Lorry smash

[Smiddy]

@Smiddy, any progress?

Nothing yet, car is still at the recovery yard.

Was speaking to the car hire company about swapping the EQC for something else because the range is going to become an issue soon with some longer trips. He was saying that parts supply are a big issue at the moment, some people have been in their cars since Sept / Oct not just Tesla but other brands as well.

If they do decide to repair my car I might not see it for a few months anyway.

He said they are expecting some other cars back this week so calling them Monday to see whats available but its likely going to be a ICE car, they only have another EQC or Porsche Taycan EV's.

 

[Smiddy]

I was speaking to the car hire company on Wednesday about possibly swapping the EQC for something else and they asked if I had heard anything about my car, which I said I hadnt. He gave the claim handler a ring and they told him my car is a write off and they are scheduled to call me on the 4th to discuss the settlement.

Haven't had a call yet so I guess that will be next week now. I am now looking around at what to get next, very tempted by the Model Y but I'd like to test drive one first, otherwise I might be looking a M3P.

Prices have changed quite a bit since I got my M3LR, That was £4k down and £470 a month for 12k miles 24 months, I then extended it another year and it went down to £423 a month. The same sort of deal is now £600+ with £5.5k down and 10k miles.

 

[Overworked]

If they decide they are writing off they usually end the car hire fairly swiftly so as to reduce costs, so you might get a nasty surprise when you get the call. Than might leave you out of wheels as well as out of pocket!

They wont normally keep it running for a few months to allow you to get a replacement.

 

[Smiddy]

If they decide they are writing off they usually end the car hire fairly swiftly so as to reduce costs, so you might get a nasty surprise when you get the call. Than might leave you out of wheels as well as out of pocket!

They wont normally keep it running for a few months to allow you to get a replacement.

Yeah that’s what the guy from the car hire company said and what I expected tbh. They don’t seem to be in a rush to get anything done though, my car is still at the recovery yard and it’s taken them a month to decide it’s a write off.

Let’s see if they call this week but I’m not chasing anything.

Have just noticed Tesla have a few more Model Y test drive locations so I might try and get to the Exeter one when it starts next weekend

 

[Mrklaw]

on the plus side if you are looking at another M3, you coudl still squeeze into a March delivery if you’re quick

 

[Smiddy]

Starting to hit my head against a wall with this and seeing why insurance costs so much and its because full of incompetent muppets that work for them.

The insurance handler (Davies Group) still haven't called me, I got CC'd in on a reply from LeasePlan to the insurance handler that had emailed them to inform them their car had deemed a write-off cat S. The engineer has determined the car is worth £40500 and salvage value is £11340 and reported the car has done 34000 miles which it hasnt, its only done 21495 so they have added over 12k miles in their report. I got this email on Monday 7th 1:14pm.

LeasePlan included their settlement based on that mileage and it comes to £40800 which they sent to the claim handler and CC'd me in, they informed them that they would need to speak to me before they could make payment because of the £300 shortfall.

Following that I gave the insurance company all day to call / email me and got nothing so I emailed the claim handler I dealt with originally and basically started the email by saying i want to log a complaint about how the whole thing had been handled because i haven't had a single update from them since the accident and that the replacement car didn't really meet my needs. Again I have no response to this.

Today I had a missed called from the Technical claims handler, this is the person that emailed leaseplan the figures, his voicemail said we needed to talk and check I was happy with the settlement and that he would email me which he did. I replied to him in less than an hour just before 12pm today. I said I wasn't happy with the settlement and pointed out to him that their engineers report had the wrong mileage which was surely going to make the valuation of the car wrong.

I have also had no response to that email either so tomorrow morning I now need to call their complaints number and log the complaint with them. They have probably paid more than the £300 shortfall in rentals for the replacement car Ive got in the 3.5 days its taken them to try and contact me about it!

On top of this I emailed the claim handler pictures of the car after the accident on the 5th Jan to see if they could make a decision based on those and gave them the exact mileage from the Tesla app during the phone call.

I'm wondering if i should report them for a false inspection report? I dont see how you can just put your finger in the air and pick a mileage figure for the car as it will surely effect the value of it? especially when i already told the insurance company the mileage.

 

[Forty_Two]

inform them their car had deemed a write-off cat S. The engineer has determined the car is worth £40500 and salvage value is £11340

'Write off' !! I am not in any way qualified but that damage does not look that bad - If that was an ICE car it would not be a write off I presume its a write off because the batteries are damaged and that goes some way to explain why it is so expensive to insure these cars.

 

[qwickshot]

What makes you say that?

Nearly every panel on the car is damaged and is way beyond cosmetic. The front and rear crash structure are both caved in to the point the chassis behind will have been damaged - that is normally a write off in any car.
Personally, I wouldn’t drive this car if it was repaired and handed back to me. The car did its job, the next best thing is that it’s parted out and the chassis melted down.

 

[MrT3]

'Write off' !! I am not in any way qualified but that damage does not look that bad - If that was an ICE car it would not be a write off I presume its a write off because the batteries are damaged and that goes some way to explain why it is so expensive to insure these cars.

It's difficult to tell from the photos whether there is damage to some of the wing panels or it's just a trick of the rain/lighting. But obviously you cannot see the chassis and there is some serious mass in that truck that the M3 had to absorb. The one thing that probably is ok is the battery pack - although once Tesla move to a structural battery design it would be more likely to be damaged.

 

[pgkevet]

It's not just structurally visible damage there's also Tesla's attitude to damage. Damage to wire? Change that whole section of loom!
As for the visible damage - that sort of impact is likely to have crimped the chassis and even if it didn't the checks required to be sure involve mucho dismantling.

 

[Adopado]

'Write off' !! I am not in any way qualified but that damage does not look that bad - If that was an ICE car it would not be a write off I presume its a write off because the batteries are damaged and that goes some way to explain why it is so expensive to insure these cars.

That's an impressive interpretation of damage, and even comparison with equivalent it it was an ICE car, on the basis of 3 photos! You would be amazed at the cars that are judged to be uneconomic to repair and are therefore "written off". Of course they're often uneconomic to repair on the basis of inflated dealer/repairer prices whereas a competent workshop could manage it for a fraction of the cost. People safely and successfully repair "write-offs" quite frequently.

 

[Mr H]

It’s always the damage you can’t see that costs the most to repair.

 

[qwickshot]

People safely and successfully repair "write-offs" quite frequently.

They do because it’s not done on an insurance basis, e.g. anything damaged is replaced for brand new OEM parts. They will often use pattern, alternative or used parts or just not repair certain damage if it’s not visible.

Likewise they DIY a lot of the repair and are not paying expensive labour and business costs.

there's also Tesla's attitude to damage. Damage to wire? Change that whole section of loom!

As above, that’s the same for all manufacturers and insurance repairs. All damaged parts are replaced old for new.

That’s how it works in the insurance industry. It’s meant to give the customer piece of mind that they car is back to OEM spec and not some dodgy back street repair.

Wiring looms are spectacularly expensive for all brands, particularly due to all the disassembly to properly replace one.

 

[Peter 224]

The message from this seems to be that if your Tesla is damaged sorting it out will be a painful and slow experience, more so than an equivalent ICE car.
It may also be why some insurers don't want to insure EVs so they quote four figure prices when others charge no more than for an equivalent ICE.

 

[Roy B]

I'm wondering if i should report them for a false inspection report? I dont see how you can just put your finger in the air and pick a mileage figure for the car as it will surely effect the value of it? especially when i already told the insurance company the mileage.

I suspect they have some software that reads the odometer from the on board computer, and for some reason the software produced a report in kilometres and they didn't notice...

 

[Overworked]

I suspect they have some software that reads the odometer from the on board computer, and for some reason the software produced a report in kilometres and they didn't notice...

Well spotted! Definitely miles to kilometres.
My initial views had been a cut-and-paste with old figures left behind.

 

[Smiddy]

I suspect they have some software that reads the odometer from the on board computer, and for some reason the software produced a report in kilometres and they didn't notice...

Good point, thanks Roy.

I have spoken to the claim handler this morning and sent him proof of the mileage which he is sending back to the engineers. I did double check their original email and it definitely says 34000 miles not kilometres.