Help with damage!

[KenC]

I slightly swiped my M3 on an entrance ramp guardrail and did some cosmetic damage all along the left side, from front bumper to LR quarter panel and maybe rear bumper. From 20 feet away it was hard to tell it was damaged, and there was absolutely no functional impact. Half the scuffs and dings surely could have been “buffed right out.”

My TAB determined the LR quarter panel had to be replaced, and the total estimate was $36k. I was dumbfounded. Had car less than 3 months, about 3000 miles. Kemper totaled it. I called them and insisted they had the wrong car, but they and the TAB were in sync, and they did indeed total it. I had full replacement coverage so the loss amount was the full amount I had paid for the vehicle. Kemper paid off the bank and sent me a check to reimburse the little that I had paid on it, minus $250 deductible. I was assured this would not affect my rates (been with them for 28 years with no tickets or accidents, just a couple of windshields).

This happened in March, right before “quarantine,” so I was in no hurry to replace the car since I had nowhere to go. After the $2k price drop and before the July 1 FSD increase, I ordered a duplicate of my original M3, and it will be delivered next week. For less than I paid for the first one.

Still shaking my head.

Did you take a picture? Seems remarkable to have swiped the whole left side of your car from front bumper to rear quarter panel, and have it all be buffable. Now, that's a unicorn car! You should have kept it!

 

[NES777]

Thank you for all the replies! I switched insurance carriers and didn't realize I left myself a 2 day gap without being insured - lucky for me, thats when the damage occurred.

That said, the car port, autopilot..... really everything works like normal. I didn't realize there was so much involved in getting new panels and a bumper replaced. Just thought it was way overkill, unfortunately, its not....

 

[KenC]

Thank you for all the replies! I switched insurance carriers and didn't realize I left myself a 2 day gap without being insured - lucky for me, thats when the damage occurred.

That said, the car port, autopilot..... really everything works like normal. I didn't realize there was so much involved in getting new panels and a bumper replaced. Just thought it was way overkill, unfortunately, its not....

Wow, incredible bad luck.

 

[DigglyDog]

Did you take a picture? Seems remarkable to have swiped the whole left side of your car from front bumper to rear quarter panel, and have it all be buffable. Now, that's a unicorn car! You should have kept it!

I don’t have good pics. I attached one taken from a bad angle, that appears to show an undamaged car. Could probably get more from the body shop. And I didn’t say it was ALL buffable, there are definitely some dings, scratches, and gouges that needed professional attention, but it seems the only part that needed replacing was the LR quarter panel.

And trust me, I wanted to keep it, great car with no other problems, but that much repair would would have significantly hurt resale and Kemper was not going to pay diminished value when they were offering to replace it straight up.

 

[DigglyDog]

How do I get in on this scam?! Lol

(I know it’s not a scam, but boy if you told anyone outside the Tesla geek groups that story they would surely think you pulled a fast one on your insurance!)

I feel more like the body shop and Kemper pulled a fast one on me. I just wanted to get my car back, repaired. Seems like such a waste for everyone involved.

 

[FanBoy0427]

your rates will definitely go up regardless of your tenure with the company

 

[VT_EE]

I had similar damage to the bumper and rear quarter panel last year. It was just under $11k and took over a month in the shop. Roof was removed (and replaced due to the difficulty in removing it intact), interior was removed, rear quarter panel was cut out and replaced. Lots of painting too. This is not a simple repair by any stretch.