parts

[Don S]

My S model was hit in a parking lot. I have been waiting for over a month and a half for a replacement driver's side rear quarter panel. The local Tesla service center tells me a quarter panel is not available. The car has been in a certified Tesla repair shop and cannot be driven. The car is only 5 years old. The latest information I received from Tesla did not have any date as to when a panel might be available. I'm in San Diego. How can this happen that no rear quarter panels are available in the US for a five year old model S?

 

[ThomasD]

Your only other recourse is to find a used one off of a wrecked car

 

[KyleDay]

This is the unfortunate truth of Tesla. They purposefully do not carry parts inventory sufficient to have good customer service/repair time. They shift that cost and burden onto their customers via waiting after orders are submitted and paid. It’s a terrible cost to customers and something that hasn’t improved in my 5 years of ownership either.

 

[Wol747]

This is the unfortunate truth of Tesla. They purposefully do not carry parts inventory sufficient to have good customer service/repair time. They shift that cost and burden onto their customers via waiting after orders are submitted and paid. It’s a terrible cost to customers and something that hasn’t improved in my 5 years of ownership either.

Do you mean that Tesla can't supply some body parts for a damaged car? Or that they have to manufacture bits on demand? I thought all car manufacturers had to be able to supple bits for a decade or more?

 

[KyleDay]

Do you mean that Tesla can't supply some body parts for a damaged car? Or that they have to manufacture bits on demand? I thought all car manufacturers had to be able to supple bits for a decade or more?

I mean that they save costs by not carrying inventory and make customers wait weeks/months for orders to accumulate before they fulfill them. Keeps inventory costs down at the expense of customer satisfaction. It’s calculated and cold.

 

[Wol747]

That's disgraceful.

 

[beatle]

They prioritize building new cars above all else. Keeping existing ones on the road is a distraction.

 

[David.85D]

Do you mean that Tesla can't supply some body parts for a damaged car? Or that they have to manufacture bits on demand? I thought all car manufacturers had to be able to supple bits for a decade or more?

My understanding is the US Federal regulations only say for the duration of the warranty.

and, unfortunately, the Tesla authorized shops are required to refuse salvage parts, so you will have to find another shop if you want to go that route.

 

[Wol747]

>>They prioritize building new cars above all else. Keeping existing ones on the road is a distraction.<<

I rather get the impression they focus on entertainment and games nowadays.

 

[Don S]

My understanding is the US Federal regulations only say for the duration of the warranty.

and, unfortunately, the Tesla authorized shops are required to refuse salvage parts, so you will have to find another shop if you want to go that route.

The sheet metal on a Tesla S has a warranty for "lifetime", whatever that means.

 

[Crutonius]

There's a few ideas;

Bondo. You can do anything with enough bondo and jb weld.

Get a panel from a similar car. I believe a mazda 6 is similar in size and shape and therefore the quarter panel from that should more or less work.

Remove the other quarter panel for a sense of symmetry.

Driver on the left side of the road to hide the damaged panel.

I admit that these aren't great ideas. But they're more helpful than what Tesla has done so far.

 

[Don S]

Thank you for your thoughtful insights. I have considered smearing silly putty over the dent so the next time I'm hit the other car will bounce off. The problem is I can't find the correct color of silly putty.

 

[Wol747]

The sheet metal on a Tesla S has a warranty for "lifetime", whatever that means.

It probably means that if it's broken it's just out of its lifetime......

 

[BigNick]

The sheet metal on a Tesla S has a warranty for "lifetime", whatever that means.

Assuming it's guaranteed to never rust through, since it's not steel.