Saw a car that had rear bumper damage and the bumper was replaced, no other damage other than plastic bumper. However title is labeled as rebuilt....thoughts?
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Thoughts on rebuilt title??
- Thread starter ahirbe
- Start date
morrisdl
Member
Are you are 100% sure that it had never been in an accident prior to the rear bumper damage you saw? What does a CarFAX report show?
SpeedRacerM5
Member
It depends on the rebuilder, but there are great deals to be had. It's all I drive, but we rebuild them ourselves or oversee the rebuild.
On the contrary, I see lots of Tesla's that get totaled for very little damage. Just be to sure to look at the VIN and auction history to see if it's been up more than once. A single auction listing indicates it's less likely to be more than one crash or a scam seller. Also stick with IAAI bought and rebuilt cars. Those are actually sold by insurance. Only a small percentage of insurance cars are on copart these days but they usually name themselves versus the scam artists reselling cars without motors or batteries.
Are for support, the warranty is out, but Tesla will work on them for a price. Sometimes they will just work on them via Ranger dispatch as is, other times they want you to recertify first. Either way, I and many others will work on and support your car. See Ingineerix, wk057, and myself.
-Voltaix Tech
On the contrary, I see lots of Tesla's that get totaled for very little damage. Just be to sure to look at the VIN and auction history to see if it's been up more than once. A single auction listing indicates it's less likely to be more than one crash or a scam seller. Also stick with IAAI bought and rebuilt cars. Those are actually sold by insurance. Only a small percentage of insurance cars are on copart these days but they usually name themselves versus the scam artists reselling cars without motors or batteries.
Are for support, the warranty is out, but Tesla will work on them for a price. Sometimes they will just work on them via Ranger dispatch as is, other times they want you to recertify first. Either way, I and many others will work on and support your car. See Ingineerix, wk057, and myself.
-Voltaix Tech
It had to have had some type of frame damage. That's why it was a total loss vehicle. A slight bend or crack somewhere in the frame can force the insurance company to total it because of Teslas strict standards on repairing the cars.
Ketchups
Member
Tesla's are apparently very easy to 'total' with very little damage, hence the high insurance premiums.
Totalled because-
What to expect fromTesla Inc.-
Totalled because-
What to expect fromTesla Inc.-
bkp_duke
Well-Known Member
Tesla's do. I have one that was totaled for a rear end collision without airbag deployment (Carfax was clean beyond this). Was going to be 25k in repairs and insurance decided to total it.
Needless to say, I've been VERY happy with the car and the deal I got on it.
Downside, Tesla won't touch it with a 10 ft pole because of the rebuilt title.
Thanks for all the wisdom and advice...I will probably steer clear, just for the fact of wanting to take it to the service center
Ketchups
Member
Iirc, Tesla Inc. will charge you $7k to 'inspect' the vehicle and decide if it's road worthy or not, however I believe the fine print is rather terrifying for owners.
If I had absolutely no choice or if the deal was just too good to pass up (after having the frame inspected by a trustworthy Indy shop) I would rely on the sources listed by SpeedRacer for any future support.
You're just going to have to decide if all of the extra hassle is worth the money you'll save upfront or roll the dice with the Tesla Inc. inspection.
If I had absolutely no choice or if the deal was just too good to pass up (after having the frame inspected by a trustworthy Indy shop) I would rely on the sources listed by SpeedRacer for any future support.
You're just going to have to decide if all of the extra hassle is worth the money you'll save upfront or roll the dice with the Tesla Inc. inspection.
It's really not that big of a deal. A bunch of used Teslas already have expired bumper to bumper warranty. So you would have to pay out of pocket for mechanical failures anyway. The regular service that is done to the car is very simple, any shop is able to perform it.
SpeedRacerM5
Member
Exactly!
To the comment earlier about the recertify / inspection. In most cases the cost is actually $2500 at a Tesla approved body shop. If you call on it and are quoted higher, call around to others until you get the lower price.
I saw the mention of Indy. I've spoken to the shops in Louisville KY and Cincinnati near Blue Ash and the Service Center. Both seem like good folks, but their repair from salvage costs are obviously high. If I'm not mistaken, Louisville's cost was quoted to me at $2500 for re-certify. They take the damage area of the car completely apart and measure all frame distances. Then repair or replace anything that's missing or damaged at your cost.
For a good price, stick with repairing elsewhere (like at Yaro's shop in Sacramento CA, or my shop in KY) and going to them for re-cert if you want it. Personally I don't re-cert any of mine as I'm perfectly comfortable doing the work and minor routine maintenance myself. A vast support network and knowledge base for out of warranty and rebuilt vehicles is growing rapidly right now.
And really that has to happen to make these electric vehicles have long term viability.
- Voltaix Tech
So I just purchased a rebuilt. It has an airbag and traction control error. Supposedly the airbags never deployed.
How can I get to a root cause/part needed?
If I subscribe to a month of Tesla service access, and download Tesla Toolbox, do I need a cable, etc, to connect to the car?
The car was rooted by the body shop. Should I avoid letting it update? I am good at Linux/embedded systems, but haven't poked around yet. Is there something in particular to investigate in the os?
Thanks for any info!
How can I get to a root cause/part needed?
If I subscribe to a month of Tesla service access, and download Tesla Toolbox, do I need a cable, etc, to connect to the car?
The car was rooted by the body shop. Should I avoid letting it update? I am good at Linux/embedded systems, but haven't poked around yet. Is there something in particular to investigate in the os?
Thanks for any info!
You can only get access to the manuals, you can't get access to the Tesla Toolbox.
I wouldn't touch anything with a rebuilt, salvage, branded unless it was a beater for less than 10K. I know many who are buying very very new rebuilt to save some cash but they all have some kind of issues small or large. Also, the people that buy and sell rebuilt cars will cut any corner they can to make money. After all, if the vehicle was worth fixing RIGHT it would not have been a salvage title. Rebuild is just another word and sellers get the CHP certification like its GOLD or the car is perfect. CHP doesn't know a thing about fixing a car but they do check the headlights and brake pedal.
and some banks will give you a loan for a salvage like navvy credit union is one and I have never had an insurance issue with my salvage cars that I have owned. However, 95% of the banks out there and credit unions will not give you a car loan but a personal with an insane interest rate.
I commute in a salvage and probably always will. It is an older Prius
insurance for your salvage isn't a problem as state farm, all state, and hundreds will insure you but you take the gamble if your car is totaled that the value they give you could be a lot less than you paid for the vehicle.
and some banks will give you a loan for a salvage like navvy credit union is one and I have never had an insurance issue with my salvage cars that I have owned. However, 95% of the banks out there and credit unions will not give you a car loan but a personal with an insane interest rate.
I commute in a salvage and probably always will. It is an older Prius
insurance for your salvage isn't a problem as state farm, all state, and hundreds will insure you but you take the gamble if your car is totaled that the value they give you could be a lot less than you paid for the vehicle.
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bkp_duke
Well-Known Member
I disagree with a lot of this post.
1) Insurance companies will total a Tesla for relatively small damage. The reason they do this is because Tesla's repair network is CLOSED. Relatively few companies will work on a Tesla because Tesla has an (overly) rigorous shop validation process. I should know, I have 2 Model S's that had small body damage (rear ended - needed hatchback replaced) that were 110k+ cars at the time of accident but the insurance companies totaled them because the wait time for Tesla repairs were so long.
2) Repairs all come down to who does them. I've seen some BAD repairs, as you say, but I've seen some GREAT work by rebuilders. The guys that do this routinely and have a good reputation should be trusted. Investigating their reputation is key.
3) Your 10k number is bogus. No Tesla, even for parts sells for that cheap. An 85 kwh pack alone will go at the drop of a hat for 17-18k (even if the pack has some damage the modules can be pulled out and sold for full price).
The three requirements for me for buying a rebuilt Tesla are:
A - see the damage photos and don't buy anything with frame or HV pack damage
B - the rebuilder is experienced with working with aluminum cars and does good body work
C - the rebuilder is experienced getting root level control of the car (or you have someone that can do that for you)
If you follow the above 3, risk is nicely mitigated and you can get a good bargain on a nice car
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