Scratch on door

[pure9]

An object scratched the side of my Model 3 front passenger door. Went to a few auto body shops and they quoted me between $1k - $2k to repaint the front and back passenger door (to blend it)
One of them said they could use a primer after which I could get it wrapped (which I don't mind)

Would you folks recommend going through insurance instead and getting the door replaced altogether, is that's even possible? I have Tesla insurance, and hoping comprehensive would cover this since it was a flying object on the freeway.

 

[pure9]

Awaiting the “totaled” comment lol

 

[The_Observer]

For $1-2k, depends on your deductible. If it's $500 or higher, I would not go through insurance, as insurance hikes will probably hurt you long term.

 

[nate704]

Awaiting the “totaled” comment lol

Totaled.

 

[Black306]

Dude, that’s not a scratch; that’s a gouge. Looks like it almost made it through the metal. I’d be concerned with a body shop half-assing the job and just piling up the door with bondo. This was almost $3k and it doesn’t need a door.

Is this totaled? (Challenge)

Obviously tongue-in-cheek. Here is the back story in short. Brand new and discovered at delivery, window would rattle against/bounce off the window seal when closing the driver’s door. There was also wind noise when driving down the freeway. IMO, it was due to the window, not being adjusted...

teslamotorsclub.com

If you want to save money, see if a local yard has a door in the same color.

 

[pure9]

Yeah it’s unfortunate :/
Would you folks recommend going through insurance and seeing if they’d be willing to replace the entire door for me? I feel like that’d be the cheapest and best option since it’d still cost me less than $1k and I get a brand new door.

 

[ODWms]

I wouldn’t even think about insurance for a $2000 repair.

 

[Shelburne]

Things vary from state to state, but here in MA when my M3 was involved in a collision, both my agent and several friends said that it's not worth going thru you insurance unless the repair costs exceed $5000. That's because the insurance companies are going to increase you premiums over the next several years to the tune of about $5000

 

[fholbert]

Plus 1 for Patch and Wrap.

Change color, like having a new car. I really like the newer Matte finishes on cars, was disappointed Tesla didn’t offer them.

 

[nate704]

Plus 1 for Patch and Wrap.

Change color, like having a new car. I really like the newer Matte finishes on cars, was disappointed Tesla didn’t offer them.

very few and very few selected high end models come from factory with matte finished paint.

 

[fholbert]

very few and very few selected high end models come from factory with matte finished paint.

That’s changed the last couple of years, most do.

 

[nate704]

That’s changed the last couple of years, most do.

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This is exactly what i am saying. Very few selected models. Definitely not most.

 

[fholbert]

This is exactly what i am saying. Very few selected models. Definitely not most.

Which ones?

 

[stopcrazypp]

Dude, that’s not a scratch; that’s a gouge. Looks like it almost made it through the metal. I’d be concerned with a body shop half-assing the job and just piling up the door with bondo. This was almost $3k and it doesn’t need a door.

Is this totaled? (Challenge)

Obviously tongue-in-cheek. Here is the back story in short. Brand new and discovered at delivery, window would rattle against/bounce off the window seal when closing the driver’s door. There was also wind noise when driving down the freeway. IMO, it was due to the window, not being adjusted...

teslamotorsclub.com

If you want to save money, see if a local yard has a door in the same color.

While I agree that is a gouge on the OP's panel (so almost definitely would need bondo if fixed without replacement), I disagree that your scratch is necessarily less costly than a door, especially if there is a pre-painted option (I know Tesla offers that for bumpers and fenders, not sure about doors). That panel is part of the car body and if it was needs replacement, it would cost a lot more than a door, given it would need to be welded.

If the gouge in the OP's car is cosmetic (does not affect components on other side), bondo may be an acceptable repair vs a whole door replacement.

 

[mm9351]

In the state of NY, if an object or debris hits your vehicle while driving on the highway (i.e., road hazard), then the reported damage claim can be filed under your comprehensive insurance, not under collision. Your damage looks like more than $2,000 and even if your deductible still applies, generally your rates won't be raised due to "road hazard." My friend was trying to avoid a large pipe which fell off the truck in front of him on the highway but couldn't entirely avoid it and it caused major ($3K) damage to his bumper. This was covered under comprehensive all for a small $500 deductible payout. As a final word of advice, make sure you go to a "Tesla certified body" shop as they have the proper tools.

 

[fholbert]

If you want to save money, see if a local yard has a door in the same color.

This ^^^

I‘ve bought junkyard parts before, both autos and aircraft. The savings is huge, maybe 10% the cost of new.

 

[nate704]

Which ones?

the ones that you posted????

 

[pure9]

Thanks for your input folks.

I’m going to see if insurance will cover this under comprehensive. If I’m not successful with that, has anyone had success doing this themselves using bondo? Is there a tutorial I can follow?

While I agree that is a gouge on the OP's panel (so almost definitely would need bondo if fixed without replacement), I disagree that your scratch is necessarily less costly than a door, especially if there is a pre-painted option (I know Tesla offers that for bumpers and fenders, not sure about doors). That panel is part of the car body and if it was needs replacement, it would cost a lot more than a door, given it would need to be welded.

If the gouge in the OP's car is cosmetic (does not affect components on other side), bondo may be an acceptable repair vs a whole door replacement.

 

[pure9]

This ^^^

I‘ve bought junkyard parts before, both autos and aircraft. The savings is huge, maybe 10% the cost of new.

Thanks. How doable is installing the door on your own, or did you pay for installation costs? Is there a tutorial I can follow to do it myself?

 

[stopcrazypp]

Thanks. How doable is installing the door on your own, or did you pay for installation costs? Is there a tutorial I can follow to do it myself?

For the Bondo, just search youtube for videos. There's a ton (here are a few results0.

Note even if you successfully do the Bondo (and sand smooth), you still need to paint, and matching the pearl white paint is a challenge (would need to find a matching spray paint with a color and separate pearl coat).

Note the Tesla service manual is free (you just need to create an account under Service Subscriptions).
Tesla Service

There's a lot of parts on the door though that would need to be removed and installed back on the new door, so the labor costs are probably pretty high.

I only found a video for removing the door panel, but not replacing the whole door.

Also I would only go the DIY route for door replacement if Tesla offers a pre-painted door. Otherwise if it must be painted, you might as well just get your existing one repaired and painted by a body shop instead of replacing it.

You can also try to reach out to a PDR company to see how much it would cost to hammer most of it out and that may reduce the amount of bondo you may have to apply, but that gouge looks pretty deep, so not sure if PDR would help much.