Replacement Parts

[zemaker]

Don't even know where to begin. This morning had a rock hit the side of my driver doors, and it left pretty good indents. Don't think they can be fixed. So I am thinking of getting the whole panel replaced, however I don't know where to begin. Can it be ordered from Tesla directly somehow? I am open to recommendations?

 

[Mister.T]

Assume the paint is in 'decent' shape, that can easily be fixed by your local Paintless Dent Repair (PDR) shop. Not worth the costs of removing the entire door just to potentially not have the door seal installed properly thereafter.

 

[A.N. Gineer]

^^ So, you're driving without insurance?

 

[Mister.T]

PDR will cost a fraction of the insurance deductible in this case, PLUS paying out of pocket for PDR will not increase your insurance premiums once a claim is made.

 

[A.N. Gineer]

I seriously doubt that can be repaired without a repaint -- that crease means the metal's been stretched and bent, not merely pushed in. While it can be repaired without replacing the skin, it means grinding off the paint and using studs, IMO.

If it were my car, I'd reskin (needs skillz and tools) and paint it, or replace the door with one that's the same color and condition from a salvage car. IIRC, a door is under $500.

 

[67King]

If the door is steel (I don't recall), that's as easy a fix as they get. No need to replace any panels, skins, doors, etc. Repairing dented panels leads to fewer problems than replacing them. Any time you replace, you have to worry about getting the whole thing aligned with the rest of the car in 3 dimensions (fore/aft, in/out, and rotationally). And even if that is done, to do it properly, one would need to block in the adjacent panels, which means you are painting 3 panels instead of one. Had similar damage on my BMW, and it was a $250 job.