My Model 3 Got Wrecked Today :(

[MosquitoFloss]

Glad you guys are ok. Holy ****!

 

[Candleflame]

I think what the previous poster is trying to say is OP may not have enough tax liability to qualify for two full $7,500 tax credits in the same tax year, not that there is a question whether he can keep the credit he (will) get for the now wrecked 3.

if he gets two tax breaks he would actually be making money.

I.e.

30k cost 5k tax break = 25k effective cost
Insurance pays back 30k.

Person buys another 30k Model 3. Gets another 5k tax break for 25k effective cost.

Person now only payed 20k for a Model 3.

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

I think what the previous poster is trying to say is OP may not have enough tax liability to qualify for two full $7,500 tax credits in the same tax year, not that there is a question whether he can keep the credit he (will) get for the now wrecked 3.

Correct.

The point is that when figuring out the insurance payment the OP needs to be made whole. That means having a replacement Model 3, as good as or better than the one they had. Given the lack of used Model 3s, the insurance company would likely have to pay out for an entirely new Model 3. Depending on what's cheapest for the insurance company, they might want to have the OP buy the replacement and in that case they'd certainly want to take the tax credit into account rather than simply hand the OP an extra $7.5k.

 

[brkaus]

if he gets two tax breaks he would actually be making money.

I.e.

30k cost 5k tax break = 25k effective cost
Insurance pays back 30k.

Person buys another 30k Model 3. Gets another 5k tax break for 25k effective cost.

Person now only payed 20k for a Model 3.

True. But I would generally expect deprecated value to take into consideration the tax break. That may not be the case with the 3 given the current availability.

I don’t expect profit from an accident, but would hope to come out even.

All good points to consider going through the process.

 

[mekberg]

Glad you are okay!

I shudder to think what would have happened had you been carrying around a 15 gallon tank of gasoline...

 

[Msjulie]

Yikes! Glad everyone is ok, happy to see how well you were protected. Agree with others, minimal financial misery should befall OP though it probably won't be that easy. Insurance for the moron should (will it?) cover your full costs, including a replacement while fingers crossed on how long a 3 replacement is...

The story w/pics is noteworthy as a counter point to the laser focus the media has on Tesla *failures*.. whew!

 

[Colby]

Wow incredibly sorry you and your family had to endure that terrifying accident but thank God you and yours is safe!

 

[gavine]

Maybe Munro and Associates will now understand why Tesla put stronger/heavier components in the rear frame.

 

[jelloslug]

i very much doubt that he would get the taxbreak twice.

In the US, the federal tax credit can be taken more than once. The only stipulation is that you have to have the tax liability to cover it.

 

[CUBldr97]

True. But I would generally expect deprecated value to take into consideration the tax break. That may not be the case with the 3 given the current availability.

I don’t expect profit from an accident, but would hope to come out even.

All good points to consider going through the process.

You can't assume the OP will get a tax credit at all... He may or may not have enough of a tax liability...and should have nothing to do with value of the car... Does the insurance take into account when an ICE vehicle is sold at cost or other incentives, like $1000 military, discount, or others etc etc...

 

[Az_Rael]

tips and things to watch out for as I go through the insurance process?

Glad you are OK. Get checked out by a doctor even if you feel just bruised. Stuff can appear later and having documentation from doctors that you were in an accident helps later if stuff does pop up.

If you don’t want to hassle with filing with the other dudes insurance (assuming he has any), you can file under your own policy and let them do the legwork. Depending on your state rules, this may or may not affect your future rates, FYI. I would still file my own insurance, just because it’s nice to let them fight the battles for you. They will also cover your rental if you have that on your policy.

Get your police report yourself to provide to your insurance. You can usually go pick it up much earlier than it will be available to the insurance companies. Lots of stuff won’t happen until they have the police report in hand.

When they do your total loss settlement, get a copy of the report with the comparable vehicles. Make sure they list all the correct options for your car - they get Teslas wrong a lot. If you had any tint or other aftermarket stuff done, submit those receipts as well to the insurance for compensation. Also be aware that as soon as you get the total loss settlement, you usually only have a couple days to return the insurance rental, so just go ahead and start making arrangements for a new car now. (Especially if you want another 3).

 

[ChadS]

A possible witness, if you need one (this was posted around 6pm yesterday):

Sorry to hear, OP, and glad everybody is OK. As noted before, getting a full medical check is a good idea - my wife was in a similar accident in 1981, and while she felt OK right after the accident, she still has intermittent back pain from that.

Most insurance companies will make you an offer that is not enough to make you whole. They will drag out any appeals and keep saying "no", hoping you will give up and take it. It is especially difficult in this case as you either have to

1. Get a new car. You won't get the state sales tax waiver you got last time, since that ends in two days. As discussed above, you may or may not be able to take the federal tax credit, but the insurance company will assume you will. The worst part is...how long will this take? Tesla is slow to start with, and they just got done expediting shipments to WA for the sales tax waiver, so are no doubt directing shipments other places now. Definitely worth asking for Tesla to expedite, but how long is still an open question.

2. Buy a used car (at this point, anything on the market should be pretty similar to what you just lost). But pretty much everybody offering one for sale is asking more than they paid, and you will not get any incentives. The insurance company is going to be really resistant to paying a premium for a used one. Oh, and you had autopilot - if you buy one without autopilot enabled and have to pay $6k to enable it, make sure the insurance company is going to cover that.

Good luck.

 

[voip-ninja]

Glad you are okay!

I shudder to think what would have happened had you been carrying around a 15 gallon tank of gasoline...

You mean like the thousands of gasoline cars that get totaled out in this country every month and almost never catch fire?

You are guilty of spreading FUD. Gasoline cars almost never catch fire following accidents. It happens, rarely, just like with electric cars.

 

[WinstonY]

Was cruising along the i-90 tunnel in Seattle, WA on mercer island with my wife and 2 kids, when I hear some vehicles approach at high speed from behind. Then suddenly I hear a screeching sound from a car breaking hard, and then a car slams into my rear end - hard. I was going 65, so that vehicle must have been going significantly faster. From there I lose control of the car, and the car spins out of control, hitting the freeway divider wall all the way on the other side of the freeway 4 lanes across, and then bouncing back all the way back to the other side of the freeway and hitting that wall before coming to a stop.

Thankfully the model 3 performed miraculously, crumple zones compressed, airbags deployed, no fire after the accident, and no one in my family seems to be seriously injured.

Still processing what just happened and getting all the facts from the police (there may be a criminal case against the person who hit me), but any tips and things to watch out for as I go through the insurance process?

@anatari , I'm glad you and your family are ok. The car that hit you was apparently a Camaro SS, which was racing a BMW M4. See attached screenshot from Facebook.

 

[akgM3]

Really glad to see that you are all OK.

 

[jnahanna]

Sorry sorry your car is wrecked. Glad to hear everyone is ok! It really shows how safe and great these cars truly are.

 

[ChrisH]

Ugh. Reckless humans. Sorry about this and glad you guys seem okay.

 

[PwrOutage]

The crash data log might be able to tell you at what speed the other driver hit you at based on the rear ultrasonic sensor data.

 

[Kensiko]

It would be great if Tesla could provide some logs and videos on demand.

 

[devilmountain]

My wife was at a dead stop 3 years ago on the highway and rear-ended at 60 MPH. The car was only a year old, and insurance covered the total cost of the vehicle, we did not have any out of pocket expenses. Unfortunately, the guy was underinsured which slowed down the settlement. It took us 2 1/2 years to get a cash settlement from the accident. I was impressed how well the car held up considering she was hit 3 different times.