Got hit by another car, how bad is this kind of damage?

[vww12x]

Something that hasn't yet been pointed out in this thread is that many shops, even insurance preferred one, routinely low-ball their estimates and then the actual repair cost balloons once the car is in for repair.

My wife's Cooper got rear-ended and the initial repair estimate was $1700 and the final repair bill was closer to $4,000.

Whenever possible the shop wants to repair your car rather than have it totalled... they get zero dollars if the car is totalled... so keep that in mind. You might really have to push to get the car totalled with a "reasonable" repair estimate so it's going to take a lot of effort on your part to make it happen... but it might be worth it since the repair cost will likely skyrocket after repairs start and as mentioned the car will likely be out of service for many months, up to a 1/2 year, over this incident.

Very good point there.
The numbers I posted so far are initial estimates from an inspection, and as you can see my post above this one, it's missing a LOT of damages and pretty much horseshit. Still haven't heard from the adjuster yet, if they don't offer total upfront probably need to take it to a Tesla certified shop and then go over all the damages together with them.

Hopefully it won't be a tremendous hassle.

 

[vww12x]

Doing repairs at port of entry usually gets the company off the hook for having to disclose the repairs to the customer, which would almost always result in some kind of discounting of the damaged and repaired vehicle.

Some states possibly have consumer protection laws forcing them to reveal even these port repairs but I'm not currently aware of any.

From the manufacturer's point of view, they aren't going to take a $120,000 RR and throw it in a woodchipper because the paint on it got scraped while it was being unloaded from the boat.... the reality though is that unless the port facility has a full factory paint booth the paint is not going to be the same.

We needed to retire a nearly 11 year old SUV that is used to haul our kids around and bought a new Honda for the job. At prep they discovered a couple of small chips on the tailgate that likely happened when the car went through the wash line (speculation is that something got stuck on one of the wash line machines and it struck the car.

We got a due bill for the repairs and I assumed that they would just have a high end touch up guy fix it since normally there is one highly skilled touch up person who can do these repairs to where they are almost unnoticeable.

What they did instead was send the car to an actual body shop for a week and they sanded and resprayed the tailgate. I was furious (I didn't find out what they were doing until after they had picked the car up and dropped off a loaner). The service manager was apologetic but couldn't understand what I was upset about until I explained that I would likely keep the car for a minimum of 8-9 years and more than likely the repair would become noticeable over time.... he offered to extend the factory paint warranty for the repair to seven years and ended up installing the tow hitch package for the SUV at about $600 off so that squared things up.

Whenever possible you don't want a body shop touching a brand new car they will never replicate the factory work.

On a second thought, it may not matter that much for BMW since many BMWs (over 60% in 2017 or 2018 IIRC) are leased and RR ownership turnover is probably high too.

If it's a kid hauler SUV with chipping at the tailgate I probably don't care and just use that to get some extra discount...we had a Honda suv and the tailgate chips very easily if you load anything.

About the paint booth, I agree it won't be the same for sure, consider it lucky if it's close...

Brand new white body no paint, primed, and go straight to multi-million dollar paint facility, then high temp baking, repeat it a few times...they are not going to sand the whole car down and if you don't it won't get anywhere near a fresh white body primed for the first time, then you have less advanced painting facility and lower temp baking and all the edges you can't get to..

 

[EA40]

Since it's still an ongoing claim I won't post the actual estimate but here is some ball park figures from the sheet

Front bumper: $700
Bumper cover, two brackets, about $350, and aother $350 in labor

Headlight: $1000
Headlight, brackets, signal light, about $1000 parts and labor

Hood: $150
Only repaint (since the front bumper is done it's hard to check for hood alignment right now), about $150 in labor

Fender: $1150 (yup, that major damage and estimating only $1150)
Fender part, lots of brackets and rail, liner, about $600 in parts, and $550 in labor

Pillar: $350
No replacement parts, $350 of labor

Front door: $1650
Outer shell, mirror parts, $1200 parts and $450 labor

Rear door: $150
No parts, only $150 for paint labor.

Then about $600 for 1 wheel, tire, mount, alignment. And a few hundreds more for other charges.


As you can see, there are lots of damages to the mounting rails, beams, and other parts behind the bumper cover, which none are covered here. Rear quarter panel, sharp dent, nothing here. Damage to the joint points between body and fender, nothing here.

Also willing to bet some suspension damage and other damages in the front bumper/fender area. The actual impact was probably more or less similar to the IIHS small overlap testing, which is pretty harsh on the car, so this list is definitely not covering some of the damage underneath the skin, and potential structural damage...

Basically, a good repair to this kind of damage with a non-Tesla vehicle would still be significantly more than this if done anywhere close to right..

Certainly understand not wanting to post a picture of the estimate. I appreciate you giving such a thorough overview of what you see on it. I wouldn't be overly concerned, yet, with an initial estimate as supplements/additional damage have been found in the 2 accidents I've been involved in (other cars years ago). That additional damage will present itself when they begin to remove the body panels and see what is truly broken in the areas they can't see behind those panels. I would have expected a higher estimate out of the gate because the photos pretty clearly lead any normal person to see the hit definitely was severe.

All of your newer cars are designed for safety and Tesla crash certification pretty much second to none. This can be a blessing for safety and a curse for the repair bill/insurance costs. The car crumples and shifts energy in the best way possible to protect the passengers but that crumple leads to more damaged parts.

Keep us posted!

 

[vww12x]

Certainly understand not wanting to post a picture of the estimate. I appreciate you giving such a thorough overview of what you see on it. I wouldn't be overly concerned, yet, with an initial estimate as supplements/additional damage have been found in the 2 accidents I've been involved in (other cars years ago). That additional damage will present itself when they begin to remove the body panels and see what is truly broken in the areas they can't see behind those panels. I would have expected a higher estimate out of the gate because the photos pretty clearly lead any normal person to see the hit definitely was severe.

All of your newer cars are designed for safety and Tesla crash certification pretty much second to none. This can be a blessing for safety and a curse for the repair bill/insurance costs. The car crumples and shifts energy in the best way possible to protect the passengers but that crumple leads to more damaged parts.

Keep us posted!

I wasn't present when the person inspected the damage on my car, but as you can see the parts listed on the list I posted, and based on the actual damage pics posted, they are missing a lot of things already. Either the inspector did not want to see the actual damage or he just didn't care to take a good look

 

[Ken43]

For my accident in 2018 of my Model 3 LR RWD initial estimate was $10K and final repair cost was $18K after discovery of hidden damage (supplements). Although the repair took forever, at least I didn't have to get involved between the body shop and insurance haggling over the cost of the repair. Again, I used a Tesla approved and insurance approved body shop.

 

[vww12x]

For my accident in 2018 of my Model 3 LR RWD initial estimate was $10K and final repair cost was $18K after discovery of hidden damage (supplements). Although the repair took forever, at least I didn't have to get involved between the body shop and insurance haggling over the cost of the repair. Again, I used a Tesla approved and insurance approved body shop.

There is a highly rated Tesla shop(they also handles Aston Martin and other high end cars) that's also approved by the insurance company, however I am more concerned about structural damage which is very hard to actually restore...still waiting to hear from the insurance company so I will update again soon hopefully

 

[skrtskrt]

I'm sorry to hear you had an accident.
Sounds like it may be your first one.

Here is how it goes from here:
Good news:

1. It (seams) like everyone is OK (else you would have mentioned something).
2. From now on, it's a 100% insurance matter.
   • Last time I lived in TX, cops would not even come out to a site of an accident unless there were injuries involved.
3. File your claim, take the car to a Tesla-approved body shop (others can't get Tesla spare parts), and hunker in for a 4-12 month repair time.
4. File "diminished value" claim with the at-fault party's insurance company, since your vehicle's resale value just took a dive for having gone through an accident repair process.

Bad news:

1. No, that length of repair time is not normal for regular cars, but it is how it is with Tesla's.
2. Pickup the rental, gripe about it not being a Tesla, accept the "suck" and move on.

Hope this helps!

What does claiming “dimishing value” do for you? Curious cause the same thing happened to me

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

What does claiming “dimishing value” do for you? Curious cause the same thing happened to me

Insurance company pays you cash (usually done after repair is complete) for the loss in value to the vehicle, which you would have to absorb if you sold the car immediately. In a case like this it is likely $5k at least and maybe $10k. But what they actually give you...it gets negotiated and presumably they have tables for this stuff.

 

[vww12x]

Quick update, insurance called me today saying their estimate is 7K, and asked if I picked or shop or want them to pay me 7K cash (ya right lol)

The car is being transported to a certified shop that's rated 5 stars by over 20 reviews on Tesla website. Talked to the shop on the phone, they will be taking the bumpers and fender off for a detailed estimate hopefully by early next week.

I specifically mentioned about structural damage and things like that and guy from the shop seems pretty knowledgeable about Tesla repairs.

I will see how to handle it after the complete estimate comes in, either push for total or full repair+loss of use+diminishing value, not going to let them off the hook easy.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Quick update, insurance called me today saying their estimate is 7K, and asked if I picked or shop or want them to pay me 7K cash (ya right lol)

The car is being transported to a certified shop that's rated 5 stars by over 20 reviews on Tesla website. Talked to the shop on the phone, they will be taking the bumpers and fender off for a detailed estimate hopefully by early next week.

I specifically mentioned about structural damage and things like that and guy from the shop seems pretty knowledgeable about Tesla repairs.

I will see how to handle it after the complete estimate comes in, either push for total or full repair+loss of use+diminishing value, not going to let them off the hook easy.

For reference, this was a $7k repair. I’m not joking. Model S obviously. 3 is a cheaper car...but still!

 

[vww12x]

For reference, this was a $7k repair. I’m not joking. Model S obviously. 3 is a cheaper car...but still!
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Cheaper parts but labor rate still applies....so I guess no more than 15-20% lower than same repair on the S?

Was it just for the bumper and brackets/etc area that's 7K? I don't see anything else here.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Cheaper parts but labor rate still applies....so I guess no more than 15-20% lower than same repair on the S?

Was it just for the bumper and brackets/etc area that's 7K? I don't see anything else here.

There was a radiator bracket that was cracked too, as I recall (not my car). It was all pretty minor stuff.

 

[vww12x]

There was a radiator bracket that was cracked too, as I recall (not my car). It was all pretty minor stuff.

I checked the catalog and looks like there is no radiator in front of Model 3 but definitely lots of brackets(and some big ones) broken.

On the other hand, local Turo shows the cheapest 2018 Model 3 rentals avg to about 120 per day, long term discount(month+) is about 5-30% off, is we use 25% it's still about $90 per day without Turo fee. And based on what I have seen Texas does support loss of use and diminished value claims...

 

[IdaX]

On the other hand, local Turo shows the cheapest 2018 Model 3 rentals avg to about 120 per day, long term discount(month+) is about 5-30% off, is we use 25% it's still about $90 per day without Turo fee. And based on what I have seen Texas does support loss of use and diminished value claims...

When my Model 3 was out of commission for 4 months, the other guy's insurance company hemmed and hawed but eventually paid $80/day for loss of use, and around $5000 in DV. Just for reference!

 

[acarney]

I wouldn't be surprised if when it came to the end that $7k estimate doubles. I saw a youtube reviewer that had just backed into something and done some damage. I think the initial estimate was like $5500 or $6000 but once they started removing panels and stuff it grew to over $10k to have fully fixed. I think when they give an initial estimate they can only base it off what they can physically see (and thus document via pictures for proof). Then as they go when they discover hidden damage they adjust the estimate up before the final amount is approved and paid out.

 

[vww12x]

I wouldn't be surprised if when it came to the end that $7k estimate doubles. I saw a youtube reviewer that had just backed into something and done some damage. I think the initial estimate was like $5500 or $6000 but once they started removing panels and stuff it grew to over $10k to have fully fixed. I think when they give an initial estimate they can only base it off what they can physically see (and thus document via pictures for proof). Then as they go when they discover hidden damage they adjust the estimate up before the final amount is approved and paid out.

Based on what I can see they are missing a lot of stuff, right now it’s about ~3K in parts and 4K in labor.

My guess would be at least 6-7K in parts, and minimum 4-5x of current labor. (Current est based on 46/hour labor rate, Tesla rate is about 2.6x of it, plus more hours required by including missed damage prob 1.5x, plus Tesla repair procedure prob another 1.5x)

That will be a 25K damage there, plus ~4k diminished value, and about ~2.7k loss of use per month based on about discounted local turo rate for Model 3.

 

[vww12x]

When my Model 3 was out of commission for 4 months, the other guy's insurance company hemmed and hawed but eventually paid $80/day for loss of use, and around $5000 in DV. Just for reference!

What kind of damage did your car suffer? And as for the loss of use, were u basing on local Turo or other rate?

 

[IdaX]

What kind of damage did your car suffer? And as for the loss of use, were u basing on local Turo or other rate?

Hit on the rear-left, guy turning into us while we were stopped. Hit right on back-left wheel — axle not straight afterward, but not *super* bad...

I sent them a Turo quote, but they said that they gave me their highest luxury rate plus $15/day for gas to get to $80. Maybe I could have done better, as Turo was more like $115 then, but at least it was in the ballpark.

 

[hmgolds]

Hit on the rear-left, guy turning into us while we were stopped. Hit right on back-left wheel — axle not straight afterward, but not *super* bad...

I sent them a Turo quote, but they said that they gave me their highest luxury rate plus $15/day for gas to get to $80. Maybe I could have done better, as Turo was more like $115 then, but at least it was in the ballpark.

I agree. If it was me, I'd accept the $80/day happily. No point in being difficult (yes, I know it's the other guys fault) where it really doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. Where I'd be adamant is 1st: Tesla certified shop and rates and 2nd: diminished value.

 

[vww12x]

Hit on the rear-left, guy turning into us while we were stopped. Hit right on back-left wheel — axle not straight afterward, but not *super* bad...

I sent them a Turo quote, but they said that they gave me their highest luxury rate plus $15/day for gas to get to $80. Maybe I could have done better, as Turo was more like $115 then, but at least it was in the ballpark.

I will be ok with $80 a day too, that's reasonably close to the Turo after discount Model 3 rate in my area, since the whole loss of use claim is based on a similar vehicle, I feel something like that would be similar enough, but IF they try to low ball with 'oh we are limited to $30 per day rental' BS(heard it before), then it's a different game.