Small scratch

[federico90]

Hello everyone.

I got a Tesla Model Y last Thursday and sadly someone hit me from behind today…

I was at a stop sign and the other car was stopped behind me. According to him, his foot slipped from the break. Not sure exactly what happened, but whatever it was, his car was probably moving 2 or 3 miles an hour tops.

There are a few pictures attached, the first two pictures are how the car looked right after the scratch, most of the white came out just wiping it with my hand. The third picture is after I wiped the scratch with my hand (the scratched area is inside of the white circle). The last one is a zoom of the scratched area.

Being such a minimal scratch I’m not sure if it’s convenient to put a claim to the insurance. My car might get tagged with an accident even though this was insignificant, and I understand my insurance could go up even though I wasn’t at fault at all.

The guy (besides the fact of hitting my new car) was very nice, he gave me all his information and he told me that he was ok with whatever I wanted to do. So I was wondering if it would be better just to take it to a detail shop and get it fixed (he would pay for it).

My obvious concern with the last option is the chance that there’s more damage that what I can see (sensors for example).

Do you know if in such a small impact in that area could cause any problems? What would you do in my place?

Thank you!

 

[LikesToys]

Get a quote from a body shop, send it to the other driver and get payment from him directly, then have it fixed. You don’t want to report the car as being in an accident if you don’t have to. Can’t see any sensors but the shop should check.

 

[Doublea88]

Since the guy is cooperating and being nice and the damage doesn't look too bad, I say don't report it. Take it to a reputable detail shop and they can easily take care of it for less than $100, maybe $200 with a wash/detail. Even then, I would just let them go as most it was wiped away and doesn't look too bad. I don't think you have any sensors there (the radar cars have the sensors that you can see) so it won't affect anything.

 

[federico90]

Thanks for answering.

I talked again with him today, and I guess I misunderstood him, he'd rather go through the insurance.

I called Geico to get some information on how to proceed one way or the other. They told me to go directly through their insurance because it’s a minor scratch and they are taking the blame. They also said that my insurance won’t go up, and that this kind of “accidents” don’t get tagged to the VIN.

Do you still think I should avoid insurance? I’m not sure if this could cause me problems in the future with Tesla’s warranty, my insurance, etc.
If it doesn’t , I’ll definitely go through the insurance. In case it does I might consider just paying out of my pocket if the repair is under $300…

 

[federico90]

UPDATE

I went directly through StateFarm (his insurance), GEICO didn’t get involved. He took the blame so StateFarm Already approved the repair.
I went to a shop and in order to fix the scratch they have to disassemble the rear bumper and a few more things in the back of the car (they said the job will be around $2,500-$3,000).
This kind of sucks… I’m not sure if I want all that movement in my new car, but I guess I don’t have a choice if I want to be a 100% sure that there’s no more damage.

 

[Doublea88]

I don't think there is that much damage, maybe the shop just wants the business and easy money. In my situation, I would just tell him to give you $300 and just buff it out. But up to you if you don't feel comfortable.

 

[federico90]

Well. There are a few things that got me paranoid now. A little while ago, after I packed a few thing in the trunk, I got a warning saying that the trunk was open. It seemed perfectly closed to me, I just opened it and closed it and it was fine the warning went away, but it was weird. And now I just got home, and the home charger button is not opening the charging port door. This might be just coincidental but both things are in the vecinity of the impact, so I’m wondering if there might be problems with the sensors. Tomorrow morning I’m going to go to a supercharger and check if the door responds to it, that way I’ll know if it’s the door or the charger.

 

[jay1122]

For very minor damage like this one in the photo, I would suggest asking the at fault party to pay some cash. Like $100-200 as detailing fee and buff it yourself with towels. If it involves insurance it will cost the other side raised premium. I had a guy play hardball and want to go through insurance. Some people just have no brain. The raised premium would cost at least thousands over the years. Being the bigger man, I let him go free. But that was only because the damage was not as visible, just on the clearcoats. If it cuts through the paint, I will let him know the pain of raised premium to teach him a lesson. Just be aware if an accident repair record gets reported to carfax, you will lose thousands in trade in value. You could file a DV claim for it, but with this minor damage it will be difficult. Very rarely does a body shop reports to carfax though. So I would not worry about it too much.

 

[chan_man]

From the last photo where you rubbed the damage, does not seem to bad. its not in an area that will be notice. I have used Quixx on this type of scratch and usually does a good job. may need some touch up paint to finish the job. Unless you have some damage to sensors, this may be enough

https://www.amazon.com/Quixx-00070-US-Paint-Scratch-Remover/dp/B000UVUAFO/ref=asc_df_B000UVUAFO/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198056825273&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=4612680345975467162&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005440&hvtargid=pla-355338982947&psc=1&mcid=84ae0292996c399fa0459647368afffc&gclid=CjwKCAiAzc2tBhA6EiwArv-i6eLhNY_bV1esRrxkZaPmJ4Wem3xPL9rmQ0mA2X_KVjNlzSQ4cVCJ5RoCTUgQAvD_BwE

 

[ven7782]

Even if the damage is minor, go through a Tesla approved body shop. I won't take the $300 and run. As you can see, even something as minor as a scratch cost 1000s of $ to fix. It may show up in the accident history but if you save the pictures and repair record, it should not impact the value as it is very minor. If you planning to keep the vehicle long term, it should not matter either way.

 

[gx9901]

UPDATE

I went directly through StateFarm (his insurance), GEICO didn’t get involved. He took the blame so StateFarm Already approved the repair.
I went to a shop and in order to fix the scratch they have to disassemble the rear bumper and a few more things in the back of the car (they said the job will be around $2,500-$3,000).
This kind of sucks… I’m not sure if I want all that movement in my new car, but I guess I don’t have a choice if I want to be a 100% sure that there’s no more damage.

That seems extremely high for the light scratches shown in your pictures. A couple of years ago my daughter scraped the bumper of a friend's 2020 Model Y rear bumper while parallel parking at church. It was a larger scrape area than yours and went through the paint. He got a couple of quotes from a certified body shop and Tesla SC and we ended up replacing the entire bumper for $850 or so (I paid out of pocket). I would think a bumper replacement is the absolute worse case for your scrape. $2,500~3,000 seems insanely high.

Well. There are a few things that got me paranoid now. A little while ago, after I packed a few thing in the trunk, I got a warning saying that the trunk was open. It seemed perfectly closed to me, I just opened it and closed it and it was fine the warning went away, but it was weird. And now I just got home, and the home charger button is not opening the charging port door. This might be just coincidental but both things are in the vecinity of the impact, so I’m wondering if there might be problems with the sensors. Tomorrow morning I’m going to go to a supercharger and check if the door responds to it, that way I’ll know if it’s the door or the charger.

The two things you mention seem normal as I get them from time to time. Once in a long while I get the trunk open notice when it is seemingly closed. It always goes away when I open it again and adjust something close to the latch area, usually the sub trunk cover tab or maybe something in the trunk is protruding a little bit into that area.

The home charger handle button not opening the door happens a lot. When I click the handle and it doesn't open, I usually either click it a couple more times or just hit the cover itself to open it. Maybe it's an issue but I never considered it one. I just figured it's not a 100% operation, kind of like the phone key.

 

[federico90]

For very minor damage like this one in the photo, I would suggest asking the at fault party to pay some cash. Like $100-200 as detailing fee and buff it yourself with towels. If it involves insurance it will cost the other side raised premium. I had a guy play hardball and want to go through insurance. Some people just have no brain. The raised premium would cost at least thousands over the years. Being the bigger man, I let him go free. But that was only because the damage was not as visible, just on the clearcoats. If it cuts through the paint, I will let him know the pain of raised premium to teach him a lesson. Just be aware if an accident repair record gets reported to carfax, you will lose thousands in trade in value. You could file a DV claim for it, but with this minor damage it will be difficult. Very rarely does a body shop reports to carfax though. So I would not worry about it too much.

Thanks for your answer Jay.

I tried to explain him about the insurance going up and etc but he didn’t get it lol. I’m not sure he understands how these things work. He honestly believes that’s best for him to go through insurance.
CARFAX is my main concern if I do the full repair. I don’t know what I’ll end up doing with the car in 6/7 years, but the fact of losing trade in/resell value one week after I got it pisses me off. The guy in the shop where I went to get the estimate (Carstar Chilton), told me that they won’t report to CARFAX, but I don’t know about that. Anyhow, with the claim already filed in StateFarm, wont StateFarm report to CARFAX in any case?

If I knew 100% that there’s no other damage in the car I would probably pay out of pocket to do a small cosmetic repair and that’s it. My concern is if later on something bigger comes up form this and then Im screwed with the insurance.

 

[federico90]

Even if the damage is minor, go through a Tesla approved body shop. I won't take the $300 and run. As you can see, even something as minor as a scratch cost 1000s of $ to fix. It may show up in the accident history but if you save the pictures and repair record, it should not impact the value as it is very minor. If you planning to keep the vehicle long term, it should not matter either way.

Thanks for the answer ven.

This is where I’m struggling now. I want to make sure that the car is properly fixed (including potential damage I can’t see). But I also understand that’s extremely likely that the small scratch is all there is.
So my dilemma is if I just do a small cosmetic repair out of pocket and forget about it. Or if I go through the insurance and make sure that everything is fine, but take the risk of being reported to CARFAX.

 

[schen72]

In a past car, I've made an insurance claim for a scratch that a "normal" person could barely see. But I want my cars looking perfect. Make the claim against the other guy's insurance. Repainting a bumper is not a big deal. It's expensive but it's not your dollar. They should also cover a rental car for you as I'd expect a shop to take 3-5 days for this job.

In the event his insurance is not cooperating, then simply make a claim with your own insurance and provide the other guy's contact info. They will subrogate and it's not a ding on your insurance record.

 

[federico90]

That seems extremely high for the light scratches shown in your pictures. A couple of years ago my daughter scraped the bumper of a friend's 2020 Model Y rear bumper while parallel parking at church. It was a larger scrape area than yours and went through the paint. He got a couple of quotes from a certified body shop and Tesla SC and we ended up replacing the entire bumper for $850 or so (I paid out of pocket). I would think a bumper replacement is the absolute worse case for your scrape. $2,500~3,000 seems insanely high.



The two things you mention seem normal as I get them from time to time. Once in a long while I get the trunk open notice when it is seemingly closed. It always goes away when I open it again and adjust something close to the latch area, usually the sub trunk cover tab or maybe something in the trunk is protruding a little bit into that area.

The home charger handle button not opening the door happens a lot. When I click the handle and it doesn't open, I usually either click it a couple more times or just hit the cover itself to open it. Maybe it's an issue but I never considered it one. I just figured it's not a 100% operation, kind of like the phone key.

Thanks for answering!

I appreciate your insights about the trunk and home charger. I’m still going to test the hatch at a supercharger to make sure. But this already made me feel better.

About the repair, I agree 100%. $2,500/$3,000 for those scratches is ridiculous. According to them is because they have to dismantle multiple parts in the back of the car in order to do the repair (they aren’t replacing anything).
I don’t like the idea of dismantling the brand new car (I don’t like either the chance of this small thing being reported to CARFAX) but it would give me peace of mind to know there aren’t any other problems inside of the car.

I guess I’ll have to decide between doing a small repair paying out of pocket, with the potential risk of something else coming up in the future. Or just go through the insurance, have everything checked/fixed, but take of the risk of being reported to CARFAX

 

[federico90]

In a past car, I've made an insurance claim for a scratch that a "normal" person could barely see. But I want my cars looking perfect. Make the claim against the other guy's insurance. Repainting a bumper is not a big deal. It's expensive but it's not your dollar. They should also cover a rental car for you as I'd expect a shop to take 3-5 days for this job.

In the event his insurance is not cooperating, then simply make a claim with your own insurance and provide the other guy's contact info. They will subrogate and it's not a ding on your insurance record.

Thank for answering Schen.

Both the guy and StateFarm ( his insurance) have been really cooperative. Geico (my insurance) told me to report it directly to State Farm. I did that and a couple hours later they called me saying that the claim was approved and I had no liability. In the claim portal I have the option to request a rental right there, so at least with the insurance/claim part I’m pretty happy. If I decide to proceed that way, everything is already set.

In your case, do you know if your claim/repair was reported to CARFAX?

The 2 problems I have with the insurance repair are:
1. The car getting reported to CARFAX and losing potential resell/trade in value in the future
2. Not comfortable with the new car going through a bigger repair (compared to a detailed repair). I don’t have a lot of knowledge about cars, so maybe as you said this kind of repair is way less problematic that what I’m thinking

Thanks!

 

[schen72]

Thank for answering Schen.

Both the guy and StateFarm ( his insurance) have been really cooperative. Geico (my insurance) told me to report it directly to State Farm. I did that and a couple hours later they called me saying that the claim was approved and I had no liability. In the claim portal I have the option to request a rental right there, so at least with the insurance/claim part I’m pretty happy. If I decide to proceed that way, everything is already set.

In your case, do you know if your claim/repair was reported to CARFAX?

The 2 problems I have with the insurance repair are:
1. The car getting reported to CARFAX and losing potential resell/trade in value in the future
2. Not comfortable with the new car going through a bigger repair (compared to a detailed repair). I don’t have a lot of knowledge about cars, so maybe as you said this kind of repair is way less problematic that what I’m thinking

Thanks!

I have no idea about CarFax. Personally I don't care about the resale value of my cars because I drive them until they are worth next to nothing. The only exception was when I bought the MY and back in then 2022, the used car market was crazy so I sold a 2016 Acura ILX to CarMax for $23k. It only cost me $29k to buy it in 2016. If it wasn't for that crazy high offer, I would have just kept it as a beater car.

You get to choose which shop fixes your car. Just choose a certified Tesla body shop and all will be fine. Assuming the battery was not damaged, it's just body work like any other car.