaged them somehow while it was parked but with my collision having a $1000 deductible I didn't file a claim.

I'm going to see if I can go after the county for the huge pot hole . Went back there today with my other loaner and the pot hole was filled up and repaired.

Feel aweful but still love the fact that my car is back and it's washed and clean. It was a $900 detail job

Keep in mind Tesla probably had to do an alignment as well that they may not have charged you for plus there may have been suspension damage if they didn't look too carefully yet. I would have the conversation with the City about it but of course you need to be aware of where you are going and road hazards. Still not a fun day...

 

[jerry33]

Even at Tesla, you never know what tire pressures loaner vehicles are set to (higher tire pressures reduce the chances of pothole damage), so always treat any loaner as if it had low tire pressures.

 

[TexLaw]

Aw, man. That's no fun at all. I imagine your spirits deflated at least as much as the tires, but it sounds like you've taken it all in stride. Good show on that.

 

[bonaire]

This was going to be my suggestion. The city I used to work for processed these types of claims fairly frequently for locations that were under active construction. That said, I had a blow out in one such location and my claim was denied.

Be careful with that - if the County hears that you were letting the car drive in Autopilot mode, they may say "you could have avoided it if you were paying attention". A judge might have to really think through the right ruling if it went through small claims court but would side with Tesla saying that "the documentation says the driver should always be ready to take control". As Dave Ramsey says, it's a "stupid tax" and something we all face through life when we get hit with "oh, dang, I didn't expect that bill".

I've always said that autopilot type cars will always have big issues with potholes and it's one of the last things the programmers will think of and try to include in such software. I want to know how they would handle code for "Sinkhole" and "Bridge-out".