DC Autocraft
Former Vendor
As a Tesla Approved Body Shop, we wanted to offer our perspective on this topic.
A Tesla Approved Body Shop means that all technicians who work on your car have gone through extensive, Tesla-specific training. Tesla Approved Shops typically repair more Teslas than non-approved shops and thus have more experience and understanding of the dynamics of a Tesla vehicle.
When the vehicle is damaged, most people's concerns are superficial. Is the paint matched? Are the panel gaps right? Does it look the same as it did before the accident? While these are important questions, the more important consideration is whether the structural performance has been restored to OEM specification.
Will your Tesla protect you/your passengers the same way it did from the factory?
The structural repair portion of the collision repair process is not obvious from the outside, but is something that a certified shop can guarantee to be done correctly. Please also keep in mind that the majority of the damaged parts that need to replaced are connected to structural components of the car. If a bumper needs to be replaced, structural pieces behind the bumper most likely need some attention as well.
Regarding the time it takes for repair, non-structural parts are distributed equally between Approved and non-approved shops. The main differentiator here is how quickly the shop can perform the repair. We would reason that an approved shop that fixes several Teslas per day is more efficient than a shop that only sees a few a month.
If you only require something simple such as a bumper respray and are paying out of pocket, we can see why you may choose a non-approved shop. However, if the work is more serious (i.e. potential safety issue), we highly recommend visiting a Tesla Approved Body Shop.
A Tesla Approved Body Shop means that all technicians who work on your car have gone through extensive, Tesla-specific training. Tesla Approved Shops typically repair more Teslas than non-approved shops and thus have more experience and understanding of the dynamics of a Tesla vehicle.
When the vehicle is damaged, most people's concerns are superficial. Is the paint matched? Are the panel gaps right? Does it look the same as it did before the accident? While these are important questions, the more important consideration is whether the structural performance has been restored to OEM specification.
Will your Tesla protect you/your passengers the same way it did from the factory?
The structural repair portion of the collision repair process is not obvious from the outside, but is something that a certified shop can guarantee to be done correctly. Please also keep in mind that the majority of the damaged parts that need to replaced are connected to structural components of the car. If a bumper needs to be replaced, structural pieces behind the bumper most likely need some attention as well.
Regarding the time it takes for repair, non-structural parts are distributed equally between Approved and non-approved shops. The main differentiator here is how quickly the shop can perform the repair. We would reason that an approved shop that fixes several Teslas per day is more efficient than a shop that only sees a few a month.
If you only require something simple such as a bumper respray and are paying out of pocket, we can see why you may choose a non-approved shop. However, if the work is more serious (i.e. potential safety issue), we highly recommend visiting a Tesla Approved Body Shop.
