Is my Model 3 totaled

[Gallahadd]

And this is exactly the problem asking opinions on whether or not totalled. It is so widely variable dependent upon the exact specifics, and a small difference in the hit can mean a difference of thousand$$. I would also push for a second estimate, but if they're coming up with $11,000 I don't think it's anywhere close.

I agree seems a bit low, but I'm curious to see what they come up with on their second shot. I understand why you hedged the bet the way you did, but thought you were jumping the gun, and this is why. So, to clarify, you order the new car with the acceleration booth upgrade, which is nonrefundable?

no the damaged car is the only that I bought the acceleration boost for 2 days prior to the wreck.

I had a body shop that does tesla's look at photos and they said just from what is visible would be 25-30k in damages, not counting anything they cant see.

I can cancel the order, thats not the problem. Mine was that even my local agents were telling me it would be probably be totaled.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

You’d think they could at least get the model of your car right! Definitely they should not be under the impression your car is a Performance Model 3!

 

[Gallahadd]

You’d think they could at least get the model of your car right! Definitely they should not be under the impression your car is a Performance Model 3!

your right, i didnt even notice that. will correct them as that ups the replacement value they are trying to avoid.

 

[TomB985]

Gotcha, that makes more sense.

Best of luck, keeping an eye on this one to see how it turns out. I feel for you, brother…

 

[dmurphy]

so I have had a majority of everyone i talk to say it is totaled. I also have a delivery for a new one set for 12/31 as i got lucky and there was one in state left that met my order. However, i got estimate of damages back from allstate today. They estimate it at 11k. The claims folks, and my local agents think its totaled but what ever appraisal team they use thinks its 11k. What makes it worse, since i have new car replacement, they will not go off of fair market value to total it, they are now going off of the full replacement cost to decide if totaled or not. fml

I have a feeling they will still total it but it is going to take weeks probably until they get it to a tesla approved shop to get on a lift. So not happening in time for tax credit which means I am out thousands of more dollars from someone else hitting me. Since Tesla also wont refund a 2 day old acceleration boost upgrading. (got to love the customer obsession)

So here's the thing ... if the initial estimate is only $11k, there's no way I see them totaling it out. Even if you could get them to double - or even triple - that estimate, you're still way below the totaling threshold.

I'm not a mechanic, and obviously wasn't part of the evaluation, but if the battery wasn't damaged, and the frame isn't unrepairable, then I suspect you're in for a somewhat-lengthy repair. Which at least means you'll keep your $2k acceleration boost!

Our Enclave is in a similar position. Lots of damage to the point where *I* think it should be totaled, but the adjusters said no way ... even at $16k for the initial estimate, we're still less than half of the car's ACV - no way they'd even consider totaling it. Just gotta wait it out and let the body shop do their thing ...

It's not fun, but the good news is that if you have a good body shop, you'll never be able to tell anything happened. *and* you should be able to recover some diminished value credit from the other party; in our case, the deer had let his insurance lapse. I just get to take the huge depreciation hit in the shorts.

PS - if anyone tells you airbag deployments "automatically" mean a total, they're full of it ....... trust me.

 

[TomB985]

So here's the thing ... if the initial estimate is only $11k, there's no way I see them totaling it out. Even if you could get them to double - or even triple - that estimate, you're still way below the totaling threshold.

I'm not a mechanic, and obviously wasn't part of the evaluation, but if the battery wasn't damaged, and the frame isn't unrepairable, then I suspect you're in for a somewhat-lengthy repair. Which at least means you'll keep your $2k acceleration boost!

Our Enclave is in a similar position. Lots of damage to the point where *I* think it should be totaled, but the adjusters said no way ... even at $16k for the initial estimate, we're still less than half of the car's ACV - no way they'd even consider totaling it. Just gotta wait it out and let the body shop do their thing ...

It's not fun, but the good news is that if you have a good body shop, you'll never be able to tell anything happened. *and* you should be able to recover some diminished value credit from the other party; in our case, the deer had let his insurance lapse. I just get to take the huge depreciation hit in the shorts.

Just wanted chip in and say I agree with this on all points. Nothing to be afraid of with a well-done repair, but it sucks waiting for them to finish up.

 

[Gallahadd]

Just wanted chip in and say I agree with this on all points. Nothing to be afraid of with a well-done repair, but it sucks waiting for them to finish up.

agree as well. I would be fine and semi happy to get my car back as I wouldnt be out thousands of dollars in upgrades, tint, chrome delete, etc. I am just worried that it is totaled and they are delaying me from getting the tax credits and costing me even more money.

I still want to know what that horrible smell was after the wreck and is still in the car (just fainter) even a week after the wreck. Since car wouldnt move at all afterwards and is completely dead at impound (i had to jump it to open doors) that it was battery damage.

 

[dmurphy]

agree as well. I would be fine and semi happy to get my car back as I wouldnt be out thousands of dollars in upgrades, tint, chrome delete, etc. I am just worried that it is totaled and they are delaying me from getting the tax credits and costing me even more money.

I still want to know what that horrible smell was after the wreck and is still in the car (just fainter) even a week after the wreck. Since car wouldnt move at all afterwards and is completely dead at impound (i had to jump it to open doors) that it was battery damage.

There's a pyro fuse in the battery that trips on an impact to prevent thermal issues. Quite possible all they have to do is replace the pyro fuse and it'll power right up.

One of these: NEW Tesla Model 3 High Voltage Battery Disconnect Pyrofuse Pyro Fuse Pyrotechnic | eBay

That's probably what the smell is, too! Really not as bad as it sounds ....

Good luck - please, please keep us posted! I'm a few hours away in NJ but if there's anything I can do in the meanwhile, just holler!

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

There's a pyro fuse in the battery that trips on an impact to prevent thermal issues.

Could also have been the explosive seat belt pre-tensioner. Did the seat belt work properly post-crash? You might not have noticed of course.

I can’t see the $50/hr labor rates sticking on this estimate. Usually 2/3 of repair costs seem to be labor costs.

 

[Gallahadd]

Could also have been the explosive seat belt pre-tensioner. Did the seat belt work properly post-crash? You might not have noticed of course.

I can’t see the $50/hr labor rates sticking on this estimate. Usually 2/3 of repair costs seem to be labor costs.

the seat belt was really tight after i was hit. It was really hard to click the seat belt lose.

so it is an "explosive" device to do seat belt?

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

the seat belt was really tight after i was hit. It was really hard to click the seat belt lose.

so it is an "explosive" device to do seat belt?

Yes. It has an explosive pretension device. It is replaceable of course. Likely the reason for the smell. The pyrofuse went as well I am sure.

I did not see line items for these. Nor did I see a line item for your rear parking sensors. Just skimmed it though.

 

[dmurphy]

the seat belt was really tight after i was hit. It was really hard to click the seat belt lose.

so it is an "explosive" device to do seat belt?

Sure is! Check out this slo-mo video of a seatbelt pre tensioner going off -

If it goes off, they replace the entire seat belt. It’s actually not that big of a deal to replace... another thing I learned in this Enclave saga. For us, the seatbelt, airbag, steering wheel clockspring and airbag control module all need to be replaced.

 

[Magnets!]

Those are some cheap labor rates...is that from a Tesla Certified Shop?

 

[dmurphy]

Those are some cheap labor rates...is that from a Tesla Certified Shop?

Those are actually in line for body shop insurance work .... Tesla certified body shop work, at that.

The shop doing my Enclave is also Tesla-certified, and in State Farm's network ... They're working at $48/hr for body & paint, and $51/hr for mechanical. Even less than @Gallahadd's shop.

 

[Magnets!]

Those are actually in line for body shop insurance work .... Tesla certified body shop work, at that.

The shop doing my Enclave is also Tesla-certified, and in State Farm's network ... They're working at $48/hr for body & paint, and $51/hr for mechanical. Even less than @Gallahadd's shop.

Not even close for So. Cal at least. Tesla certified shops don't charge Tesla rates on Buicks, only on Teslas.

Edit: Just found my invoice : Mechanical labor $175/hr, Body $125, Paint $75. These are rates my insurance paid to a Tesla Certified body shop.

 

[dmurphy]

Not even close for So. Cal at least. Tesla certified shops don't charge Tesla rates on Buicks, only on Teslas.

Edit: Just found my invoice : Mechanical labor $175/hr, Body $125, Paint $75. These are rates my insurance paid to a Tesla Certified body shop.

I think those numbers are massively inflated... Some of that is surely because of the aluminum work, but labor rate should be labor rate ... I'd expect the numbers of hours to complete a repair on a Tesla to maybe be a bit higher, but there's no reason the technicians' time should be 2x-3x what it is for another vehicle on an hour-by-hour basis. That's just gouging.

Granted, it's 2 years old, but here's a guide from Mitchell around average labor rates. CA is certainly higher than NJ but not in a $125/hr kind of way. It looks to me like the body shops have kinda ganged up together and decided to take the insurance companies out to the woodshed with those kind of rates.

Edited to add: I'm certainly not disagreeing with you that this is the current state of affairs... but I'd expect a market correction to show up sometime soon. To be fair, that Buick has plenty of aluminum work too, and is every bit as complex (in fact, I'd argue moreso) as a Tesla body.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

Our Enclave is in a similar position. Lots of damage to the point where *I* think it should be totaled, but the adjusters said no way

This damage to the Enclave looks fairly cosmetic in comparison. It was just a few hundred pounds of deer mangling some sheet metal and various supports. Doesn’t look too bad.

The Model 3 is all twisted. You can see the left rear quarter panel is pushed to the right and the left rear door and window is sticking out a bit as far as I can tell. The entire rear of the car has been twisted I think.
The estimate does not include suspension repair (which I think is certainly going to be needed). The “node” in the rear has certainly been compromised too. To be fair, I have no idea what a “node” is exactly, but when they get damaged it is bad!

This is just an insurance preliminary estimate with no tear down. Tear down will reveal whether the rear motor has been compromised, or the battery (maybe had some luck but if the entire vehicle is twisted...)

If I were @Gallahadd, I would definitely get the car in the shop for a tear down ASAP to get that money on the way, and hopefully take delivery of his new car before the new year. If it doesn’t total out he can always claim diminished value and dump it after repair. As long as the extra money can be floated in the meantime, it seems like a way to avoid future frustration.

 

[dmurphy]

This damage to the Enclave looks fairly cosmetic in comparison. It was just a few hundred pounds of deer mangling some sheet metal and various supports. Doesn’t look too bad.

Unfortunately, what isn't visible is that the condenser, radiator & fans have all been pushed into the motor. I have a suspicion the engine's been knocked off its mount if nothing else. Starting it to get it up on the flatbed gave me some very unpleasant engine noises... There's also some steering issues, but whether that's related to the airbags going off, or actual steering rack damage is still TBD. Sure the deer's only a few hundred pounds, but a few hundred pounds at 70mph is like hitting a brick wall. Anyway, let's talk Tesla!

The Model 3 is all twisted. You can see the left rear quarter panel is pushed to the right and the left rear door and window is sticking out a bit as far as I can tell. The entire rear of the car has been twisted I think.
The estimate does not include suspension repair (which I think is certainly going to be needed). The “node” in the rear has certainly been compromised too. To be fair, I have no idea what a “node” is exactly, but when they get damaged it is bad!

That's entirely possible. I certainly wouldn't rule out a total loss yet but the insurance company is going to do what appears to be cheapest. If they can do that first teardown and still think it's cheaper - it's getting repaired ... and I do agree, getting a DV claim and dumping it might be the best option.

Not sure I see the left rear damage though; the trunk lid is mangled but the LR quarter and door look OK to me. There's something reflecting in that beautiful paint job though that's really messing with my vision. Maybe that's masking it - not sure.

I can only compare vs. my situation; since it's already hit carfax (had no choice - had to file a police report since this was on the interstate) I'm going to take a huge loss no matter what. There's no DV available in my case - the deer let his insurance lapse. Given that, I just have to either keep the vehicle once fixed, or bend over, take the loss and move on with another vehicle. (Quasi-related, but if Elon's tweet from 2 days ago comes true - adding the repeater and B-pillar cameras to the display - my case for a Model X just went up 50 points with the wife

This is just an insurance preliminary estimate with no tear down. Tear down will reveal whether the rear motor has been compromised, or the battery (maybe had some luck but if the entire vehicle is twisted...)

I agree wholeheartedly - the entire thing hinges pretty much on the battery. If it's compromised, the car's probably a goner. If not - and especially if the rear motor is ok - repair is possible; maybe even probable. Lots of sheet metal damage but that's not going to push the price of repair into total loss territory here.

Honestly, I'd almost wish for a total here but if it's not cost effective, insurance isn't going to play ball ... total bummer for @Gallahadd.

 

[SageBrush]

And by the way, in case you haven’t noticed, your neck is really sore right now and your back is in constant pain.

And you are unethical

 

[SageBrush]

I can cancel the order, thats not the problem.

Can you delay delivery ?