SabrToothSqrl
Active Member
well, since everything is being replaced, you can keep the old parts and sell them on eBay, right?
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Holy crap, repairs are insanely expensive, beware!!
- Thread starter mattr2
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- Model S repair costs
This is just stupid and Tesla really needs to start correcting issues like this. There is no reason for the expensive repair and insurance costs will go up for everyone and wait till someone wants to buy a $35k Model 3 and insurance companies wont insure them because a minor repair like this would almost have them totaling the car with repair costs.
SomeJoe7777
Marginally-Known Member
Yes, I had this type of repair done to my 85D due to an accident in August of 2015.
My accident was quite a bit more severe than yours. I slid into a curb sideways during a high speed turn (don't ask -- I'll just say that some choices made that day were not my best decisions).
Clearly damaged and requiring replacement on my vehicle were left side front and rear: tires, wheels, brake rotors, brake calipers, hubs, upper and lower control arms, steering tie rod, steering rack, both left-side air suspension modules, and both left-side drive shafts. Drive units and battery were OK, and no damage to radiators, cooling systems, HVAC systems, or electronics. This came to about a $40K repair and took 10 weeks (covered by insurance).
The car drove perfectly afterwards, the body shop did a fantastic job.
However, I had two further repairs months afterwards that I believe were related to this incident. The right rear air suspension module needed replacement as it had started making a lot of noise as it was tapping against the body work. Tesla said it was prematurely worn. Also, the right front wheel bearing started making a lot of noise, replacement showed premature wear. In my opinion, both of these items appear to have taken damage due to impact forces that were transmitted through the steering rack and the drive units from left to right.
I guess the point is that damage can be hidden from incidents like this. It may seem overly cautious to replace everything you listed, yet its also understandable. However, as others have said, there is room for interpretation in that service bulletin, and your body shop seems to be reading it in a worst-case fashion.
So heavy? A BMW 7-series, Audi A8 or Mercedes S-class weigh about the same. Many SUVs (5800lbs Subrurbans) weigh significantly more.
If a Tow guy can't deal with 5,000lb car, they have no business being in business.
mrElbe
Active Member
Hmmm. That ball joint stud shouldn't have broken. My armchair mechanic sense tells me that that nut was over torqued to begin with weakening the stud.
henderrj
Active Member
I'm afraid you're incorrect. My dad was a mechanic and did innumerable repairs like this. I know, I got stuck helping on many of them. It's all about angle. The OP may not have been able to turn his wheel directly into the curb, the best way to prevent this sort of accident. (Although he almost certainly would have needed a new wheel!) The point is that side stresses are much, much harder on the suspension than front to rear type of hits.
I recall watching a Tesla corporate video boasting about how rigid / stiff the frame is. Maybe the fact the whole body of the car is so stiff (and heavy) that there's no give. Like dropping a glass on concrete instead of a mat. The gforces are more intense and parts like this snap.
I drive a Vauxhall (GM) Astra. Going round the bend on a greasy wet road at 35mph my car went sideways into a high curb. Bouced off that curb into the high curb on the other side. I got out fearing the side of the car would be ruined. The curb was about 15inches tall. The impact had been pretty jarring. But because the wheel was on full lock it took the brunt of the impact. 2 wheeltrims were shredded to pieces - one was lost - had cannoned off into some bushes. There was a 1 inch scratch on the body near the front wheel. The steering was somehow fine. This is 5 years ago. MOTs and services have shown nothing untoward since. What this would have been in a Tesla I'm not sure. I go from loving this car to thinking some of the hardware is rubbish - and the service centres seem to be a nightmare.
I drive a Vauxhall (GM) Astra. Going round the bend on a greasy wet road at 35mph my car went sideways into a high curb. Bouced off that curb into the high curb on the other side. I got out fearing the side of the car would be ruined. The curb was about 15inches tall. The impact had been pretty jarring. But because the wheel was on full lock it took the brunt of the impact. 2 wheeltrims were shredded to pieces - one was lost - had cannoned off into some bushes. There was a 1 inch scratch on the body near the front wheel. The steering was somehow fine. This is 5 years ago. MOTs and services have shown nothing untoward since. What this would have been in a Tesla I'm not sure. I go from loving this car to thinking some of the hardware is rubbish - and the service centres seem to be a nightmare.
K-MTG
Sunshade Captain of TMC
Can anyone with access to the service manual confirm the steps to replace the steering gear? It just sounds excessive. But my Acura requires dropping the front sub-frame and lots of work as well. But battery? AC compressor?
I really have a hard time believing the caliper can be damaged from an accident like this, which makes the rest of the list suspect to me.
There is an email in the bulletin. Perhaps they could clarify?
I really have a hard time believing the caliper can be damaged from an accident like this, which makes the rest of the list suspect to me.
There is an email in the bulletin. Perhaps they could clarify?
Joe F
Disruption is hard.
I agree with others who correctly point out that the repair shop is fleecing both you and your insurance company. This is going to affect your rates I'm sure, not to mention take an inordinate amount of time to repair.
The tech note clearly states:
"For safety, the steering gear must be replaced after a collision or any impact that results in any of the following conditions:"
One condition of which was the damage your car sustained.
Per the note, contact [email protected]
The tech note clearly states:
"For safety, the steering gear must be replaced after a collision or any impact that results in any of the following conditions:"
One condition of which was the damage your car sustained.
Per the note, contact [email protected]
Many years ago I had the experience of owning a car which had been in a similar accident before my ownership and repaired with only the damaged parts being replaced. When on a dirt road the control arm failed, taking out all the rest of the suspension parts on that side. Parts can be weakened and look fine. These were steel parts which take abuse better, not aluminum ones.
I am not entirely sure this is out of line with the higher end cars from BMW and Mercedes. My buddy was quoted 3 grand to inspect and replace non-adaptive headlights on his 5 series and that wont be covered by insurance OR warranty. I've seen 5 figure quotes on the big Germans for seemingly simple jobs.
If anything the biggest issue for sure is parts availability and speed of repairs and ofcourse the lack of options. It does feel like you are stuck when something like this happens. This is a MASSIVE problem that they will have to ramp up and address sooner than later. But I do feel they are aware of this and will ramp up and match the needs before Model 3 goes full steam. I think by 2018 things HAVE to improve, otherwise the whole "mass-market" car is a complete joke.
But as for repair costs, yes it is very worrying, but I think it comes with the territory. Insurance rates seem to have these baked in (including ludicrous battery costs) and I dont think they are going to go down with incidents such as these. I do think as someone else mentioned, its worth contacting Tesla about this and have them review the case. We should be able to get their attention on cases like this and have them look at it seriously to understand things arent always simple in the real world and there are incidents and issues that open up major gaps.
I really do hope you get the car fixed sooner than later and your rates stay reasonable. Good luck
If anything the biggest issue for sure is parts availability and speed of repairs and ofcourse the lack of options. It does feel like you are stuck when something like this happens. This is a MASSIVE problem that they will have to ramp up and address sooner than later. But I do feel they are aware of this and will ramp up and match the needs before Model 3 goes full steam. I think by 2018 things HAVE to improve, otherwise the whole "mass-market" car is a complete joke.
But as for repair costs, yes it is very worrying, but I think it comes with the territory. Insurance rates seem to have these baked in (including ludicrous battery costs) and I dont think they are going to go down with incidents such as these. I do think as someone else mentioned, its worth contacting Tesla about this and have them review the case. We should be able to get their attention on cases like this and have them look at it seriously to understand things arent always simple in the real world and there are incidents and issues that open up major gaps.
I really do hope you get the car fixed sooner than later and your rates stay reasonable. Good luck
Gizmotoy
Active Member
My Mom had an extremely similar accident in a CR-V. The side stress broke the control arm free of its mount. Insurance paid to replace the control arm. The car was a nightmare after that. None of the 4 corners would hold alignment, the damaged corner ate through tires, and it felt squirrely at speed. It's definitely at least possible that there's substantially more damage here than just the obvious.
Drone Flyer
Active Member
Actually, A Tesla Model S weighs in around 6000 pounds!
There really aren't heavier cars or SUV's out there.
d.c.palmer
10 years of EV driving
- which is heavier than a Bentley Continental or a Rolls Royce Phantom - Yikes! - but lighter (just) than a Maybach 62
Back to the O.T., there was an incident last year where an owner was trying to sue Tesla over his suspension components failing. In particular, he showed the ball joint which had cracked, and was trying to get NHTSA to declare the cars unroadworthy. Here's the NY Times article:-
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/10/business/tesla-model-s-nhtsa-suspension-failure.html?_r=0
d.c.palmer
10 years of EV driving
Shorty
Member
According to Wikipedia, the curb weight on an S is between 4300 and 4900 lbs depending on battery size. That is still very heavy but in line with many luxury vehicles.
Shorty
Member
I think that the authorized repair centres that Tesla has chosen are good and I have had no issues with quality. In my opinion though there are not enough of them and the ones that exist are very busy. The best way to keep costs fair and delays minimized is to have competition. I am sure that Tesla could easily double or triple the number of authorized shops without impacting quality of service.
The argument I have heard is that authorized shops invest a lot in training and equipment and need to be able to recover that investment. That is true but when you are backed up 5+ cars at a time then you recover that investment pretty quickly.
The argument I have heard is that authorized shops invest a lot in training and equipment and need to be able to recover that investment. That is true but when you are backed up 5+ cars at a time then you recover that investment pretty quickly.
