P100D Salvage in England

[Jagman1961]

Yippee ! We're getting a few more Tesla parts in the UK breakers now, I've just put Culverwood onto a complete with glass undamaged Model S tailgate at one Tenth of the price Tesla UK have quoted him ! Surprised they didn't total the car - big job fixing a dent in a tailgate !
For my vehicle I've just bought a front sidelight and will be buying more plastic and underpan parts tomorrow when checked against the vehicle - all at real world prices .
Just noted that you can buy an entire front suspension for a Porsche 997 complete with brake disc for £400 , which gets you two thirds of a bare upright for a Model X from Eastern European breakers. Indeed a local breaker can do me a complete set of McLaren MP4 12c aluminium under trays can be bought for £999 - just the plastic centre one is £420 from Poland !
Not so much making a living as making a killing I think. Wonder if the MP4 front brake calliper can be grafted onto Tesla upright? At £775 it's a damned sight cheaper . Perhaps not.

 

[MXWing]

Yippee ! We're getting a few more Tesla parts in the UK breakers now, I've just put Culverwood onto a complete with glass undamaged Model S tailgate at one Tenth of the price Tesla UK have quoted him ! Surprised they didn't total the car - big job fixing a dent in a tailgate !
For my vehicle I've just bought a front sidelight and will be buying more plastic and underpan parts tomorrow when checked against the vehicle - all at real world prices .
Just noted that you can buy an entire front suspension for a Porsche 997 complete with brake disc for £400 , which gets you two thirds of a bare upright for a Model X from Eastern European breakers. Indeed a local breaker can do me a complete set of McLaren MP4 12c aluminium under trays can be bought for £999 - just the plastic centre one is £420 from Poland !
Not so much making a living as making a killing I think. Wonder if the MP4 front brake calliper can be grafted onto Tesla upright? At £775 it's a damned sight cheaper . Perhaps not.

Just wanted to say you got big bollocks (is that the right nomenclature for England English?) for keeping at this.

Hope it works out well when everything is said and done!

 

[Icer]

Jagman User Ingineer also has a black box.
This be he: Model 3 Teardown - What's under the Frunk?

Ingineer is the wizard behind the curtain of youtube hero Rich's (Car Guru's) now famous successful salvage of a flooded S.

He also has created some sort of diagnostic network thing, (no kidding) with over 300 users. He holds the keys to the kingdom, I believe.
Don't tell him I told ya!

(JK Read it from him at Reddit or somewhere)

It struck me that you are considering a conversion of the XJ?
Another cultural tidbit; One common thing to do with recalcitrant motored gorgeous Jags in US was to replace with a Chevy V8.
(There was a bolt-on kit)

I still regret passing on an sweet early XJ6 that had been done.
Chevy 327.
$1500.
(For the entire car with a 327 in it)
ouch.

Pretty little skinny bumpers and that glorious interior,
and the braaap of a vette.
heh.
*
For the future, if the Euro folk decide to Ban Diesels here and there, that is going to leave a lot of cheap iron for converting into this and that.

 

[Jagman1961]

MXWing - Thats a No No on the Nomenclature !
In England you 'drop a bollock' when you make a total mess up of something e.g. the guys on Hawaii in December 1941 who saw 'clouds of dots' heading towards them on their screen and decided this crumby British RADAR thing must be faulty. Or the young Mr.Churchill who thought Gallipolli was a good idea ! Or me for instance not buying an M18 Hellcat for £20k because "who the hell wants a soft top tank" - Yes I actually said that - not knowing my WW2 armour as I do now - it's now valued at £230k.
You can be said to be 'talking Bollocks' if you are making no sense or trying to con someone e.g. 45 minutes/WMD/Tony Blair. or VolksWagen claiming to be 'environmentally friendly' etc.
I'd be happy being described as 'having balls' and I believe this works both sides of the pond. However in the current pc environment over here you may end up chased down by a screaming mob of LGBT's and feminists for being sexist and glorifying the male genitalia - so be warned!
I am pressing my friend to let me attempt charging his Model S asap but he's pressing ahead with bodywork and airbags and all the stuff which is pretty expensive and pointless if his battery is 'toast' as you say.
Will keep everyone posted.

 

[Jagman1961]

Thanks Icer - it's an E-Type convertible and a DeLorean that my other acquaintance in London is in the process of making electric, oh yes we've been seeing quite a few V8 engined E-Types returning and it made a lot of sense for practical terms and economic repairs. I even bought a DUKW which had a big Ford V8 fitted, now has a Bedford 330 turbo deisel.
I'm not sure Euroland will ban deisels - they've been promoting the lie that small deisels were the low pollution future for the past 20 years over here - when the science didn't add up! Now things are so bad that some european cities Athens, Paris,London ban deisels at peak times in certain zones or on alternate days - that many people are die from the fumes!
Recent hostility and legislation against deisels has come from the facts on the ground - not the claims of the manufacturers - who fitted 'cheat devices' to con the member states' authorities.
Collin Chapman ( Lotus ) once said ' the solution is to design cleaner, leaner engines - not to make dirty ones and then spend even more energy cleaning up the exhaust output' and this was done do a fair degree by Rover with their K - series engine around 1990, in it's original form it passed all EU emission requirements without a catalytic converter and returned 65 mpg !
What did the EU do? Well VW,Renault,BMW,Peugeot etc didn't have lean burn so their cars were costing £800 a piece at cost on the cat system - so they changed the legislation - all cars had to have a cat.
This meant the Rover K - series engined cars cost the same to produce and had to burn excessive fuel to heat the cat to 900'C ? and this put the mpg down to 45-50 mpg. Yep - brilliant that worked for the environment and the people - but mostly the people making deisels.
I'm not sure which deisel car I'd want to convert though, I'm keeping my eye on that breakers in leeds to see if there's enough bodywork left of that McLaren MP4 for an EV project though!!!

 

[Jagman1961]

Ok - I have a fair sized package go Tesla parts on my way from Poland - due in on Friday , hopefully this will get me a long way towards mobile. I can't quite understand how those Polish salvage guys set their prices though as some of the plastic trim and parts e.g underpan can be £200 and a track rod end £60 - is plastic on Teslas that expensive?
One stress avoided is that windshields are available in the UK from local screen fitters - I had been dreading paying over £1000 for a huge piece of glass to travel the length of Europe in the back of a carriers' van !
My friend has 'fired up' his front end damaged Model S and has 58 miles range left - so I assume his battery is safe for now, I will take my charge lead and hot wires over to see if we can get it charging/moving later this week.
A few more parts have appeared for sale in the UK but nothing more than fenders, lights and plastic parts and there have been no more salvage vehicles - two front end damages model S cars have been broken by a salvage company but again nothing much of the parts from these advertised ! Odd. I'm not sure if Culverwood bought his replacement tailgate yet from one of these.
Does anyone know if the top wishbone on the front suspension is changed as a full item or can the ball joints be replaced? It looks like they are a pressed in item on the 'banana' lower arm but there's a plastic shield on the top and the whole thing looks one piece.
Also has anyone tried to reform and reshape panels on these vehicles??? The doors and fenders appear to be very brittle - any way of annealing these? I have some totally ruined parts and panels to play and experiment with and we have a TiG setup at work , has anyone had any success?
Lastly - one wheel was shattered in the accident and the tyre pressure sender/valve unit is missing - will a used unit work or will it need reprogramming and synchronising?
Lastly, lastly - tow hitches - there are a couple for sale , complete with electric hook up for the trailer, will this simply plug in to a socket hidden under the vehicles' rear underpan somewhere or will this also need dealer enabling and connection?
Thanks

 

[RAM_Eh]

Karen could be the person you should thank for making it a salvage.

 

[J1mbo]

I can't quite understand how those Polish salvage guys set their prices though

Hopefully they are getting the parts from the same supplier that Tesla use, however, a guy on the offical UK Facebook group mentioned that his MS was stolen from his driveway over the weekend. Possibly a relay attack. Apparently these cars are "usually" shipped to Eastern Europe to be broken down for spares.

 

[Jagman1961]

RAM-eh - I'm sure she's not going to thank me, for thanking her, for stuffing it into a bloody great tree ! Are you Canadians that forward?
I'm still composing my 'diplomatic' approach letter to see if she still has the spare fob. I'm not going to mention the loosened off steering rod end lock nut - until I've established what, or how many enemies she may have made (think tyrannical self made businesswoman) and how 'loving' her husband/partner may be and whether they have serious life insurance on her ! it all takes delicacy, and tact !

J1mbo - how does anyone steal a Tesla? other than with a crane or by taking the fob, and even then aren't they tracked 24/7 by our guardian " Elon's Angels " - the Californian control centre which knew my Model X was a 'Total Loss' before it had ground to a halt on it's remaining three wheels ?
Even if my Tesla gets taken isn't there a special whistle or app. which has it running eagerly back home, parks in it's garage - tail wagging???
Please - what's a relay attack? You're getting me paranoid and I've not even got it on the road yet!
Seriously though I've dealt with a Polish engineering supplier for 20 years and he's bought most of the parts for me from Auto Allegro which is similar to ebay in it's format, advert layout, feedback and offers some security. He contacted some of the advertisers and didn't like them or their attitude but others such as Magnum have web sites and phone numbers - he says Magnum crazy prices and mainly found the items elsewhere.
They are all parts from 'breaker' cars, I was complaining about the price variations one to another and where low tech trim was much more than engineered parts - though I shouldn't complain.
As for Tesla's prices - who knows , since no one I've met has ever managed to buy anything off Tesla UK, it's either insurance work or scrap!
As for shipping cars East to break them - that's a heck of a distance to shift a three ton car, most of the stolen/hijacked VW GTi's and Audi A3's stolen round here in leeds and Harrogate went all the way to Bradford to be stripped and ringed or flogged in parts !

 

[J1mbo]

RAM-eh - I'm sure she's not going to thank me, for thanking her, for stuffing it into a bloody great tree ! Are you Canadians that forward?
I'm still composing my 'diplomatic' approach letter to see if she still has the spare fob. I'm not going to mention the loosened off steering rod end lock nut - until I've established what, or how many enemies she may have made (think tyrannical self made businesswoman) and how 'loving' her husband/partner may be and whether they have serious life insurance on her ! it all takes delicacy, and tact !

J1mbo - how does anyone steal a Tesla? other than with a crane or by taking the fob, and even then aren't they tracked 24/7 by our guardian " Elon's Angels " - the Californian control centre which knew my Model X was a 'Total Loss' before it had ground to a halt on it's remaining three wheels ?
Even if my Tesla gets taken isn't there a special whistle or app. which has it running eagerly back home, parks in it's garage - tail wagging???
Please - what's a relay attack? You're getting me paranoid and I've not even got it on the road yet!
Seriously though I've dealt with a Polish engineering supplier for 20 years and he's bought most of the parts for me from Auto Allegro which is similar to ebay in it's format, advert layout, feedback and offers some security. He contacted some of the advertisers and didn't like them or their attitude but others such as Magnum have web sites and phone numbers - he says Magnum crazy prices and mainly found the items elsewhere.
They are all parts from 'breaker' cars, I was complaining about the price variations one to another and where low tech trim was much more than engineered parts - though I shouldn't complain.
As for Tesla's prices - who knows , since no one I've met has ever managed to buy anything off Tesla UK, it's either insurance work or scrap!
As for shipping cars East to break them - that's a heck of a distance to shift a three ton car, most of the stolen/hijacked VW GTi's and Audi A3's stolen round here in leeds and Harrogate went all the way to Bradford to be stripped and ringed or flogged in parts !

Relay attack is a technique used for stealing "keyless" cars where the key is kept reasonably close to the car. Here's an example of a Merc being stolen in Solihull:

You can prevent this from happening by switching off "Passive Entry" in your car's settings (but this will mean lots of use of the unlock button on the key).

Most of the time, the thieves seem to be blocking the Tesla's internet connection, so no whistle and no tail-wagging

The "Eastern Europe" comment came from this article (translated from German).

 

[Jagman1961]

Thanks J1mbo - I remember Top Gear doing that at a restaurant and moving Hamsters' car around the corner - can't believe such a crap system not updated - perhaps create an 'app' which diverts the full 400v 100Kw from main battery unit to drivers Nuts once 'Vehicle Being Stolen' button pressed ?
As for the Model S in the back of the truck - yes that's way past salvage and Lithuania is to far into the 'Wild,Wild East ' for me to venture for parts, though my friend electifying his DeLorean and E-Type has just bought a 70kW battery from there !

 

[culverwood]

. I'm not sure if Culverwood bought his replacement tailgate yet from one of these.

I'm checking the pre and post facelift tailgates are compatible. Measure twice cut once. The dink is so minor (it has been there a year because of Tesla's exorbitant parts cost) it will not be a disaster if the one in Bradford goes before I am certain it is good for me.

 

[chickey]

Just signed up to say that it's great to see someone in the UK doing this, would love to do it but couldn't risk tying that much cash up.

Shall be following your progress

 

[reserves]

What happened??

 

[Jagman1961]

Hi - I'm back ! The parts are trickling through from my friend in Poland and I've been busy with my day job but hoping to get the P100d progressing this week after a few weeks gap.
Firstly we did a test on some of the broken alloy pieces from the front suspension turrets - Teslas have wonderfully brittle die cast chasis components on all the vulnerable impact points - eg front inner wings !
These crack and shatter and they are welded to the main chassis rails making replacement a major exercise - also a major problem as Tesla dont sell these and fitting them is beyond the pay grade of their UK body shops - so the cars a written off.
Well it turns out they can be welded with a decent quality TiG set in good hands. I am not of course welding anything structural or suspension bearing - just the outer reaches of the front suspension towers where the front wing and bonnet hinge attaches - this area is a third of the thickness on these peripheries than at the top suspension arm attachment point ( which is far from the damage)
Just been looking at a Model S with light rear end damage - good price but do I need more Tesla related stress??? It is minimal but recorded as Category 'S' salvage and as we know this will probably end up 'Ex-communicated' by Tesla once the insurance notice comes through. For now the main dealer is being helpful - probably change if I buy it!
No real damage, no airbags deployed and everything working, except - for some reason, no first responder loop - so no chance of charging or moving it ! I will borrow my friends and test before committing.
Thanks Chicky - it is a stress having that much in something beyond your control, with no dealer backup or cooperation - and the possibility of being switched off via 3G wireless by Big Brother , as well as the possibility that this is all another Catch22 situation when I do get it finished and the insurers inspector fails it because he needs Tesla's info to verify/pass repairs which Tesla UK can't / won't do !
Hi Reserves - more photos to come now back onto this project - good news is my friend converting the DeLorean has found a Bristol based supplier of Tesla drives with their own driver modules to allow retrofitting to other EV projects.
If anyone comes across battery units for sale in the UK or near Europe. or even cheap salvage cars - just drop me a line - Thanks

 

[Jagman1961]

Update - Model S 70D just bought ! I must be a Tesla convert - I saw a cat 'S' salvage advertised locally and have ended up buying it !
Mind you this one is a 'minter' compared to the Model X - it has four wheels ! Another bonus is that the damage is all tailgate and rear boot panel so the car is a runner, I've just driven it 40 miles home.
I now need to order parts and charge it up at a supercharge point before the salvage paperwork catches up with it and it becomes another outcast from the Tesla family.
Again I cant see there being more than £5000 to £6000 ( main dealer rates) needing spending to fix this one , its a December 2015 with 40,000 miles so surely worth £35000 ish? Obviously I have a hugely optimistic idea of Tesla body shop work rates and charges !
I've a choice of tailgates on ebay and salvage for £450-500 and used rear bumper plastics are £250-300 with minor scratches, there will be panels needed behind this but if not available I do have a good lump hammer and can do.
I will post pics tomorrow and see if this one can be repaired and back to 100% for around£2000 including paint.
I will just have to see if I can get parts and panels from Tesla before Ex-Communicated .
Although this is the economy model with only chilled and normal driving modes it is great - I just have to charge it fully for 24 hours with my Granny lead and see how far I can get on a tank full of electrons, it has been alarming to see the percentage drop from 29 to 12 over it's first 41 mile steady drive but it has stood for a couple of months .
Only one key fob at the moment so I'm downloading the Tesla App and hoping this will give me a backup ?

 

[Jagman1961]

I'm checking the pre and post facelift tailgates are compatible. Measure twice cut once. The dink is so minor (it has been there a year because of Tesla's exorbitant parts cost) it will not be a disaster if the one in Bradford goes before I am certain it is good for me.

Hi - I've just bought a Model S 70D Dec 2015 with rear end damage so will be off to Manchester next week - how did you get on ? where they helpful?

 

[T-Fan]

Jagman1961 Congrats for your project.
Any progress with the Tesla P100D ?

 

[T-Fan]

?

 

[Jagman1961]

Hi I've been pretty busy as the Model S now has a replacement tailgate ( bought for £600 fully trimmed with glass) , the rear end boot floor damage has been beaten out using templates from my friends recently purchased P85. He also has a slightly damaged/dented tailgage and has bought a mint replacement one for £400 with just the glass.
Didn't realise there are servo assisted and gas sprung tailgates - until the new one smacked me under the chin upon opening, apart from the plastic side trim panels next to the power rams I can't see the difference but it lifts slower!
We found that this alloy on Teslas has an uncanny ability to transfer impact damage a fair way and create nice symmetrical , natural looking distortion to the tailgates!
On a steel boot lid or tailgate the damage keeps more localised - on both these model S's you can get your fingers under the side edges just below where the glass starts - I will post photos.
Ok the 70D is ready for painting next week and hopefully back on the road for the weekend. It's a nice fresh 40k miles car with tan interior but being a cat 's' salvage it appears to have no streaming and so the Google satellite view on maps isn't there, otherwise Ok.
The P100D has gone a little backwards - I bought another Model X 100D a few weeks ago and this one has none of the damage to inner wing areas, airbag damage or nearside front suspension damage but has had a fair few front end panels removed, so the obvious route has been to pinch all I need off the P100D !
I've taken plenty of photo's and notes and ensured all the correct types and lengths on fixings used.
I'm hoping to have this back on the road by the end of June, only a wheel and couple of minor plastic trims short at the moment - Main dealer have been keenly priced and very helpful.
One big surprise (which hasn't come as much of a surprise) is the rocketing insurance rates for Tesla's - our Aviva (Trader policy) rep has warned us that insurers are wary of Tesla as they won't give fixed cost repairs in the UK, consequently my friend has found his Model S P85 insurance in the same Group 51 band as his Audi R8 - but with massive excess to be paid in the case of damage.
Another thing is that there are getting to be plenty of not very damaged Model S Tesla's in the breakers, all of them have their batteries sold before they touch the ground, but the rest is all there. As in USA it appears they're too expensive to repair, therefor written off too easily and this hikes the insurance premiums!
I will log on with my ipad later so I can put photos on -