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Is my Model 3 totaled

totaled?


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Ouch. Who was at fault?

Me, it happened due to my appendix bursting while I was trying to get home, pain was horrendous, I passed out as I tried to pull off the road hit a telephone pole going 17 mph according to the EDR data I pulled. I wrote a letter to AAA with a copy of the medical report and they didn't put it on my insurance record as an accident! Hoooray!
 
Me, it happened due to my appendix bursting while I was trying to get home, pain was horrendous, I passed out as I tried to pull off the road hit a telephone pole going 17 mph according to the EDR data I pulled. I wrote a letter to AAA with a copy of the medical report and they didn't put it on my insurance record as an accident! Hoooray!

Yikes! Sorry to hear. Glad to hear you are OK!
 
is there anything why to say that quickly and term "absolutely"? Just curious, it's my first wreck in 20 years so little outdated on what is or isn't considered totaled and since it was just the back, i didn't know.
It’s the damage to the rear quarter panel. Just from the picture all of the rear quarter plus all of structure underneath will have to be replaced. There is a good chance that a significant portion of the unibody would have to straightened on a frame machine. There is also going to be damage to the suspension and possibly to the rear motor itself.
 
It’s the damage to the rear quarter panel. Just from the picture all of the rear quarter plus all of structure underneath will have to be replaced. There is a good chance that a significant portion of the unibody would have to straightened on a frame machine. There is also going to be damage to the suspension and possibly to the rear motor itself.

It really depends on how straight the structure is. The more I look at it, the more I think it's POSSIBLE they may not total it out ... if it's "just" the trunk cavity, quarter panels, etc... entirely possible this is under the threshold to total out. The wheel looks straight, which means the motors/axle/etc may actually be intact.

Just won't know until they pull some of it apart. I still think there's a likelihood of totaling out, but repair isn't out of question ...
 
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Depends on the insurance company and the state laws. I dealt with this recently on stepsons truck...Texas law basically says only totaled once the repair will cost more than the vehicle is worth. (Instead of the usual 50-70% of some other states). I’d guess if you’re in a state like Tx: Not totaled. But if you’re in one of the more cautious states: totaled. Will also depend on insurance company I’d bet.

Will certainly be an experience. Best of luck to you.
 
I'm going to say it's totalled because the rear end of the car is cost prohibitive to replace.... I see your bodyside sheetmetal is toast, the trunk structure is toast... there is almost certainly some significant underbody damage too. It would probably cost more to get this car back in shape than it would cost to get a new one.
 
There is a traffic light near my work. That operates differently from a traditional 4 way traffic light.

I say it's a T intersection, where its in a shape of a T. It used to be a stopsign for the slower street side, but then it was made into a traffic light b/c of high speeds.

So alot of careless people, they want to ignore the red light because they probably thinking, "well, it looks like a one way road". Or they think that red light is like a mere stop sign. I hate that intersection, its an accident waiting to happen. Some truck almost ran it, I had to honk at him to stop and he suddenly braked to a stop, as I was making a green left light. He was def gonna run it if no one warned him.

But I got scrapped in a parking garage few weeks ago. I got it fixed but this guy is taking a while to pay me $425. I seems honest though, he did stay. He told me he has some divorce financial thing going on, where his ex-wife wants to take money outta joint account. But he said he plans to pay me back, but he's trying to make it work.
 
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IT is totaled.

I've been looking at salvaged model 3 and S teslas for the battery. Your car is worse than most, first of all, the rear-drive unit is gone and the frame is shot.
But you have a good front which makes it valuable for those parts.


anyone got a good battery for sale?
 
I am incredulous that at the time of this post, 5 out of 123 people actually think it is more likely that OP's car is not totaled. I understand the "well, every state is different" and "let's just see what the insurance company says" comments, but in an informal non-binding poll, 5 people are more convinced than not that insurance will pay to replace the drive unit, repair the frame, possibly replace the battery, replace the sheet metal and rear window, etc... that's got to be more than the value of the 3. I mean, this vehicle looks like it's in better shape than OP's car:
47764796_s.jpg
 
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so wife looked up and Texas and California have the highest in the U.S. at 100%

the laws are not the driving factor, it’s the $$$. The cost to replace all the damaged parts will be quite high, as will the labor. As will the 2 months of rental replacement, etc. at the end of the day if they can pay you 45-50, and then hawk the car and/or its salvageable parts for 20+, that car is a goner. I am not a claims adjuster but I am an insurance guy. I would be very surprised if they tried to fix this. Especially if the battery (which is what,60-70% of the cost of the vehicle) is compromised.
 
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Does the car turn on and the main screen all seems to work fine?
Can the car be driven?
Then it might be possible to salvage.
Insurance company decides which is cheaper - total or salvage.
yes, insurance is the decider, but frame and rear end collisions are over the top when they crumple up like this one. I see lots of "start and drive" salvage cars, and as I said with nothing as bad as the OP.. You should take a look at what is for sale, You can literally bolt on some front fenders*
* hood and all the sensors... and replace the frunk pieces and have a car you worry about forever.... from the salvage yard.
 
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I am incredulous that at the time of this post, 5 out of 123 people actually think it is more likely that OP's car is not totaled. I understand the "well, every state is different" and "let's just see what the insurance company says" comments, but in an informal non-binding poll, 5 people are more convinced than not that insurance will pay to replace the drive unit, repair the frame, possibly replace the battery, replace the sheet metal and rear window, etc... that's got to be more than the value of the 3. I mean, this vehicle looks like it's in better shape than OP's car:

What we can’t see is whether the drive unit or frame or suspension are damaged. It’s possible the drive unit is OK; both rear wheels are straight as an arrow.

Here’s what’s left of our Enclave after a deer hit. $16k+ in repairs and it’ll be back on the road (in theory.) I thought for sure it was gone - airbags popped and everything. But we’re nowhere near the total-out threshold. ACV is about $36k; the initial repair estimate was $16k. That plus salvage value ($6k-ish) is nowhere near the ACV, so we’re stuck repairing a vehicle I don’t want back.

Now, on the OPs car, if the DU or battery are compromised, or the frame is twisted, I’d be pretty sure it’s a goner. But to just assume right away, not so much. The adjuster has to do their thing - best not to jump to conclusions and give them time to do what they do. It’s one of those processes we have no control over, so no sense worrying about it ....

C8165060-D644-46AA-BADC-9A3D3849C5DD.jpeg
 
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MY P3D+ was severely damaged on left side including two wheels. It was drivable and a nearby SC made a couple modest mods to keep body pieces from falling off. It happened 5 days after i bought the car, Sept 2018. The other driver was at fault but my insurance company paid the bills for me. In the end there was zero battery or body alignment problem, nor wheel alignment. Initial estimate was $38,000 for repair, but I could not get a new car.

Four months later I got my car back. There is zero evidence of accident and the car has been flawless. I remain astonished! My insurance company volunteered diminished value and ended out giving me $8,000.
Strangely my Carfax shows no damage, possibly because the accident happened in Canada, the car is Florida registered. Of course Tesla has all the records and one would need to be seriously dishonest to suggest it had never been damaged.

Anyway I'll replace this one only after a there is new version with at least 30% more range. In the meantime I love it.

With yours I would not even hazard a guess because the Model 3 is amazingly well designed and constructed so seemingly major damage is sometimes not so serious as it appears to be. That is great unless you really want to have a new car, which I most definitely did!
 
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