Tesla Owned Collision Centers - Only 4 Mth - 1500 Miles - Possibly Totaled

[jeremymc7]

Cross posted between Model 3 & S groups for better responses.

Open case and can’t discuss at this time.

I will say part of the Tesla logo was burned into by body. That’ll be an interesting scar.

Question is does anyone have an experience with the Tesla OWNED collision repair shops. Ideal the Pomona one. As I understand they are only one of two in California (also San Jose) and one of three in the country (also Chicago). These shops seem to do it all including major structural damage.

The Tesla owned collision repairs are different from the Tesla owned service or body shops which largely deal with bolt in issues and not structural.

There are also the Tesla APPROVED collision and repair shops as well.

My concern is that the Tesla owned collection is within a reasonable distance to me and I think they will known the car better than any Tesla authorized shops that are closer but don’t do as much in’s and outs if the nuances of speciality work. Such as getting all the cameras properly installed calibrated for autopilot again. Not just pulling or welding the frame or painting the car.

Since I can’t really discuss yet the only thing I can say is that there is extensive damage all around.

This all sounds like something a Tesla owned shop it better suited to repair than an independent, or preferred insurance shop. Likewise a less experience Tesla approved shop which may not be capable of understanding everything needed and provide a lower quote for repair. Only to get into the repair to find that it has doubled and since repairs are already partially sunk just proceed with more repairs where in initially if properly inspected it would have been considered a total loss. It has been my snd many others I know that the quotes are always low, perhaps because they just want to get assigned the work, perhaps because there is always something hidden that pops up, or both.

Anyone have any personal experience, shared experience from someone else , or just general comments.

Much appreciated and thanks kindly.

 

[David.85D]

Why not push the price up as high as possible and go for totaled? That new a car ought to get you close to the original sales price...

 

[jeremymc7]

Why not push the price up as high as possible and go for totaled? That new a car ought to get you close to the original sales price...

What do you push the price up? I’m think the official Tesla collision center would likely give the higher quote as I would hope they have a better understanding of all the electrical systems, calibration, at what not that a Tesla authorized shop might be as familiar with and likely likely undervalue the estimate so much the insurance company signs off on repair.

I’m sure this is well over $20k in work but if that’s not reflected in the initial work than the car will likely start with a $10-15k estimate and as they dig in further it will double. I’m which case the car should have been totally from the start.

thoughts.

 

[cduzz]

You're best off getting them to buy you out and total the car. My car was minimally hit and still ran up almost two 2012 honda fits worth of damage ($11k).

I had the fun experience of getting rear-ended on the 5th day of ownership of my new-to-me S 90D (hit in 2019, a 2016 with 45k miles)

This is all in Boston MA...

I was "lucky" in that the car still drove and nothing was broken that affected the ability to pass a safety inspection, so I had the grace of a little bit of time and opportunity to cross-shop body shops.

I went to one the few tesla approved shops and they were kind enough to give me a tour of their facility including seeing many cars (tesla and non-tesla) in various states of undress. I wouldn't go with a non-approved shop under any circumstances whatsoever. There's too much in these cars that require access to parts and relationships with the service centers for access to reset things.

First let me say that from seeing a 3 that had the back quarter removed to be repaired, I never ever want to own one of those baklava cars; there were more layers of body metal in the back quarter (alloy and steel) than a croissant. My car they assured me that they'd be able to pull the dent out and would be able to effect the repair with no welding and minimal filler, and were nice enough to take pictures throughout the process.

The repair isn't perfect, but the rest of the car isn't perfect either... maybe it is "fremont" perfect? I plan on keeping the car forever and have other things going on in my life so did not pursue a diminished value claim.

This is a long way of saying "visit various shops, do your homework, etc". The tesla approved shop I went to did a great job.

 

[jeremymc7]

Guesses as to what this is.

 

[Alysashley79]

Guesses as to what this is.

View attachment 538447

Yikes. That’s the T. From the steering wheel?

 

[jeremymc7]

Yikes. That’s the T. From the steering wheel?

Ding. Ding. Ding.

It is indeed the steering wheel Tesla logo burned into my my arm.

Perhaps they should be reset more in future cars.

 

[AMPd]

Guesses as to what this is.

View attachment 538447

How the heck did that happen?

 

[Uncle Paul]

Airbag go off?

 

[jeremymc7]

How the heck did that happen?

Airbag delayed while hands were on wheel. Exploded to one side. Also ripped hands of wheel while firmly gripped and jacked wrists and elbows.

Heated logo and or created chemical reaction due to airbag powder which also burned throat.

knee airbag as well jacking up legs.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Amazing that these air bags are considered safety items, when they can still do a lot of damage.

Hands at 10 & 2 when driving air bag equipped vehicles.

Looks like you took a hard hit

 

[jeremymc7]

Amazing that these air bags are considered safety items, when they can still do a lot of damage.

Hands at 10 & 2 when driving air bag equipped vehicles.

Looks like you took a hard hit

Yeah I was hit in the head too buy that airbag. Headaches since and neck pain. Ripped my right fitting hat, glasses, and mask off. Ending up in the back shelf.

 

[jeremymc7]

Honestly I expect the car to be totaled. But who knows given that it’s brand new. No miles. And not the cheap model. But here’s hoping. Other problem is with the factory shut down it’s a 1-2 month wait currently for another one. And I ha for wait 3 months just to get this one that I had only 4 months before the accident.

 

[David.85D]

What do you push the price up?

find the most expensive shop in town. Only Tesla authorized of course.

round here one of the the Tesla Authorized shops is part of a big chain. Pricing is surprisingly reasonable. The other only does exotics and aluminum bodied vehicles. Pricing is ... extraordinary....

My point is the car is so new that getting it totaled is probably fine for you - very hard to argue the replacement value is much below new.

 

[jeremymc7]

find the most expensive shop in town. Only Tesla authorized of course.

round here one of the the Tesla Authorized shops is part of a big chain. Pricing is surprisingly reasonable. The other only does exotics and aluminum bodied vehicles. Pricing is ... extraordinary....

My point is the car is so new that getting it totaled is probably fine for you - very hard to argue the replacement value is much below new.

I found a Tesla authorizes shop rated 5 stars. Located in the metro area some 30 miles form my house. All they do is exotics, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc and oddly Tesla. Unfortunately my insurance company is not listed as one of their “partner” companies so I don’t know how that factors in. Though my insurance company says I can take it anywhere any they will pay for it. But they will NOT guarantee the work unless it’s one of their recommended ships.

I did have a shop I loved for the last 30 years. But I don’t know if they do Tesla. Big problem is though why I knew the owner personally and he always worked with me; he had health problems and after decades in business sold out to a major chain and the operation which WAS 5 stars went to crap.

Have to see who the adjuster says are their options for Tesla service. The claims rep did said they had nearly no one authorized by then to work on Tesla.

 

[dannycamps]

Usually an airbag deployment is pretty much a sign the car will be totaled. First and foremost, glad you are okay for the most part and hope you are not too badly injured.

 

[jeremymc7]

Usually an airbag deployment is pretty much a sign the car will be totaled. First and foremost, glad you are okay for the most part and hope you are not too badly injured.

Thx. Much appreciated the kind thoughts.

Positive to hear it will be totaled. Of course I’ll only be covered for “actual (low bluebook) value” and have to pay retail again PLUS tax again, and after only 4 months. Hey maybe I’ll just get a Y this time. Esp with 3 being 5-8 weeks for LR DM. Hopefully I can get paid the difference in loss of value. But got to win this case first.

Will update the details and add photos as things progress. As mentioned In OP this was cross posted in Model 3 and Model S but as there has no input from Model 3 I will just update from here.

 

[jeremymc7]

Usually an airbag deployment is pretty much a sign the car will be totaled. First and foremost, glad you are okay for the most part and hope you are not too badly injured.

Of note the car was still on when being towed. App has the accident location. Even the Bluetooth was working and I was receiving calls though the car via Bluetooth and streaming stereo was still working. Car had nearly full battery but I can’t connect to it from the app anymore.

They unplugged the battery, cell connection died, or battery failed.

We’ll see.

 

[OrbiterTI4]

You can read about my experience at Collision, Repair and DV/LoU Lawsuit: My Nearly 500 Days of Fun if you want, but the relevant TL;DR info for you is that an airbag deployment does NOT guarantee a totaled vehicle.

Of note the car was still on when being towed. App has the accident location. Even the Bluetooth was working and I was receiving calls though the car via Bluetooth and streaming stereo was still working. Car had nearly full battery but I can’t connect to it from the app anymore.

They unplugged the battery, cell connection died, or battery failed.

We’ll see.

My car was in a similar state - standing on the side of the road when I dialed 911, I had no idea why I wasn't hearing anything...took me a few seconds to realize the BT was still connected and audio was pushed to the car.

 

[AMPd]

Airbag delayed while hands were on wheel. Exploded to one side. Also ripped hands of wheel while firmly gripped and jacked wrists and elbows.

Heated logo and or created chemical reaction due to airbag powder which also burned throat.

knee airbag as well jacking up legs.

Wow. Glad you’re relatively ok.
Definitely would like to see the damage to the vehicle whenever you’re able to post it