-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Rear ended today. 3-4 month wait - parts not available.
- Thread starter Garlan Garner
- Start date
Sorry...had to dig out the picture. Last snow of the year in April. Regular stock tires. Totally my fault, but totally an accident.
Pickup truck in front of me came to a sudden complete stop as a fire truck on opposite side of intersection decided to turn lights/sirens on right before the turn in front of us. I brake...only to slide into him. His hitch did a lot of the really ugly damage to that hood which...everyone please take note...is as thin as paper mache!
Now I wasn't going that fast when I hit. Maybe...maybe 10mph. No airbag deployment. No injuries for anyone involved. Right when I hit...the damage was obvious. I thought the car was totaled. About 5 seconds later..a BMW SUV rear ended me...same thing...just sliding on that snow into me. Rear bumper damage didn't look too bad...but it wedged me in a bit more in the truck in front of me. They had to basically replace the whole rear bumper and paint and essentially the entire front end and paint. Also the windshield. Just a word to the wise. It takes VERY little speed to cause this type of damage..so please be careful! I've never had an accident like this before and I've been driving for 30 years. Suffice it to say..I'm getting winter tires this year and they are staying on until May!
Sorry...had to dig out the picture. Last snow of the year in April. Regular stock tires. Totally my fault, but totally an accident.
Pickup truck in front of me came to a sudden complete stop as a fire truck on opposite side of intersection decided to turn lights/sirens on right before the turn in front of us. I brake...only to slide into him. His hitch did a lot of the really ugly damage to that hood which...everyone please take note...is as thin as paper mache!
Now I wasn't going that fast when I hit. Maybe...maybe 10mph. No airbag deployment. No injuries for anyone involved. Right when I hit...the damage was obvious. I thought the car was totaled. About 5 seconds later..a BMW SUV rear ended me...same thing...just sliding on that snow into me. Rear bumper damage didn't look too bad...but it wedged me in a bit more in the truck in front of me. They had to basically replace the whole rear bumper and paint and essentially the entire front end and paint. Also the windshield. Just a word to the wise. It takes VERY little speed to cause this type of damage..so please be careful! I've never had an accident like this before and I've been driving for 30 years. Suffice it to say..I'm getting winter tires this year and they are staying on until May!View attachment 420893
Looks like a total at first glance, but you may have been lucky that you hit a truck that presumably had a high ride height. Any lower and there could have been frame damage.
That is exactly right. RAM truck. A bit higher than normal. Once they pulled it apart...no real frame/battery cage damage.
Mostly just stuff like the Frunk and the headlights/windhshield...along with my pride.
youngmcdonald
Member
@OP: Really sorry to read about your accident.
Just to add another experience:
Exactly a month old Model 3 and its rear driver-side quarter panel and the part of the bumper right underneath was smashed by someone while it was parked. Very annoying indeed. Thankfully the Sentry did its job perfectly to notify me and the driver was citizen enough to wait there for me. Insurance moved pretty quickly (they will evaluate diminished value payout once all repairs are complete).
All the parking senors shorted out (the impacted sensor broke) rendering lane change, parking chimes, distance indicators useless. Car is otherwise charging/running fine. Just looks ugly.
I am two months in now since the incident, waiting for exactly 2 parts to arrive (LH floor extension and LH wheelhouse). The body shop said that they ordered parts looking at the damage photos and another body shop's visual estimate (the one I am going to is 100 miles away but has a much less wait time than the one I have in town). Both are Tesla Certified. The shop asked me to bring the car in when I am ready - they'll get started and maybe they won't even need those 2 parts (or they can try to salvage them).
The Tesla body shop support I contacted had said that the parts are set to ship this month, but the shipping date keeps changing. But the person has been very helpful and while he can't do anything about expediting the process, he's keeping me in the loop every week.
Long story short, if I could go back in time knowing this, I wouldn't buy this brand just yet until this severe supply chain risk and body shop wait is mitigated. Tesla Certified Shops are very limited in number even in the states that have a lot of Tesla cars on the road. While the risk of getting into an accident and needing parts is low, if it materializes, it could present a very grave financial and logistical challenge for daily commuters. I understand it is getting better, but certainly still well below reasonable threshold. For a fender bender, 10-15 days to get parts, and 10-15 days to fix / repaint are reasonable estimates, I think. Anything more than a month, that's a problem.
Last edited:
devilmountain
Member
A co-worker of mine waited 6 weeks for a Honda CRV. This was a minor fender bender and he was waiting on parts from Honda.
Picked my car up today from the Service King in Loves Park Il. The work looks excellent. Car looked brand new. Sensors working great (dare I say better than original...maybe it's the current software on there). Ran with Autopilot most of the ride home (with a nice long 3 car follow distance!) and it ran great. The best takeaway, if you've been without your 3 for a while, you'll fall back in love with it again in a mile or two!
Shop owner walked me through the shop looking at all the other Teslas there. I think he said he had 11 in right now with 2 due in tomorrow. It was interesting to see the cars disassembled. Saw a totaled Model S (30K in damage) and a Model X with the front completely removed down to the frame. Really freaky to see a car like that. Anyone in need of Tesla shop work, don't hesitate to use them. The only downside is it's a bit of a hike out there, but nothing is too good for our babies right?
Uhoh, Garland is banned. Will we ever find out if his Model 3 was repaired?
Personally I don’t care , not even sure why this thread made 19pages...plenty of folks unfortunately have had accidents his is nothing special
youngmcdonald
Member
Is this a joke or do people not recognize the snark in everything he posted?
SleeperService
Member
SleeperService
Member
That seems like a good reason to be banned. Harassment is always uncalled for.
Mine is in the shop now and I’ll let you guys know how it goes.
Similar threads
