Parking lot fender bender

[asgard]

Someone bumped my passenger side fender in the parking lot :-(. Fortunately they
gave me the insurance info, and its not too bad - the right side reflector is broken
and the bumper is scratched up. Apparently there is a layer of absorbent foam
behind the front bumper so there are no internal parts to replace.

I called Tesla Palo Alto and they refer out bodywork to Chilton's in San Carlos.
http://www.chiltonautobody.com/
Anyone in the Bay Area have experiences with these guys?
Any other recommendations would be welcome as well.
Thanks.

 

[bkenchan]

I have been there and seen a bunch of Model S there but never seen a Roadster there.

Stan was nice and pretty cool to talk to. There was also someone else there that didn't seem like they wanted to help. . .forgot his name.

I would probably find another good bodyshop for a roadster. That's just my opinion.

 

[asgard]

I have been there and seen a bunch of Model S there but never seen a Roadster there.

Stan was nice and pretty cool to talk to. There was also someone else there that didn't seem like they wanted to help. . .forgot his name.

I would probably find another good bodyshop for a roadster. That's just my opinion.

Thanks. They planned to repair my bumper. I did not think bent carbon fiber could be repaired. It needs to be replaced if it is even slightly cracked.

 

[slcasner]

The bumpers are not carbon fiber, they are plastic. Chiltons repaired my Roadster, including repairing the rear bumper at my request when they may have preferred to just replace it. I wanted to keep the original 1.5 look. The repair method involves putting another layer on the back side.

 

[asgard]

The bumpers are not carbon fiber, they are plastic. Chiltons repaired my Roadster, including repairing the rear bumper at my request when they may have preferred to just replace it. I wanted to keep the original 1.5 look. The repair method involves putting another layer on the back side.

Thanks slcasner. How do they get the dent out of the plastic? My bumper is noticeably dented - it's obvious because the reflection warps right about where the impact happened (which was probably less than 5mph).

 

[jbadger]

When I got into an accident, my front bumper was replaced by Chilton. Coincidentally, Tesla released the 2.5 bumper upgrade a few days later, so I went with that over a replacement 1.5.

The quality of work Chilton did was fine, but I was not impressed with their customer service. They failed to keep me updated and there is only one person at Chilton who is certified to work on the Roadster which makes it difficult as they don't communicate the status of the vehicle with anyone else working there. My last gripe is that they ordered a part for me that was backordered (front mud guards) and never got them to me.

 

[slcasner]

Thanks slcasner. How do they get the dent out of the plastic? My bumper is noticeably dented - it's obvious because the reflection warps right about where the impact happened (which was probably less than 5mph).

The plastic is pretty pliable. If it is not cracked (as mine was), I would think it is just a matter of pushing the dent back out with the right support behind it.

 

[asgard]

Quick update. Dietschwerks in San Jose is working on my Roadster. Even the low speed impact damaged the internal retaining structure of the bumper so they are replacing it. Fortunately Tesla was able to find a new 1.5 bumper!