Holy crap, repairs are insanely expensive, beware!!

[voltaren]

Just yesterday, I had a USAA adjuster come to my house to provide an estimate for another car involved in a hit and run. He saw the Tesla and started chuckling. He complimented the car but said repairs are crazy expensive. "It ain't nothing to write $30k on that car." He said it takes months to get parts. He also said the going body shop rate for Tesla (specialty car and aluminum) is $155/hr instead of $65/hr on normal cars. He said a simple fender bender can be $8,000. He said he has written about 100 Tesla claims in MD.

Most alarming is that he said USAA sent a memo out concerning Tesla (probably internal) this year. I didn't pry too hard for full details but apparently it authorized the higher bodywork charges and extended at-fault rental vehicle duration. Based on the memo, he said that USAA was probably going to raise the rates on Tesla. I told him I saw my policy go up ~30% in 6 months. He insinuated they should be much more and said they need to be charging more than Audi prices. Apparently Audi is also crazy expensive and takes forever to get the parts (though he did say they now bring in parts from Mexico). FWIW...

 

[Newscutter]

Most alarming is that he said USAA sent a memo out concerning Tesla (probably internal) this year. I didn't pry too hard for full details but apparently it authorized the higher bodywork charges and extended at-fault rental vehicle duration. Based on the memo, he said that USAA was probably going to raise the rates on Tesla.

I'm also USAA... that's concerning. My policy just renewed this month, but the change was about $30/6mos more. From 2015 up about $75/6mos.

 

[emog81]

Also USAA...taking in my P85 tomorrow to a local shop (USAA recommended) to get a body work estimate for a ~8 inch scratch near the rear wheel. I'll be curious to see their estimate.

Earlier this year I had a small dent and hole in the rear bumper repaired (required new bumper). Took about a month to get the part and total cost was $2500, mostly in labor and paint costs.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

You guys are scaring the sugar out of me.

 

[FlatSix911]

Another USAA member here ... no change to my current rates $575/6 months

 

[DarkMatter]

It might depend on the risk groups. Some folks are such good insurance risks that the rates might stay low anyway. I'd expect rates to go way up for higher risk groups.

 

[phaduman]

Repair of my 2016 S70 has been an awful experience, as I had recounted in a recent post. In about ten days, it will be SIX MONTHS since my accident, and I still do not have it back. Parts take months to obtain from Tesla. Repair shop has a backlog of 18 Teslas. Unacceptable problem. So sorry that I bought a Tesla, a company that I had fallen in love with. No longer.

This is really sad! I am sorry you have to wait this long. We need to bring this up to Elon Musk. With 200,000 cars on the road, if they cannot handle the supply chain issues on parts, they really should be penalized (by investors at the minimum). I will be happy to support any effort that raises awareness at Musk level and forces him to tweet. Did you try and tweet to him?

 

[phaduman]

Ohh, one more thing. Tow agencies have no idea how to tow these vehicles. They are so heavy and have almost no tow infrastructure to assist the $15/hr noob who does this part time. How about a bulletin from Tesla on that?

I doubt tow truck guys don't know how to handle heavy vehicles. Minivans are close to 5K lbs, and many SUVs are more than 5K lbs, and those have been on the streets for more than 30-40years.

 

[mattr2]

It's not a matter of just knowing how to tow heavy vehicles, there simply isn't a way to lift or support the vehicle in many cases. The suspension ended up getting damaged during the tow because the operator couldn't support the vehicle without putting weight in the wheel. Could have just been a port tow operator. Just saying.

Anyway, got my car back last week. Total time away? 9 weeks. Total cost $14,400. Insurance paid 100% less deductible.

 

[HankLloydRight]

Do you think your rates go up as a result?

 

[reaveley]

Just to add my experience, I was involved in a rear end bump on the motorway which damaged the entire rear of the car. The BMW that hit me was a write-off but I could still drive away, minus my rear bumper. Long story short, I didn't have my car for 5 and half months and the repairs came to nearly £20,000 ($28,000 US pre-brexit exchange rates). The main delays were due to lack of qualified repair shops and the speed at getting parts shipped to Europe. Luckily I was entitled to hire another Tesla at £350 per day ($490) which ended costing the other guys insurance £52,000+ ($73,500+) in hire charges.

Some of the delays were down to the repair guys only discovering issues after months of work so they'd have to order new parts. If they'd exercised a more thorough check at the beginning, it would have only taken 3.5 months

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Just to add my experience, I was involved in a rear end bump on the motorway which damaged the entire rear of the car. The BMW that hit me was a write-off but I could still drive away, minus my rear bumper. Long story short, I didn't have my car for 5 and half months and the repairs came to nearly £20,000 ($28,000 US pre-brexit exchange rates). The main delays were due to lack of qualified repair shops and the speed at getting parts shipped to Europe. Luckily I was entitled to hire another Tesla at £350 per day ($490) which ended costing the other guys insurance £52,000+ ($73,500+) in hire charges.

Some of the delays were down to the repair guys only discovering issues after months of work so they'd have to order new parts. If they'd exercised a more thorough check at the beginning, it would have only taken 3.5 months

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I don't understand why they don't do the minimal just to make it drivable so you can drive it while waiting for parts. It doesn't look like there is enough damage to make your car undrivable. I'm guessing from the picture, what makes it undrivable is the rear hatch not being able to latch down.

 

[mattr2]

I can't imagine they won't, it's a collision claim.

However, the curbing happeneded on Jan 19. I already got a 40% rate increase Jan 1 to be effective Feb 1 for no reason. No claims on record, no tickets, nonaccudents for over 10 years. All I did was buy a Tesla. So I already secured coverage with another carrier effective Feb 1 and paid the annual premium up front. Not sure how long it will take to catch up with my new policy. I'm pretty sure insurance companies share info.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

I don't understand why they don't do the minimal just to make it drivable so you can drive it while waiting for parts. It doesn't look like there is enough damage to make your car undrivable. I'm guessing from the picture, what makes it undrivable is the rear hatch not being able to latch down.

Imagine half broken Tesla's all over the roads. That can't be good for sales.

 

[reaveley]

I don't understand why they don't do the minimal just to make it drivable so you can drive it while waiting for parts. It doesn't look like there is enough damage to make your car undrivable. I'm guessing from the picture, what makes it undrivable is the rear hatch not being able to latch down.

The police were happy for me to carry on to my destination but advised me not to open the boot as I'd most likely not be able to close it again. I'm also guessing it wouldn't be classified as road worthy. Probably the unseen damage that would be the problem for allowing it back on the road

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

Imagine half broken Tesla's all over the roads. That can't be good for sales.

I can't imagine someone seeing a Tesla on the road with some body damage and concluding that it was a bad idea to purchase a Tesla. I can definitely see them concluding that, after the hey hear about people waiting six months for parts, while their damaged and driveable Tesla sits unused, while they have to drive an ice rental car, while making $1,000+ payments on their dream car that they can't drive.

 

[winfield100]

Imagine half broken Tesla's all over the roads. That can't be good for sales.

there is a Tesla Roadster in South Cape Coral, Florida, USA, that the front end looks like a skeleton, but it goes

 

[dhanson865]

Find an Approved Body Shop

Thanks, that's what I needed. Hoping someone was closer than 40 minutes away.

I just looked an my two closest are

* Nashville, TN 169 miles one way by interstate
* North Atlanta, GA 187 miles one way by interstate

and the search tool points me to the one in GA as closer (maybe it is if you can fly)

I'd be happy to have one 40 minutes away.

 

[seclinton]

This is why we wait 3-9 months for repair. A 2013 P85 looking brand spanking new and performing like it. (ok with 80k miles and 6% battery degradation)

 

[winfield100]

This is why we wait 3-9 months for repair. A 2013 P85 looking brand spanking new and performing like it. (ok with 80k miles and 6% battery degradation)

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what is rating of PV array....?