Hi everyone, I was involved in a front-end collision in my 2021 Model Y this May. I thought I'd share my experience with Tesla Insurance and the repair process in case others find it interesting.
Google Drive w/ Photos & Videos: Tesla Crash Clips & Photos - Google Drive
Collision: A car darted into the highway in front of me, I swerved and succeeded in avoiding them, but they fled the scene. All of my airbags deployed and I walked away without injury. The Tesla was not drivable after the collision (seems like a software lock; was looking to adjust it for the tow truck but wasn't able to.)
The sentry cam resolution isn't sufficient to see their license plate number (though it's a 2001 - 2003 Ford Focus; if anyone knows one that was at Lake Tahoe during Memorial Day weekend, please lmk).
Tesla Insurance: Tesla outsources the administration of their insurance to Crawco. A representative from Crawco called me the day following the accident to confirm details of the collision and walk through next steps. Crawco took 11 days to send an appraiser to the tow yard to evaluate whether my vehicle was repairable or totalled, after which they deemed it repairable ($19k in estimated repairs).
Crawco advised that I can have my vehicle repaired at the body shop of my choice. The collision had occurred at Lake Tahoe, CA, but I live in San Francisco, CA, so I chose to have the vehicle towed to a local body shop for repairs (picked one with 5-star reviews on Yelp). I paid $1,500 for my Tesla to be towed from Tahoe --> Bay Area; Crawco reimbursed me 25% of this expense. They're reimbursing 100% of the repair cost for the vehicle, less my deductible.
Crawco offered a rental car through Enterprise with a $75/day max, and a total maximum of $2,250.
Repairs: My vehicle has been in the repair shop for a bit over a month and a half now, the biggest delay is due to receiving parts from Tesla. They placed part orders at all three Tesla Service Centers in the Bay Area; as-of today, they're still waiting on airbags (interestingly, they predicted that airbags would be the most difficult part to get back when the repairs began).
Lessons Learned:
Google Drive w/ Photos & Videos: Tesla Crash Clips & Photos - Google Drive
Collision: A car darted into the highway in front of me, I swerved and succeeded in avoiding them, but they fled the scene. All of my airbags deployed and I walked away without injury. The Tesla was not drivable after the collision (seems like a software lock; was looking to adjust it for the tow truck but wasn't able to.)
The sentry cam resolution isn't sufficient to see their license plate number (though it's a 2001 - 2003 Ford Focus; if anyone knows one that was at Lake Tahoe during Memorial Day weekend, please lmk).
Tesla Insurance: Tesla outsources the administration of their insurance to Crawco. A representative from Crawco called me the day following the accident to confirm details of the collision and walk through next steps. Crawco took 11 days to send an appraiser to the tow yard to evaluate whether my vehicle was repairable or totalled, after which they deemed it repairable ($19k in estimated repairs).
Crawco advised that I can have my vehicle repaired at the body shop of my choice. The collision had occurred at Lake Tahoe, CA, but I live in San Francisco, CA, so I chose to have the vehicle towed to a local body shop for repairs (picked one with 5-star reviews on Yelp). I paid $1,500 for my Tesla to be towed from Tahoe --> Bay Area; Crawco reimbursed me 25% of this expense. They're reimbursing 100% of the repair cost for the vehicle, less my deductible.
Crawco offered a rental car through Enterprise with a $75/day max, and a total maximum of $2,250.
Repairs: My vehicle has been in the repair shop for a bit over a month and a half now, the biggest delay is due to receiving parts from Tesla. They placed part orders at all three Tesla Service Centers in the Bay Area; as-of today, they're still waiting on airbags (interestingly, they predicted that airbags would be the most difficult part to get back when the repairs began).
Lessons Learned:
- If you need a car in the event of a collision, I'd purchase additional coverage for rentals. The rental coverage that Tesla Insurance / Crawco provide is minimal, and would not have lasted for the duration of this repair (I don't rely on a vehicle for my day-to-day, so I only used a few days of rental car for a road trip)
- When determining your deductible, don't assume that collision expenses will be capped at the amount of your deductible. I needed to get myself home from my vacation to Tahoe and also needed to tow my car from Tahoe back to the Bay Area; these were out-of-pocket expenses)
- Crawco's agents are fairly busy, it doesn't hurt to send multiple follow-up emails or call via phone to get things squared away
- Tesla takes a very long time to send replacement parts to repair shops, it seems that multi-month repairs aren't uncommon.