Tesla Collision Center refusing to let me choose what's fixed (and not fixed)

[father_of_6]

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.

 

[!igs]

Yes, but I own the vehicle, so the payment from insurance will be made to me.

And you're telling the repair shop not to fix something so you can pocket the difference? That would be considered insurance fraud.

 

[zoomer0056]

And you're telling the repair shop not to fix something so you can pocket the difference? That would be considered insurance fraud.

Well, not quite right in this situation. If the $ was pocketed and nothing was done, you'd be right. However, the OP wanted to fix the headlight himself, so the $ would still go to the fix. Still, that is not even the case here. The OP wanted to save a lot of $ by getting a used headlight to replaced the one that had simply a broken tab. You could say the shop is spending five times more than necessary and passing the cost to insurance and ultimately to insurance customers. At any rate, the OP may be wet behind the ears but definitely is not trying to rip anyone off.