My Model S Saved My Life

[VelociRabbitt]

Well, it happened.
Unfortunately, the other night while driving home from dinner with my sister, I got into a minor fender bender with my 2015 Model S...


This car, and the engineers at Tesla have effectively saved my life.


WHAT HAPPENED??

Driving home from dinner with my sister (She was in a different car), around 10pm, a 16 year old unlicensed driver with 4 of her friends in her grandmother's brand new Jeep (one in the trunk) made an illegal left across a double yellow. Sadly my attempt to avoid T-boning this Jeep came too late, and i collided into the driver's side ~55mph. They got sent 30 ft down the road, but i bounced into oncoming traffic where i was hit head on by a Honda. Bounced off that car, and further into oncoming where I hit head on with a Nissan finally bringing me to a stop. 1 full speed T-bone, and 2 head on collisions later, I stepped out of this car with a sprained wrist and a seatbelt lapbar bruise. (Everyone else was okay too)

The amount of damage absorbed by this car, and the engineering built around the safety features, (Every airbag deployed and turned the car into a cannoli.) saved my life 3 times over. I am making this post as both a PSA to the reliability and safety of these cars in a real world circumstance outside of testing parameters, and an obituary to the best car i've ever owned. While it's definitely had it's moments with service, and some spats here and there, the P85D turned P90D was an absolute pleasure to own and drive.

WHAT NOW?

After this accident, there is no way i am ever buying anything but a Tesla ever again. Insurance has already informed me that the owner of the Jeep accepted 100% liability for all 4 cars involved, and the damage assessment was pinned at $60,000. I think it will be a total loss, but they have not confirmed their valuation of the car. I don't think i'll be able to swing into a new Model S, but the Model 3 and Model Y seem pretty nice. I'll be test driving them in the next couple weeks, so any input or suggestions would be awesome!

While a new car is always fun to think about, I am losing FUSC...which everyone says "But how often do you REALLY supercharge" ... and to that i say, A LOT. I charged at least 3x a week since i live 2 miles from a supercharger next to my supermarket and chinese buffet. (i know it was bad for battery haha) You bet your ass i'd always top off or make a quick trip before heading out to charge. Not having to pay or worry about charging was probably the single BEST thing about the car, especially when doing some spirited driving. Also gone is the premium connectivity...which i just started taking advantage of with the MCU 2 upgrade i got last month... Also while they annoyed me, people always got a kick out of the executive seats that nobody knew existed. With the nicer weather, i also tried driving in chill mode for a road trip, and while i know chill mode doesn't directly impact efficiency or range, i managed to drive 160 miles averaging~230wh/mi for a theoretical 306mile range... when my battery displayed 254 @ 100%.

All in all, I am going to miss this car, and i owe everything to Tesla for letting me walk away from such a gnarly evening.

 

[Ostrichsak]

Wow. That's crazy. Stories like this are why decided to put my wife in one years ago. Once I got a little more seat time in hers I had to have one for myself and there was no looking back. Glad you're alright and glad this one had a (mostly) happy ending.

 

[SilverGS]

@VelociRabbitt Glad you guys walked away.

I don't think I could go from an S (even harder from a Performance S) to a 3/Y. I suggest you get a used S that still has some warranty left.

 

[BigNick]

Glad to hear you are mostly OK.

You may want to consult a good accident lawyer just to cover your own @$$. Even if the unlicensed kid is at fault, her grandmother may not have enough insurance to cover all damages, and some of the oncoming-traffic drivers involved may come after you for damages.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

Really glad you are ok. That will most certainly be a total loss, and hopefully the insurance payout will be decent. Make sure they credit you for the MCU upgrade, window tint and anything else you put into it.

Maybe think about a March 2018+ S 100D to get MCU2, AP2.5, etc. with some warranty and great range. Good luck.

 

[VelociRabbitt]

Glad to hear you are mostly OK.

You may want to consult a good accident lawyer just to cover your own @$$. Even if the unlicensed kid is at fault, her grandmother may not have enough insurance to cover all damages, and some of the oncoming-traffic drivers involved may come after you for damages.

I was worried about this, but my claim evaluator called me today to inform me that they accepted liability for all four cars today. She also mentioned that all 4 of the passenger's parents are suing the grandmother as well. From the police report i was given at the accident; while i don't like to assume, the kid is from a very, very well off area. I will definitely take the advice to be safe though, thank you!

 

[VelociRabbitt]

Really glad you are ok. That will most certainly be a total loss, and hopefully the insurance payout will be decent. Make sure they credit you for the MCU upgrade, window tint and anything else you put into it.

Maybe think about a March 2018+ S 100D to get MCU2, AP2.5, etc. with some warranty and great range. Good luck.

My adjuster SEEMED to be on my side, and was impressed i was able to total a model S. He took my invoices for the MCU upgrade, the integrated console, and everything i had done, including the 90kwh pack replacement. The difference in price between a P85D and a P90D is wild. We went back and forth between what the car had and didn't have for a while, and it made me feel pretty confident they are going to try to get a good value for it.

As far as the replacement, im so unsure... I really like the S, but the used market right now is SO ballooned... I probably wouldn't want to buy from private party or a dealer... After looking at listings that are just so...wrong... like advertising a P90D but the car is a 75... i just have little faith outside dealing directly through Tesla

 

[VelociRabbitt]

@VelociRabbitt Glad you guys walked away.

I don't think I could go from an S (even harder from a Performance S) to a 3/Y. I suggest you get a used S that still has some warranty left.

So here's where i'm sitting... My car was great, and i loved it... but it was very VERY poor in some regards. All the interior panels were squeaky, and didn't sit properly, there were rattles, and noises that drove me nuts... After just sitting in the 3, and Y, the interior just felt SO much more comfortable and just well put together. When i'd close my door, the door panel would kinda pop off and rattle around and make this really unsatisfying noise haha. Closing the door to the new 3 and Y in the showroom just felt SOLID.

I havn't sat in a newer S, so i'll have to add that on the list of things to do, but with the used market being so volatile rn, it's hard to even look at inventory on Tesla because...well it doesn't exist at the moment haha!! Going new might be among my only options, but you are SO right... I don't know if i'll like it because what the S did right, it did SO right.

 

[SilverGS]

So here's where i'm sitting... My car was great, and i loved it... but it was very VERY poor in some regards. All the interior panels were squeaky, and didn't sit properly, there were rattles, and noises that drove me nuts... After just sitting in the 3, and Y, the interior just felt SO much more comfortable and just well put together. When i'd close my door, the door panel would kinda pop off and rattle around and make this really unsatisfying noise haha. Closing the door to the new 3 and Y in the showroom just felt SOLID.

I havn't sat in a newer S, so i'll have to add that on the list of things to do, but with the used market being so volatile rn, it's hard to even look at inventory on Tesla because...well it doesn't exist at the moment haha!! Going new might be among my only options, but you are SO right... I don't know if i'll like it because what the S did right, it did SO right.

I could be wrong but I suspect the 3/Y will also rattle and shake when they reach the same age as your S.

I've sat in a couple of different newer S's and they were rattle free and quiet.

 

[VelociRabbitt]

I could be wrong but I suspect the 3/Y will also rattle and shake when they reach the same age as your S.

I've sat in a couple of different newer S's and they were rattle free and quiet.

I definitely think that over time, things will surely begin to "settle" but I can only imagine that the tolerances have become significantly more reliable after 6 years haha. I've sat in a 2017 or 2018 MS once, in a showroom for a couple minutes, and while i noticed a substantial difference in the interior materials, it didn't impress me like the 3 and y did the other day. my biggest fear is adopting someone else's headache in a used car. That's essentially what i did with mine when i bought it. I just got used to it because FAST lol. If only there was a way to sit and test drive the used ones, because i'd LOVE to go that route if it fit the bill!

 

[AMPd]

glad you’re ok, relatively speaking.

This accident definitely speaks volumes about teslas safety and it’s the number 1 reason why my wife bought one, however I’m not sure how this accident speaks well for teslas reliability? Not really sure what the correlation is there.

 

[SO16]

glad you’re ok, relatively speaking.

This accident definitely speaks volumes about teslas safety and it’s the number 1 reason why my wife bought one, however I’m not sure how this accident speaks well for teslas reliability? Not really sure what the correlation is there.

Well...if I have to choose, I’d choose safety over reliability. So far my 2017 S with 61k miles has also been reliable. Just got back from a 2,600 mile road trip and went very well.

 

[VelociRabbitt]

glad you’re ok, relatively speaking.

This accident definitely speaks volumes about teslas safety and it’s the number 1 reason why my wife bought one, however I’m not sure how this accident speaks well for teslas reliability? Not really sure what the correlation is there.

I feel like having every safety feature functioning when you needed it to would check the boxes for reliably working parts. Reliability doesn't just mean drivetrain.

 

[AMPd]

Well...if I have to choose, I’d choose safety over reliability. So far my 2017 S with 61k miles has also been reliable. Just got back from a 2,600 mile road trip and went very well.

Riiight, not what op said nor what I’m saying.
OP mentioned the accident being a testament to the reliability.

I feel like having every safety feature functioning when you needed it to would check the boxes for reliably working parts. Reliability doesn't just mean drivetrain.

that’s exactly what it means. No one ever asks the reliability of the vehicle and means during a traffic collision.

 

[VelociRabbitt]

Riiight, not what op said nor what I’m saying.
OP mentioned the accident being a testament to the reliability.

that’s exactly what it means. No one ever asks the reliability of the vehicle and means during a traffic collision.

Alright my guy.

Thanks for the correction. Hopefully nobody gets bamboozled by this post. Glad we could fix that before it got out of hand!

 

[orion2001]

That's crazy! Glad you came out of it unscathed. At my SC, my SA told me that they'd recently had a firefighter come by just to tell them how impressed he was with the Tesla because he responded to an accident where 2 Tesla's hit each other head-on at speed and he had never seen anyone come out of those situations in a good condition. In that specific incident, both drivers got out unscathed.

Normally I'd chalk something like that down to a sales person embellishing to make a sale, but when it comes to Tesla, I do trust their cars when it comes to safety, especially based on reviewing videos from crash tests.

Out of curiosity, did everyone else involved in the crash make it out okay?

 

[VelociRabbitt]

That's crazy! Glad you came out of it unscathed. At my SC, my SA told me that they'd recently had a firefighter come by just to tell them how impressed he was with the Tesla because he responded to an accident where 2 Tesla's hit each other head-on at speed and he had never seen anyone come out of those situations in a good condition. In that specific incident, both drivers got out unscathed.

Normally I'd chalk something like that down to a sales person embellishing to make a sale, but when it comes to Tesla, I do trust their cars when it comes to safety, especially based on reviewing videos from crash tests.

Out of curiosity, did everyone else involved in the crash make it out okay?

The girls in the Jeep were pretty banged up, but no serious injuries. A few cuts and bruises, but the driver did have to be cut out of the car. She was taken to the hospital, and we weren't sure what the condition was, but i found out today she was in pretty good shape all things considered.

The two head on collisions were fortunate to have seen the original impact and slowed down a bit, and they were all completely unscathed! A very fortunate night for us.

 

[dds28]

Just read your thread. Sorry to hear about your accident and glad to see that your ok. Being a fellow 2014 P85D owner, it is reassuring to hear that it did well protecting you. My car is a 2014 with the plus suspension. I recently had Tesla appraise my car since I was looking to trade it in for a new S. The price was so low that it leads to believe that there should be quite a bit of inventory to be had for a fair price. It's too bad that being in Honolulu, my car has never supercharged even though I have unlimited free supercharging. It must be nice that you are able to supercharge so often. Good luck with your search for a new S.

 

[bmah]

@VelociRabbitt glad to hear you're OK (and all the other people involved in this mishap as well). Thanks for sharing your story.

Bruce.

 

[VelociRabbitt]

Just read your thread. Sorry to hear about your accident and glad to see that your ok. Being a fellow 2014 P85D owner, it is reassuring to hear that it did well protecting you. My car is a 2014 with the plus suspension. I recently had Tesla appraise my car since I was looking to trade it in for a new S. The price was so low that it leads to believe that there should be quite a bit of inventory to be had for a fair price. It's too bad that being in Honolulu, my car has never supercharged even though I have unlimited free supercharging. It must be nice that you are able to supercharge so often. Good luck with your search for a new S.

I actually just did the same, and Tesla offered me a LAUGHABLE amount, and i considered selling private party... I finally made the decision to keep it about 2 weeks before this... Hopefully insurance does better than Tesla, lord knows they couldn't do worse.

Best wishes, and good luck with your P85D! It's a great car!