How long does it take to replace a quarter panel?

[RAW84]

Hi,

I need to have my quartet panel replaced due to a minor accident. The car is still drivable, just a buckle in the quarter panel above The wheel. The shop has the parts (that took two months), and now is telling me it'll take 3 weeks to repair. That seems like a really long time. Does anyone here have an idea on how long it usually takes to replace a quarter panel on a model S?

 

[David99]

3 weeks is a normal time for a body shop working on Tesla. I waited longer!

 

[bkp_duke]

And this is why the VERY LIMITED number for "authorized body shops" that Tesla has qualified is something that is going to come back and bite them in the ass HARD when the Model 3 comes out.

Owners in that price range and insurance companies won't tolerate this kind of wait. It will blow up into a PR nightmare.

 

[Krugerrand]

And this is why the VERY LIMITED number for "authorized body shops" that Tesla has qualified is something that is going to come back and bite them in the ass HARD when the Model 3 comes out.

Owners in that price range and insurance companies won't tolerate this kind of wait. It will blow up into a PR nightmare.

Well, good thing the Model 3 doesn't come out tomorrow and Tesla has already announced plans to continue to increase SuperChargers, service centers and the like.

 

[Barry]

If it only takes 3 weeks, that will probably be a new record. Repair time is the Achilles's heel of Tesla.

I had the same 2 month wait to get in, after the parts were on hand (supposedly), then it was another 2 months to get the work done because some additional parts were needed, once the panel was removed.

 

[RAW84]

Thanks for the feedback

 

[RAW84]

And this is why the VERY LIMITED number for "authorized body shops" that Tesla has qualified is something that is going to come back and bite them in the ass HARD when the Model 3 comes out.

Owners in that price range and insurance companies won't tolerate this kind of wait. It will blow up into a PR nightmare.

Will the model 3 have an aluminum body?

 

[bkp_duke]

Will the model 3 have an aluminum body?

Unknown at this point. Rumors are flying in both directions (traditional vs. aluminum).

BTW, BMWs and Mercs have aluminum bodies. They are not nearly as expensive to repair.

It is the Tesla validation process for a body shop which has created an artificial monopoly for these few shops. There are literally on average 1-2 per state (California being the exception), and some states have none. For this reason these shops can and often do charge insane rates for the repair work, sometimes 2-3 times the local average for other high-end vehicles. There are many reports of this on this forum.

Often, insurance companies are totaling Model S's for repairs that normally would not call for a car to be totaled.

 

[RAW84]

Unknown at this point. Rumors are flying in both directions (traditional vs. aluminum).

BTW, BMWs and Mercs have aluminum bodies. They are not nearly as expensive to repair.

It is the Tesla validation process for a body shop which has created an artificial monopoly for these few shops. There are literally on average 1-2 per state (California being the exception), and some states have none. For this reason these shops can and often do charge insane rates for the repair work, sometimes 2-3 times the local average for other high-end vehicles. There are many reports of this on this forum.

Often, insurance companies are totaling Model S's for repairs that normally would not call for a car to be totaled.

Aluminum definitely drives up the cost. I took it to a non-tesla-certified body shop and their rates for aluminum were $100/hr whereas the Tesla certified shop was $125/hr. There's other areas to gouge in (i.e. increased labor times, or including time not working on aluminium in the aluminum rate), but the rates themselves weren't too different. I, too, have read many horror stories on how expensive it is to repair a model S.

What sparked this thread was the fact that the non certified shop made it seem like it would only take three days or so to replace the quarter panel once they had the parts whereas the certified shop is telling me three weeks. It seemed excessive, but I guess it's par for the course.

 

[RAW84]

If it only takes 3 weeks, that will probably be a new record. Repair time is the Achilles's heel of Tesla.

I had the same 2 month wait to get in, after the parts were on hand (supposedly), then it was another 2 months to get the work done because some additional parts were needed, once the panel was removed.

Was this a certified shop? If so, I find it disheartening that they didn't know which parts were needed to replace a quarter panel in the first place.

 

[bkp_duke]

Aluminum definitely drives up the cost. I took it to a non-tesla-certified body shop and their rates for aluminum were $100/hr whereas the Tesla certified shop was $125/hr. There's other areas to gouge in (i.e. increased labor times, or including time not working on aluminium in the aluminum rate), but the rates themselves weren't too different. I, too, have read many horror stories on how expensive it is to repair a model S.

What sparked this thread was the fact that the non certified shop made it seem like it would only take three days or so to replace the quarter panel once they had the parts whereas the certified shop is telling me three weeks. It seemed excessive, but I guess it's par for the course.

Agreed, but it seems like it was just a "pull the panel and replace it" kind of repair. Not actually trying to do aluminum frame work. For a repair like that, which is just disassembly, inspection, reassembly with the new part I would lean towards what the non-certified shop says.

I would bet the certified shop is just busy and it's not actually 3 weeks worth of "true labor", they just cannot get to it quickly.

Just my 0.02.

 

[Barry]

Was this a certified shop? If so, I find it disheartening that they didn't know which parts were needed to replace a quarter panel in the first place.

Yes. Apparently, something under the quarter panel was damaged, which they didn't know until it was removed. The big hold-up was rivets, believe it or not. They were on back-order from Tesla from a supplier in Japan. I asked if they could get rivets from elsewhere, being such a ubiquitous part, but was told that it would void my warranty and the shop would lose their contract. There's a long thread about it on the Tesla Motors forum: Some Tesla management need to be fired and replaced | Tesla Motors
It was very disheartening while it was going on, but the grin is back now

 

[Snerruc]

Body work on any expensive, low volume car takes a long time. Tesla is in the norm in my area. Be careful using non approved shops as tools used on steel bodies should never be used on aluminum. Ford has gone as far as to supply tools to select repairers for the F150. If you must use a non approved shop, use one that repairs F150's or Jaguare..

 

[hanl1]

Took mine 3 weeks. Felt A LOT longer, though.