Suggestions on Tesla Model 3 after accident

[tguy2019]

I got my LR RWD Tesla Model 3 4 weeks back and drove 600 miles. Had front collision to a car which ran over the red light. I am not at fault and the police report confirms the same. Front of the car is heavily damaged and lot of parts need to be replaced as per the body shop. Body shop's estimate for repair is around 20-25k. I am planning to push the insurance company to total my car because:

1. I don't feel good about driving a repaired car for the rest of it's life.
   
   
2. As I researched on internet, repair timelines are 5-6 months.
   

I have below questions:

1. Does anyone else gone through this? What do you think is better in this situation? Getting repaired or pushing for totaling it?
   
   
2. How to push insurance company to total the car? and how to get full value of the car?
   

 

[Wennfred]

They will total it, it’s a done deal, 20-25k in damages and repairs. As far as getting full value on the car, probably not. Let us know what happens.


Fred

 

[OPRCE]

First, my sympathies on the grim misfortune but glad to hear no injuries resulted.

I have luckily never had the experience but would say definitely total it and have your insurance sue the wrongful driver to make up any loss in value they suffer by putting you in a new replacement car immediately.

Propose to them that the alternative is they must pay for your rental for ~6 months while it is repaired, only to then discover the car will never drive right again as the frame is still irreparably bent. Result: their total bill ends up being twice what it would be if they sensibly cut their losses now.

Or, if the insurance company refuse to do the right thing, you may have to sue both them and the other driver, then let the court sort out how they share the costs.

Either way I would take professional legal advice (in writing) early on in this matter, to avoid being heavily screwed over, i.e. left holding the bag of a physically crippled vehicle and/or diminished value on resale.

[ Only ray of sunshine here is your new M3 will have HW3 built in ]

 

[tguy2019]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will update here what happens!

 

[ewoodrick]

I got my LR RWD Tesla Model 3 4 weeks back and drove 600 miles. Had front collision to a car which ran over the red light. I am not at fault and the police report confirms the same. Front of the car is heavily damaged and lot of parts need to be replaced as per the body shop. Body shop's estimate for repair is around 20-25k. I am planning to push the insurance company to total my car because:

1. I don't feel good about driving a repaired car for the rest of it's life.
   
   
2. As I researched on internet, repair timelines are 5-6 months.

I have below questions:

1. Does anyone else gone through this? What do you think is better in this situation? Getting repaired or pushing for totaling it?
   
   
2. How to push insurance company to total the car? and how to get full value of the car?

I really doubt that they will total it, you are well below 50% of the vehicle price.

I wouldn't be afraid of a well repaired vehicle. My wife's Subaru became a barrier for a Honda that ran in it, messed the back half of the car up. They fixed it, as good as new.
Luckily, with the LR RWD, if the passenger compartment isn't demolished, there's not a lot up front. The frame is the only issue and they can do a pretty good job on some frame repairs now.

 

[Revelation]

If they do go the repair route, then you need to demand compensation for loss of value for your vehicle. Any car that has been in a major accident loses a lot of value on trade-in or private sales. If there was frame damage 50% of the value is gone and regardless of how good of a job the repair shop does no one will ever give you a better value.

 

[zhu-]

Really sorry to hear. I also don't believe they would total it for $20-$25k but if you speak to a service center and they can point out enough things wrong with it, how it might be problematic in the future, and convey it to your insurance it might sway their decision. On the other hand, if it's repaired, you would get a substantial diminished value payment which could be $10k+. Might not be too bad of an option if there's no frame damage with a good repair and you plan on keeping it in the long run.

 

[TomB985]

I really doubt that they will total it, you are well below 50% of the vehicle price.

I wouldn't be afraid of a well repaired vehicle. My wife's Subaru became a barrier for a Honda that ran in it, messed the back half of the car up. They fixed it, as good as new.
Luckily, with the LR RWD, if the passenger compartment isn't demolished, there's not a lot up front. The frame is the only issue and they can do a pretty good job on some frame repairs now.

The voice of reason right here. I’ll be upset if this happened to my new car as well, but the fear of a properly done repair is a bit misplaced in my opinion. A good body shop can have the car driving and running is good as new, and the decision to total it is exclusively that of the insurance company paying for the repair. You as the owner have no say in the matter, as you’re not paying for it.

If they do choose to opt for the repair, be sure to ask him about a diminished value claim because the car is worth less. It certainly doesn’t lose 50% of its value as stated above, that’s ridiculous. But the loss of significant, and the other drivers insurance is responsible for that, so you could walk away with a healthy check. There’s a good chance they will total it though, as you’re pushing 50% of its value without any supplemental adjustments after they tear into it.

 

[mswlogo]

It's no different than any other car, other than (based on other reports) that Tesla's seem to be more easily totaled.
If that was a $50K ICE with $25K damage it would not get totaled in my experience.

Accidents suck no matter what. If it does not get totaled you can go after other insurance company for lost value.
Then you can decide later if you want to keep it or sell it and buy a new one.

Lost value varies a lot by state and insurance company. You might ask your insurance company to fight for you.

Good luck and please follow up when it's all said and done how it goes.

 

[tguy2019]

Thanks for all the suggestions! They are really helpful as this is my first experience in an accident and dealing with insurance!

My insurance told they are still working with body shop to finalize the repair estimate to decide on anything.

1. Since the other driver is at fault, who decides about total vs repair? Is it my insurance or the other driver’s insurance?

2. Is there a way to quantify the diminished value? Should I get trade in estimate and submit it?

3. I was planning to rent out the car in turo and cover the cost of loan payments. Can I claim this under ‘loss of use’ for the duration of repair?

 

[Chickenlittle]

They will total it, it’s a done deal, 20-25k in damages and repairs. As far as getting full value on the car, probably not. Let us know what happens.


Fred

I suspect your right. Insurance companies frequently figure they will find hidden damage. Also insurance company will own the car if totaled and ver significant salvage value of car (for parts) that the company will figure on. Sorry for your loss

 

[TomB985]

1. Since the other driver is at fault, who decides about total vs repair? Is it my insurance or the other driver’s insurance?

The insurance company paying for the repair makes the decision, but much of that has to do with state insurance regulation and any applicable laws. That can vary widely, so your situation may be completely different from that of somebody in a different state. For example, some states require a salvage title and a total loss declaration if the repair exceeds 50% of the actual cash value. But each state is different.

2. Is there a way to quantify the diminished value? Should I get trade in estimate and submit it?

Likewise with a total loss declaration, diminished value can vary. Remember that insurance companies don't make money by getting sued, and in my experience they tend to be fair the first time around. Speak with your adjuster about diminished value, this happened to a friend of mine a couple years ago in Connecticut, and they couldn't process that part of the claim until the car was repaired and back on the road. He ended up getting a check for several thousand dollars.

3. I was planning to rent out the car in turo and cover the cost of loan payments. Can I claim this under ‘loss of use’ for the duration of repair?

Unfortunately another question for your insurance adjuster, because the answer is going to be dictated by company policy and state law. Let us know how this part goes, I'm genuinely curious to see what they say.

 

[OCR1]

This happened to us with our Prius last year. It was the other driver’s fault. Our insurance company covered the replacement cost of the insurance, including sales tax. We personally went after the other driver’s insurance company for loss of wages, pain and suffering, rental car expenses, and incidental expenses. It took about six months to settle but we did get paid.

Get a quote for what it will cost to rent a comparable Tesla for the duration of the repair process. Tesla is notorious for taking months to get parts to the shop for repairs, so a rental of 4-6 months is not inconceivable. When the other insurance company sees how expensive your rental car expenses could be they will agree to total the car and replace it for you. You will still have to negotiate the value since the car you were driving is not brand new, but make sure they includes sales tax and license/registration fees in the settlement. Do not factor in the tax incentives or rebates. That is none of their business.

 

[tguy2019]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I will update on the progress.

 

[focher]

Try to negotiate everything up front. Once you agree to the repair plus DV vs total, things often get harder. Loss of use won’t include Turu type earnings, but don’t let them use a cheap rental rate either. Look on Turu to determine the daily rental cost of an equivalent car. Use that figure for LOU.

 

[MP3Mike]

3. I was planning to rent out the car in turo and cover the cost of loan payments. Can I claim this under ‘loss of use’ for the duration of repair?

I think for this you would have to show them records of how much you actually earn in an average month. If you haven't started doing it yet, it would be impossible for you give them an accurate loss of use estimate.

 

[bigroccrek]

They will total it, it’s a done deal, 20-25k in damages and repairs. As far as getting full value on the car, probably not. Let us know what happens.


Fred

Not always the case my M3 AWD was in an accident with front end damage $24,847 and AAA would not total the car...they fixed it.

 

[tguy2019]

Not always the case my M3 AWD was in an accident with front end damage $24,847 and AAA would not total the car...they fixed it.

Did you end up claiming for the diminished value? How much was it? I am trying to find how can we know the value of car after repair?

 

[Jsvette56]

I was involved in a 9 car pileup which damaged both sides of my M3 with a damage estimate of about $25K; AAA totaled the car and I had a replacement M3 within a couple weeks. My biggest concern wasn’t repair quality but that I’d have to drive an ICE rental car for 6 months or more while the repair was completed. It would be like going back to the last century.

 

[kgbswan]

Try to negotiate everything up front. Once you agree to the repair plus DV vs total, things often get harder. Loss of use won’t include Turu type earnings, but don’t let them use a cheap rental rate either. Look on Turu to determine the daily rental cost of an equivalent car. Use that figure for LOU.

My insurance includes up to 30 days rental, is it common you can have unlimited rental until the car is fixed?