Help! My Model 3 Was Rear Ended:(

[lookmanohands]

So today my Model 3 LR FSD got rear ended I was driving on the freeway at 65mph and there was a chair in the middle of the road. The car in front of me dodged the chair last minute into another lane. I couldn’t change lane due to oncoming traffic on both sides so I pressed on the brake pedal. My car came to a complete stop & avoided hitting the chair but then bam I got rear ended. The other driver was very cooperative and apologetic. He is from Canada and was in a rush to catch his flight. We exchanged driver license, plate numbers, and took pictures. He didn’t have his insurance information as his car is a rental (he will update me once he get a hold of it). I called highway patrol after the incident and an officer dispatched to do an incident report. Since the driver is from out of the country I’m not sure how this would work :/ I’m thinking I will work with the rental car’s insurance directly.

My car is dented in the back near the Tesla logo, and the body work panels are all messed and not aligned from back to front on the right side of the car. I hope the sensors are not affected.

I live in California, I want to ask what is the general process for repairing the Tesla? Time span? Any tips?

As far as diminished value, what do I need to do? Wait until the car is finished repair and proceed? Any recommendation for a good DV appraisal? Do I need a lawyer?

For Loss of Use process. Do I need to reject car rental offer from the other party’s insurance to claim LOU? How do I proceed about this?

Please help me out. I’m pretty overwhelmed and bummed out about my baby. Only have it for 5 months

 

[TKOGUY]

Wow that sucks, I feel your pain..

 

[tvad]

All good questions for your insurance agent. If anyone in your car was injured, then consider consulting a personal injury attorney.

 

[Waksk8n]

Feel your pain as well. I was rear ended on my way home from the dealer when picking it up. The car had 6 miles on it. Go to Tesla’s website to find out who the certified repair shops are and get a quote and also get a quote from Tesla if they have a repair shop at your local dealership. I’m glad I went to Tesla because they replaced the bumper rather than sand fill and paint the damaged bumper which is what the certified repair shop was going to do.

I hope he comes through with his insurance.

 

[Proflig8tor]

Ouch, that sucks.

Collecting insurance from the OP is not going to be easy unless their insurer is just feeling generous.

Insurance companies "owe" what their insured would be liable to pay. In this case, could a claim be made against an alien (foreign) party? Probably not.

I would suggest approaching your insurer with an "uninsured motorist" claim which not only provides payment as if your insured stepped into the shoes of the uninsured party, but also stacked coverage if you have more than one vehicle in your household covered. You will have a deductible.

There will be some diminution in value.

I'd suggest waiting on the attorney until you see how your insurer is going to do with the claim. You have three years before filing suit on you property damage claim is limited by Statute and two years on the bodily injury claim if anyone was hurt.

I am not an attorney and not providing legal advice.

 

[focher]

Wow. I thought I’d win, but someone got rear ended on the way home from delivery? That’s just terrible karma. How many puppies did you kill?

All joking aside, I had a very similar incident (at 4 days of ownership, but apparently that not “good enough” to be terrible).

It appears that you’ll need a new trunk and bumper. The photos don’t show if there’s more. In my case, the pyro fuse went off so I couldn’t drive the car. My recommendation is to go through the process, get estimates, identify a repair shop, have them order the parts, and only once the parts are available to leave the car for repair. There are time gaps in those steps, so better to avoid losing your vehicle until they really are ready to repair it.

In the meantime, do the following:

1. Identify and use a diminished value estimator. You’re in California. You get reimbursed for repairs, but also have a right to be reimbursed for the lost value in your car due to being in a collision.

2. Demand a Loss of Use reimbursement. This is NOT the rental of a car. This is the money you are owed during repair for being able to drive an equivalent vehicle. Don’t fall for the rental crap. A $40/day rental is not there to compensate you for the loss of use for your Model 3. Otherwise, make them rent you a Model 3.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

My car is dented in the back near the Tesla logo, and the body work panels are all messed and not aligned from back to front on the right side of the car. I hope the sensors are not affected.

Glad you seem to be ok.

If all the panels on the right side, including the front quarter, are misaligned, as you seem to be saying, the car is probably totaled. (It would mean it got hit very hard, but the entire frame distorted, so there is lots of hidden damage (for sure the entire trunk area will need to be torn apart and put back together.) So no worry about diminished value in that case! Based on other cases, it is about a $20k repair assuming none of that frame distortion.

Hopefully the other party takes full responsibility, no issues, and the rental car company has all his information so that your insurance can track him down. Make sure you double check and track down that info.

Probably easiest to just go through your insurance, though I have heard there are advantages to going through the other party (extended rental coverage maybe - not sure - ask your insurance agent).

 

[xxxholic]

Its wild the driver didn't have insurance information . I mean its on apps most days and you can pull it up anytime. Unless the driver waived coverage there was chance, the driver had insurance coverage through the rental car company. On the those rental car paperwork, they list insurance information for the driver. Did you get a formal police report and was the driver issued a citation? It doesn't sit well that the at fault driver just kind walked away but at least you do have some contact information...

Going through the rental car company can be difficult as they may make you wait until they get paid by the other driver. Worst case they avoid you all together and make you go through the other driver. You should definitely be speaking to your insurance company and maybe a lawyer just to be on the safe side.

My other advice for you is to be patient. I had my car for 10 days before my no fault accident (needed 3 wheels (still waiting on one) and the panel right below the doors on the passenger side). It took an entire month for me to get my car back. The Tesla supply chain for parts is abysmal. You're in California so it may be a bit better than the national average.