Got some road rash during a fender bender. Tips on cost or time to repair, diminished value, etc?

[CyberTruckNuts]

My beloved TARS had a bad evening. Wife was driving and someone turned into her, 100% fault of the other driver. What can I expect for wait time on the repair? I’ve heard horror stories with Tesla repair times.

The front quarter panel is destroyed, drivers door, bumper, wheel, strut, and control arms are shot too. Not sure what other damage exists beyond that. Air bags didn’t go off and the frame doesn’t appear to be damaged.

Any words of wisdom for those that have been through this? Should I look into a diminished value claim? My car is a 2020 Sealth Performance.

 

[UncertainTimes]

Take it to a Tesla certified body shop. Service center won’t touch that.

 

[CyberTruckNuts]

Take it to a Tesla certified body shop. Service center won’t touch that.

Good to know. I will call around tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[ml0204]

Take it to a Tesla certified body shop. Service center won’t touch that.

What he said! The process is not as long anymore, but stay involved. They will try to cut corners. When I had damage due to the other party's fault, on my six month old car, they wanted to buff this and paint that. I pushed back and got all new body parts, with fresh paint.

 

[ml0204]

What he said! The process is not as long anymore, but stay involved. They will try to cut corners. When I had damage due to the other party's fault, on my six month old car, they wanted to buff this and paint that. I pushed back and got all new body parts, with fresh paint.

I would also guess that you have over $7,000 in damage.

 

[CyberTruckNuts]

What he said! The process is not as long anymore, but stay involved. They will try to cut corners. When I had damage due to the other party's fault, on my six month old car, they wanted to buff this and paint that. I pushed back and got all new body parts, with fresh paint.

That is good to know. I’ll definitely stay involved. Thank you.

 

[CyberTruckNuts]

I would also guess that you have over $7,000 in damage.

I agree.

 

[leonar40]

Damn dude that's not road rash. That is significant damage. Very sorry to hear that! Hopefully their insurance takes care of it all.

 

[MikeyMikeD]

Within Spec...

 

[MikeyMikeD]

In all seriousness, I'm glad she's ok and I echo Tesla certified body shop

 

[Sam1]

So I have similar damage from a guy side swiping me.

Front fender, remove dents from rocker panel, replace camera housing, replace hood, replace bumper, alignment was right under $4000 at Tesla.

Looks like your fog light is done, possibly headlight and door damage, so that would be added onto yours. Then any underlying damage they don't know about until disassembly.

That did not include wheel damage or a tire replacement, since those were aftermarket, they wouldn't touch it.

 

[CyberTruckNuts]

So I have similar damage from a guy side swiping me.

Front fender, remove dents from rocker panel, replace camera housing, replace hood, replace bumper, alignment was right under $4000 at Tesla.

Looks like your fog light is done, possibly headlight and door damage, so that would be added onto yours. Then any underlying damage they don't know about until disassembly.

That did not include wheel damage or a tire replacement, since those were aftermarket, they wouldn't touch it.

That is helpful information, thanks. There is definitely some more damage as it looks like the tire is pushed in so likely damage to the struts, and support structure of the tire. Front door has a nice bend in it too so that will need to be replaced or fixed. I should find out in the next couple of days what all needs to be fixed.

 

[Sam1]

That is helpful information, thanks. There is definitely some more damage as it looks like the tire is pushed in so likely damage to the struts, and support structure of the tire. Front door has a nice bend in it too so that will need to be replaced or fixed. I should find out in the next couple of days what all needs to be fixed.

If you get into structural issues, you're probably looking north of $10k with everything else that looks damaged.

 

[TBrownTX]

Road rash... "It'll buff out".

Glad everyone is OK, good luck with your repairs.

Tim

 

[CyberTruckNuts]

If you get into structural issues, you're probably looking north of $10k with everything else that looks damaged.

Part of me wants it to be totaled so the car isn't stuck in service for weeks to months getting fixed. Plus, the hit to my car's value since it has been in an accident is also something that frustrates me.

 

[run-the-joules]

I usually expect hyperbole, but in this thread we get understatement. "Fender bender" and "road rash" are both underselling the severity

 

[Sam1]

Part of me wants it to be totaled so the car isn't stuck in service for weeks to months getting fixed. Plus, the hit to my car's value since it has been in an accident is also something that frustrates me.

diminished value is sometimes a difficult number to come up with, but assuming you understand the basics of it, as most people don't even know it exists or if it is law in their state.

 

[Altarr]

diminished value is sometimes a difficult number to come up with, but assuming you understand the basics of it, as most people don't even know it exists or if it is law in their state.

its not a law, its a concept. OP has the right to be made whole by the insurance of the person who caused the damage. Simply fixing the damage does not make OP whole.

OP. get an independent adjuster (who should be billing the insurance company, not you) and ensure they are going to go after this for you.

 

[Sam1]

its not a law, its a concept. OP has the right to be made whole by the insurance of the person who caused the damage. Simply fixing the damage does not make OP whole.

OP. get an independent adjuster (who should be billing the insurance company, not you) and ensure they are going to go after this for you.

except it is a law in some states, and the laws apply differently in those states in how it is considered.

wait until you google it again and find out there are different types of diminished value under some states' laws, and all of those variations also apply differently than each other.

been there done that in multiple states personally. both my ex wife and current gf are attorneys so I have been hearing about this type of crap for over a decade now.

 

[CyberTruckNuts]

Thought I'd provide an update. Current repair estimate is $21k. Going to be 3 weeks or so from now to get it fixed.