Newly delivered Model 3 with rocker panel damage

[jackownsacar]

I got to set things straight. although we have posted a lot on Tesla's quality issues and they sure do have them....I have concluded that it was not Tesla that did the damage to my car.

I'm going to post another image and tell me whats wrong.

When I looked at the damage there was a white/silver line going up the plastic part of the underside near the rocker. The line was about 3 feet long and got slightly wider as it got closer to the front of the car. Then whatever was causing the line went into the metal. Take a look at the new screenshot and tell me what you see wrong. The damage was under the front of the drivers door on the bottom side of the rocker.

Notice anything funny about the photo? Blow it up and look close, it's should be high definition.

 

[ChrisH]

I got to set things straight. although we have posted a lot on Tesla's quality issues and they sure do have them....I have concluded that it was not Tesla that did the damage to my car.

I'm going to post another image and tell me whats wrong.

When I looked at the damage there was a white/silver line going up the plastic part of the underside near the rocker. The line was about 3 feet long and got slightly wider as it got closer to the front of the car. Then whatever was causing the line went into the metal. Take a look at the new screenshot and tell me what you see wrong. The damage was under the front of the drivers door on the bottom side of the rocker.

Notice anything funny about the photo? Blow it up and look close, it's should be high definition.

View attachment 346225

Why not just tell us? Looks like someone didn’t use the lift points?

 

[jackownsacar]

Sorry thought it was obvious, but you are right.

There is a shinny silver wheel in the front of the lift in the exact place the damage occurred. They had the lift too high when they rolled it under.

Here is another photograph with the imprint of the wheel where the damage starts. Your looking from front to back. The damage happened coming from the back to the front of the vehicle.

 

[jackownsacar]

here is another image with the silver line showing the lift is too high as it went towards the front of the car.
Again shot from the font. The lift was coming in the opposite direction.

 

[JeffK]

The explanation helps tremendously. So what are you going to do about this now? Does the shop have insurance?

 

[ChrisH]

Did the shop act like they didn’t do it?!

 

[jackownsacar]

Well, I emailed lawyer friend who is familiar with the situation. I sent her the photos and a similar explanation. I'm calling the body shop and asking them to hold off. I'm wondering if the lawyer is just going to tell me to turn it into the car insurance and they can investigate. Those photos are pretty damaging. I would also like the body shop guy to to take a picture with a ruler to get the perspective correct. I wish that I had looked at the photos on a high definition screen prior to picking up the car and dropping it off at the auto body shop. I just happen to click on the photo with the lift sitting underneath the car and my jaw dropped...of course that is what did it. And it explains their behavior; they were being way too nice. Like trying to explain something to me. Draw my attention away from the car by showing me some other Tesla Quality issues. I once saw a video of an ex-fbi agent on how to spot a lair. link below. What she describes in the video is exactly how this guy was acting. Long video, but stick with it. I'll write tomorrow when I know more.

 

[jackownsacar]

Yes, Chris, we posted at the same time, see my explanation above.

They don't know that I figured it out. After talking to lawyer I'm calling the owner and saying we have to talk. Maybe it was an accident. Maybe they really didn't know. But the photos? Damaging evidence. It's so obvious.

 

[Daniel in SD]

That looks like a scissor lift. I've got one. Those wheels don't come off the ground. That does look it could be damage from a lift though. I'm surprised they don't have ramp to get more clearance. Plenty of cars are too low to clear it. Also you don't roll these lifts under a car, they weigh 1000lbs!

 

[jackownsacar]

Thanks Daniel. Their lifts move. If you look closely at the floor you can see the marks that the lift leaves.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Thanks Daniel. Their lifts move. If you look closely at the floor you can see the marks that the lift leaves.

I can roll mine around, you can lift the side without wheels with the hydraulic pump stand, but I certainly wouldn't be able to roll it under a car.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

It's funny how the arrow that says "front of vehicle" points toward the back of the vehicle.

It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but the little silver wheel is actually quite a bit recessed under the car, it makes it look higher than it is, but it stays on the ground and wouldn't likely touch the car for a scissor lift like the one in Daniel's picture (there are other points on the lift that are higher). The silver wheel does roll along the ground (leaving marks) as the lift articulates.

As Daniel's pictures show, the actual high points (though not necessarily the first thing to hit depending on the car) are the moveable arms which can pivot to match the vehicle width and align with jack points. If those were too high for the Model 3, and in the wrong place at the wrong time, they could cause this damage - although the exact sequence of events that would need to occur to create the damage, if this is even where the damage was done, I am not sure of.

 

[voip-ninja]

The shop has to be insured and have liability for exactly this kind of thing happening.

It is therefore mind boggling that the shop would lie about how it happened.

The only explanation I can come up with is people covering at the shop.

Everyone involved should lose their job.

And to the OP you owe Tesla the apology for this, not us.

It only takes 30 seconds to video the condition of your car when dropping it off for an appointment and I would highly recommend to people to do this to protect themselves. It’s worth noting that when I dropped my Tesla off for service they took photos AND tire tread measurements of the car.

Clearly they have learned to protect themselves.

 

[jackownsacar]

Well, ok, keeping the thread running.....

Spoke to the lawyer again...She said we really can't prove who did it.....turned it over to the insurance company. They agreed to pay, yes you are reading this correctly, $10,000 to fix he damage. Go Figure....And I've only driven the thing 5 times or so....

My money? It happened in transport.

 

[ChrisH]

Well, ok, keeping the thread running.....

Spoke to the lawyer again...She said we really can't prove who did it.....turned it over to the insurance company. They agreed to pay, yes you are reading this correctly, $10,000 to fix he damage. Go Figure....And I've only driven the thing 5 times or so....

My money? It happened in transport.

You really wouldn’t have noticed that damage at delivery?

 

[voip-ninja]

Well, ok, keeping the thread running.....

Spoke to the lawyer again...She said we really can't prove who did it.....turned it over to the insurance company. They agreed to pay, yes you are reading this correctly, $10,000 to fix he damage. Go Figure....And I've only driven the thing 5 times or so....

My money? It happened in transport.

How did you flip from the shop doing this, which seems far more likely to it happening in transport?

I can't think of anything done during transport of a car that would cause this as they don't use a scissor jack or other hardware that would damage the car in this location and in this manner.

Freight companies transport 1000's of cars a month and train their drivers, specifically to avoid this kind of thing from happening.

 

[jeffro01]

How did you flip from the shop doing this, which seems far more likely to it happening in transport?

I can't think of anything done during transport of a car that would cause this as they don't use a scissor jack or other hardware that would damage the car in this location and in this manner.

Freight companies transport 1000's of cars a month and train their drivers, specifically to avoid this kind of thing from happening.

It's pretty clear the shop did it so I'm just as confused as you are as to why the person is flipping back to transport... Perhaps they have friends in the shop and don't want to admit it...???

Jeff

 

[voip-ninja]

It's pretty clear the shop did it so I'm just as confused as you are as to why the person is flipping back to transport... Perhaps they have friends in the shop and don't want to admit it...???

Jeff

Well, he's thrown his hands up apparently and is letting "his insurance sort it out". I guess he's okay with the huge premium increase hike he is likely to see after this claim posts to his policy.

This is honestly a case where it might be worth the case to take the lying-their-asses-off shop to small claims and make their liability insurance pay for it.

 

[jackownsacar]

Well I did speak to a lawyer about it. Its a he said she said thing. No way to prove it. She did say she could send them a letter....and that they would probably turn it over to their insurance.....The body shop guy said it happened most likely in transport. Really I would just like to drive the car which I've now owned like 5 weeks. I'll flip to a different insurance company if they raise my rates; it was not road damage.

 

[voip-ninja]

Well I did speak to a lawyer about it. Its a he said she said thing. No way to prove it. She did say she could send them a letter....and that they would probably turn it over to their insurance.....The body shop guy said it happened most likely in transport. Really I would just like to drive the car which I've now owned like 5 weeks. I'll flip to a different insurance company if they raise my rates; it was not road damage.

Well you can of course do whatever you want....

It is however preferable that you try to get the shop to turn it over to their insurance even if they won't admit fault.

I don't know how much experience you have with insurance but you can't just 'flip to a new company' if your rates go up after a claim. That claim will be part of the history that any insurance company will be able to see and it will affect your premium to some degree even if you change companies.

Also not sure if you've considered that your car could be in the shop for weeks. Unless you have a spare vehicle you will need a rental and using your rental reimbursement on your coverage (if you have it at all) also becomes part of the claim cost.

Anyways, do what you want, but frankly seems like you are taking the easy way out.

Finally, if you just respond to your own thread without quoting the person you are responding to they get no notification that you replied to them.