Just read some posts on cosmetic repairs!! :(

[GadgetGeek407]

I just read a couple posts on people who got into fender benders and OMG it has me freaked out and angered. I own a used car business and recently bought a Tesla S to drive around for a few to fix my itch and eventually sell it since I have a model 3 on order.

I deal with body guys repair shops fairly frequently in the used car world naturally to fix dings dents love bug damage on bumpers fender benders and others. I find it highly INSANE that Tesla does not sell parts outright to anyone and everyone, why is this? What do they care where you go to get your repairs done? So you mean to tell me I cannot go to any place of MY choice? Sounds like a very controlling and it kind of bothers me a lot reading some of these posts and looking at some of these pictures of fender bender damages that should not cost more then like a $1k and people have paid crazy 10k and 20k prices, how does this not outrage anyone to the point of doing something? WOW

 

[ecarfan]

Wow. You are upset. Calm down.

Many body shops are not competent to work on aluminum body cars. Tesla wants to make sure that repair shops are qualified to properly repair their vehicles.

 

[GadgetGeek407]

Wow. You are upset. Calm down.

Many body shops are not competent to work on aluminum body cars. Tesla wants to make sure that repair shops are qualified to properly repair their vehicles.

I cant imagine any of these high end brands requiring repairs their way........let the customer be if their car looks like crap.....most cosmetic repairs have no significance to mechanical, just totally weird to me.....

 

[bkp_duke]

Wow. You are upset. Calm down.

Many body shops are not competent to work on aluminum body cars. Tesla wants to make sure that repair shops are qualified to properly repair their vehicles.

And this premise is GREATLY over exaggerated. For non frame work, it just should not matter. Teslas are almost like adult Legos in that respect, very easy to remove a panel an put another on. Much easier to work on than other aluminum cars like BMW and Mercedes.

 

[maratd]

Many body shops are not competent to work on aluminum body cars.

Model 3 isn't going to be aluminum. Are you saying they're going to change their policy on this? I doubt it.

just totally weird to me.....

Tesla is acting like a Silicon Valley company in this regard, which is unfortunate.

Can you imagine Apple selling parts, handing out repair manuals, etc. for their laptops/phones/etc? That's what they're going for.

They want to be the only place you can go to get the car repaired and they will make it extremely difficult for you to repair the vehicle yourself. In my opinion, this is a step backward.

 

[bkp_duke]

They want to be the only place you can go to get the car repaired and they will make it extremely difficult for you to repair the vehicle yourself. In my opinion, this is a step backward.

Which is stupid on their part, because it only serves to validate the dealer model, which they have been fighting so hard against.

 

[GadgetGeek407]

I didn't know model 3 would not be aluminum wow so that will be a very heavy car then

 

[weak_pig]

Tesla did say they don't make any money on servicing and repairs. So why are the stated repair costs by OP so expensive?

 

[weak_pig]

I didn't know model 3 would not be aluminum wow so that will be a very heavy car then

I believe it's some parts will be made using high grade steel, like the structural parts.

 

[theslimshadyist]

The new Ford F-150 at a much lower price point also has extremely high body repairs because it's aluminum as well.

 

[zambono]

There are highly qualified body shops that can work with aluminum and they should be allowed to purchase body panels in the open market or someone will start making fake replacements. Plenty of body shops work with performance vehicles which are mostly aluminum.

 

[Caligula]

There are highly qualified body shops that can work with aluminum and they should be allowed to purchase body panels in the open market or someone will start making fake replacements. Plenty of body shops work with performance vehicles which are mostly aluminum.

For the most part, all aftermarket body pieces that I've seen cost as much or more than those form Tesla.

 

[JohnSnowNW]

I didn't know model 3 would not be aluminum wow so that will be a very heavy car then

No, it will be heavier than it would have been utilizing Al...not "very heavy."

 

[TexasEV]

Tesla did say they don't make any money on servicing and repairs. So why are the stated repair costs by OP so expensive?

Tesla service centers don't do body work. The repair costs cited are charged by body shops. Two entirely different issues.

 

[bkp_duke]

Tesla service centers don't do body work. The repair costs cited are charged by body shops. Two entirely different issues.

Correct. Tesla prices parts very reasonably, actually.

The major cost of repair work is a by-product of how Tesla has setup the system: LABOR.

Because there are so few "validated" repair shops, these shops have a practical monopoly on the Tesla repair market, and they can and do charge pretty much anything they want to complete the work. This is exactly why you see some Tesla's totaled by Insurance for relatively minor damage that on just about any other car would be relatively easy to repair.

 

[Jason S]

The new Ford F-150 at a much lower price point also has extremely high body repairs because it's aluminum as well.

This. /end thread

 

[Chopr147]

Tesla did not invent aluminum body panels. No reason why Tesla should put such a limit on authorized body shops. So many posts have been started here by frustrated owners who were involved in accidents and have to wait months for a repair. That is unacceptable. I for one cannot wait months w/o a car and insurance only pays for a rental so long. If this continues with the Model 3 i'm sure we will see many after-market body parts being manufactured

 

[DFibRL8R]

The OP is talking about minor repairs to bumper covers, panels etc. Tesla will absolutely provide parts for minor repair work to non authorized shops. I know, because I had my Model S repaired by a non-approved shop when someone backed into my car at a light (thank goodness for the dash cam!) The local Tesla service center provided the needed parts to the body shop.

Tesla is more restrictive when it comes to more major/structural damage, requiring only shops that have been approved to do these repairs. These shops have sent technicians to Tesla Fremont to become certified. This is part of how they justify the high cost. Not saying it's right, but that is the situation. So minor repairs, not as big of a deal (though still expensive in my experience).

 

[javawolfpack]

I believe it's some parts will be made using high grade steel, like the structural parts.

So as an FYI, the Model S & likely the Model X feature high grade steel for the structural cage, as they need the rigidity of steel to provide safety. But the body panels & most of the rest of the vehicle's structure is Al. In case you're curious this is kind of cool:

 

[pdxrajiv]

Does anyone know why there are so few Tesla-authorized body shops? Is this even true?
If repairing a Tesla is very profitable, then many body shops would want in. No?
It is possible that the high repair costs don't result in high profits - one possibility that comes to mind, other than Al body, is that the current car's body is not designed for easy servicing and repairing.
Understandable for a new car company, IMO.