father_of_6
Membler
So the lesson learned here is if your goal is to scam the insurance company check McGyver the parts you want on the cheap to fool them and discredit the insurance estimate.
That's a bit harsh. I've helped friends DIY household projects that were paid for by insurance... like replacing a fence that was destroyed by a storm, etc.
Insurance pays for the cost of replacement, and only in some cases do they get to make requirements about who does the work (e.g. licensed and insured providers).
Consider a case where the collision shop wanted to charge hundreds to clean all the shattered glass from inside a car, but the OP would rather DIY that labor... is that a scam? No. And neither would it be to replace a headlight DIY.
It seems your argument is that if there are any cost savings by DIY'ing the work, the money should go back to the insurance company instead of the laborer. I disagree. The OP should be able to replace his own headlight to save money.
Most importantly, I would trust MacGyver to fix my car way more than many of Tesla's service center employees.