Buddy of mine has a 2022 MYP and accidentally drove over foreign object on the freeway. It seemed to have punctured some coolant resovoir and now Tesla says a whole battery replacement is needed at a cost of $17k. They will work with their insurance provider to get some cover, but this is a bit overwhelming. Does this seem reasonable? Any other options?
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Ran over something now $17k bill
- Thread starter whydontwe
- Start date
thesmokingman
Active Member
Reasonable... what do you mean by Tesla? Why should they have to eat the cost of repairs?
That said if your friend drove over some debris on the road, that should fall under insurance coverage. There's been examples here of the exact same thing happening and it was fully covered under insurance. Also in CA, you can also file with Caltrans.
csrpenfab
Member
Back when I owned a 2008 VW GTI, I ran over a large extension ladder laying completely across my lane. I was coming out of downtown LA and doing about 75mph when I hit it. Huge impact, car caught some air and made a horrible noise. I pulled over to review the damage and had to bend a tweaked fender liner out of the way to resume travel. About 5 minutes later, while traveling at speed again, I lost a rear tire to a blowout.
I got towed from there and the damage was major. The ladder tore up the front crossmember, one A arm, damaged most of the underbelly cladding, fractured a rear alloy wheel, broke a brake line, and destroyed two pricey sport tires. My car was in the shop for a month waiting for parts from Germany and the bill came to just under $15k. I had the car fixed and then sold it to CarMax before the accident hit the CarFax report. Insurance covered everything.
I got towed from there and the damage was major. The ladder tore up the front crossmember, one A arm, damaged most of the underbelly cladding, fractured a rear alloy wheel, broke a brake line, and destroyed two pricey sport tires. My car was in the shop for a month waiting for parts from Germany and the bill came to just under $15k. I had the car fixed and then sold it to CarMax before the accident hit the CarFax report. Insurance covered everything.
At that price it sounds like they're replacing the whole battery. I've heard of at least one case where someone ran over debris that broke some fitting for coolant on the battery pack. Tesla don't repair the battery pack, they change it. I believe one person got that fixed by a 3rd party for a much lower price.
Your insurance should cover the cost of repairs minus your deductible.
I think in this case “reasonable” means not having to replace the entire HV batter pack because of a broken coolant line.
It is a weak point in the design but it is what it is. Insurance should cover it minus the deductible.
Suck wish your friend the best of luck.
Insurance and if it was already on the roadway most likely considered a road hazard and he has to pay his deductible. Ask insurance company about that!
If there was damage to the battery I wouldn’t argue with Tesla as it could become a safety issue if not repaired properly.
Insurance and if it was already on the roadway most likely considered a road hazard and he has to pay his deductible. Ask insurance company about that!
If there was damage to the battery I wouldn’t argue with Tesla as it could become a safety issue if not repaired properly.
If they are not giving a core charge for the old battery, tell them you are keeping it. Most likely it can be repaired and used as an ultra sized power wall 
Keith
Keith
M109Rider
Active Member
I suspect the battery replacement cost factors in the core being kept by Tesla.If they are not giving a core charge for the old battery, tell them you are keeping it. Most likely it can be repaired and used as an ultra sized power wall
Keith
Not certain of that, but it would stand to reason.
Johnny Vector
Member
Can you be more specific about the damage? Exactly what was damaged? Did your friend operate the car after the loss (?) of coolant, and therefore damaged the battery?
Would a front skidplate have prevented any/all of the damage? I have an MPP skidplate to be installed, so I'm curious.
I have the same question. I installed the MPP skid plate shortly after I got my car. A couple months ago I ran over a large piece of tire on the highway while going 70 mph. The only damage was a small tear in a rear mudflap. I was really glad I had the skid plate.
I think a front aluminum skid plate would prevent these types of incidents. Not if the object that is run over damages the actual battery, but for these types of situations where it a coolant leak coming from the front (OP stated "coolant reservoir" which is in the front), I believe a skid plate will prevent most of them.
I have looked under mine and the coolant lines into the battery are directly in the line of fire so to speak, and not protected at all.
If this is similar to what I’ve seen in the past it’s not that the line is the issue but where it connects to the battery is. Tesla designed it so the connector, by their standards, cannot be repaired. Any damage to that would require a complete battery replacement.
ZenRockGarden
Active Member
If you ran over something and put a hole in the engine of a gasoline car... you'd have to replace the engine and that would also cost a lot.
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