Hit a Deer: Need Advice

[PauliePucks]

I am in the same boat here in NJ my friend. Was driving home in my SR+ M3 late on the night of 11/1 from a mens league hockey game and clipped a deer on my front driver side headlight/fender/bumper corner.

Called insurance as I knew it was going to be a fortune to fix. My damage was busted bumper clips, crack in my headlight and a small fold in the edge of the fender close to the wheel. The car is completely driveable and I have yet to have any issues with sensors etc.

My insurance is through State Farm. I searched through tesla’s authorized repair facilities and provided State Farm with a list of the shops near me. Thankfully, there was one within 15 minutes of me (LOTS of teslas in Northern NJ) and they are a direct network body shop, and actually got paid 2 days after I brought the car in for estimate.

My total damage was 6k. Repairs needed are front bumper replacement, front driver fender replacement and front headlight replacement. They told me parts would take 4/5 days, and that estimate was accurate, the parts arrived on time. The parts cost were equal to the labor cost. Seems like most of the labor involved here is paint work. They are also going to go over the entire car and repair any panel gaps which was a definite added bonus!

My only problem is they can’t get me in for the repair until early December as they are booked solid. Was told the repairs would take 7-10 days. There were over 30 teslas of all variations in the lot for repair which gave me good hopes that my car is in good hands. Also gave me the idea that I should invest in a Tesla Certified Repair Shop! LOL

 

[ArtK]

I cannot believe a non-Tesla shop couldn't replace a damn door for far less. Obviously the part has a price tag...but 4-7K in labor for this is just absurd. And if it's true, and all Tesla body work is so absurdly high, then our insurance will keep going up, which would be unacceptable to me