Today is nine months I have been waiting for my Tesla X to be repaired. What should I do?

[croman]

op is overthinking it. 9 months? what is this? are you expecting your tesla to give you baby teslas? lol.. you are a better person than me for sure.

forget about the car and the repair shop. if the shop gives you hard time include them in the last action item on the list below
beat whoever you have to get a document stating vehicle was totaled with the official total date on it.
send document to whoever holds your lease
stop making payments and request a check for the months between when vehicle was totaled on paper and now
if met with any resistance in any of the steps above - hire an atty and let him/ her handle it. to cover legal fees sue for missed use of vehicle, financial hardship and wrong phase of the moon or whichever way you think you got hurt financially.

it is a mess, but you will prevail.

my 2 cents

My next cause of action will be wrong moon phase damages and an injunction against the moon.

 

[jebinc]

Rivian is nice until you need it serviced unless for some miracle you have one nearby and Rivian is having their fair share issues as well. But boy, would I be just as upset about waiting 9mo and more but getting burned on lease payments would be a tough pill to swallow if the hold on parts is from the manufacturer I’m leasing from. Time for a lawyer but first have the lawyer write something up and sent it to Tesla. Sometimes this all you need to get the ball rolling really fast.

Well, I have both brands and have been to my local Rivian SC several times. My Tesla SC is also right around the corner. I can easily say my experiences at the Rivian SC were WAY better than those at the Tesla SC. I suppose it could be a local management issue, but I have read many a SC horror story on this forum... Everything from SC damaging the car, to declaring the customer complaint as "Normal," or claiming it has been fixed when it hasn't been. Never experienced that at the Rivian SC. Everything was as it should be - 3X running.

Do you own Rivian, and if so, have you gone to a Rivian SC, or are your just spreading internet Rivian FUD as a Tesla proponent?

 

[GoVols!]

Well, I have both brands and have been to my local Rivian SC several times. My Tesla SC is also right around the corner. I can easily say my experiences at the Rivian SC were WAY better than those at the Tesla SC. I suppose it could be a local management issue, but I have read many a SC horror story on this forum... Everything from SC damaging the car, to declaring the customer complaint as "Normal," or claiming it has been fixed when it hasn't been. Never experienced that at the Rivian SC. Everything was as it should be - 3X running.

Do you own Rivian, and if so, have you gone to a Rivian SC, or are your just spreading internet Rivian FUD as a Tesla proponent?

I don’t own a Rivian but have test driven a clients R1S and found it to be a bit wallowing and the seats are ok but not great. I didn’t like the AS constantly adjusting it self unnecessarily. The third row was noisy compared the 3rd row of the model X I’ll never sit in but it was just an observation by my youngest. The UI seemed more fussy than the MX as well. Also, the closet Rivian SC is 2hr30mins from us, so that’s a deal killer. Only reason I’m giving Tesla an opportunity, is the fact the SC is 5mi. from my house and they seem to be really nice and have heard from a couple other Tesla owners they’ve been very happy with the service there.

I am personally not a fan of EV’s but I don’t like any from BMW, Merc and have no desire to buy a Chinese or Korean car. If you want to know the truth, I like that Elon doesn’t bend over for woke Liberals and has rattled their cage. I also like the fact the cars are made in the U.S and a big bonus… I don’t have to deal with sales and finance department. I have also driven the Hummer EV and much prefer it to the Rivian and that should arrive summer of 2024 based on my most current email from them. The Rivian is a great vehicle, don’t get me wrong but it’s silly they forgot to add a rear step bumper and side steps on the R1T especially. Just my .02. The best thing is, we have choices and it’s your money to spend it anyway you like.

 

[jebinc]

I don’t own a Rivian but have test driven a clients R1S and found it to be a bit wallowing and the seats are ok but not great. I didn’t like the AS constantly adjusting it self unnecessarily. The third row was noisy compared the 3rd row of the model X I’ll never sit in but it was just an observation by my youngest. The UI seemed more fussy than the MX as well. Also, the closet Rivian SC is 2hr30mins from us, so that’s a deal killer. Only reason I’m giving Tesla an opportunity, is the fact the SC is 5mi. from my house and they seem to be really nice and have heard from a couple other Tesla owners they’ve been very happy with the service there.

I am personally not a fan of EV’s but I don’t like any from BMW, Merc and have no desire to buy a Chinese or Korean car. If you want to know the truth, I like that Elon doesn’t bend over for woke Liberals and has rattled their cage. I also like the fact the cars are made in the U.S and a big bonus… I don’t have to deal with sales and finance department. I have also driven the Hummer EV and much prefer it to the Rivian and that should arrive summer of 2024 based on my most current email from them. The Rivian is a great vehicle, don’t get me wrong but it’s silly they forgot to add a rear step bumper and side steps on the R1T especially. Just my .02. The best thing is, we have choices and it’s your money to spend it anyway you like.

Got it. I have the R1T Rivian, and that version is known to be more suspension compliant and more cabin quiet than the R1S variant - at least until they update the suspension firmware, like they did the R1T shortly after release. Personally, I love my R1T, but have only owned a M3DM, MYP and MS Plaid - not a MX.

BTW, my R1T has huge side-steps (Gear Tunnel doors). It does lack an OEM running board or Slider offering, however.

 

[GoVols!]

Got it. I have the R1T Rivian, and that version is known to be more suspension compliant and more cabin quiet than the R1S variant - at least until they update the suspension firmware, like they did the R1T shortly after release. Personally, I love my R1T, but have only owned a M3DM, MYP and MS Plaid - not a MX.

BTW, my R1T has huge side-steps (Gear Tunnel doors). It does lack an OEM running board or Slider offering, however.

That’s pretty much what my client said when I asked him about the suspension. I’ll definitely give Rivian a figurative high five for producing a great truck/suv right out of the gate. The actual frame is very impressive. Maybe down the road, I’ll take another look but I would need a SC closer to me and that could certainly happen in the next 5yrs as Tesla is doing so well here in Knoxville.

 

[greenearth2129]

Hello, @rgiovine , I do not understand why Tesla is saying the car is totaled afterwards, whereas they paid the money earlier? Is it possible that the shop you have it is not being truthful?

So sorry to hear this and good luck!

 

[stopcrazypp]

Hello, @rgiovine , I do not understand why Tesla is saying the car is totaled afterwards, whereas they paid the money earlier? Is it possible that the shop you have it is not being truthful?

So sorry to hear this and good luck!

A ton of cases are the shops just putting the car in storage and not actively trying to get parts. In this case OP said he asked a Tesla store and it was the store that told him the car was marked as salvage and thus not able to get parts. OP would need to work with insurance company and Tesla to clear that flag (as it's not salvage if insurance company is proceeding with repairs). Unfortunately for a lot of shops you really need to handhold them and poke them to get movement. They are not proactive in trying to get parts.

As for the lease situation, although the OP was lucky to get a credit, in general I don't think they have any involvement. That you have to keep making payments even with a damaged car is expected, as the lease company is not a party in the accident. You can seek compensation for loss of use or for rental car from the insurance company (either your own or opposing party if they were at fault).

 

[woolymammoth17]

Thank you I agree. after I reached the CFO, they moved my case to a higher level of customer support 2/3 weeks ago, finally, they provided the missing part to the collision center, but new issues emerged, and the car is still in repair with no ETA. Now they offered one month lease refund (wow!!!). DO you have any suggestions for a lawyer? Thank you

I had a great experience with David Goldsmith at GoldsmithWest Meet the Team | U.S. Consumer Advocacy | Goldsmith West Attorneys on a Lemon Law case in CA. I recommend reaching out to him and seeing what his thought are on the case.

 

[CollisionAdv1]

On July 30, 2020, I leased a Tesla Model X vehicle from Tesla Beverly Hills. I also obtained insurance coverage from Tesla Insurance. I have been happy with the car, the autopilot, and the white gloves service in case of repair. I had shared with my community of Italian/expatriates friends in California my experience with Tesla until June 2022, when the nightmare started. On June 4, 2022 (more than nine months ago), the car was involved in an accident in Los Angeles.
At no fault on my part, while I was stopped at a traffic light, two vehicles in a nearby intersection were involved in a collision, and one of them ran out of control and hit my car. After the accident, the car was removed at the request of the police and towed to a nearby body repair shop called Lee's Collisions Centers.
I immediately called Tesla Insurance and obtained Tesla Insurance's consent to have the repairs performed at the shop. This was later reaffirmed in subsequent correspondence. On August 10 (almost two months later), Tesla Insurance called me, saying that the repair quote issued by the body shop ($35,000) was also approved and that it took longer than expected since the files were lost and had been outsourced.

After that, the car remained in the shop for several months. I continued to pay Tesla the monthly lease of $1,335.63, and I periodically inquired about the status of the repairs. The body shop informed me that the repairs were taking longer than expected due to a lack of parts from Tesla. Finally, only on December 5, 2022, when I went to the local Tesla dealer, they told me that the parts were not being provided because the car was considered salvaged due to the airbags being inflated in the accident.

The dealer suggested I terminate the lease immediately, but the Tesla app did not permit me. In January, I reached out to Tesla Lease and was told that the lease could only be terminated once the car was repaired. Then I reached the Tesla repair center to understand what was going on, and they could not provide an explanation, but they wrote (Tj Hobby) that they considered their work finished and "…We consider this a matter between you and Lee's Collision…"
Long story short nine months later:

1. The car is still in repair,
2. but the repair center approved by Tesla Insurance can't finish the repair because Tesla Service Center is not providing missing parts and refuse to work with the repair approved by Tesla Insurance;
3. Tesla Lease doesn't allow me to terminate the lease because the car is in repair,
4. and Tesla Insurance is not providing me any compensation for an alternative car or rental.

No one is responsible for finding a solution; no one ever at least apologized. All this experience cost more than 40,000$ and counting, and a lot of stress and frustration.
What do you suggest?
Best regards, Raffaele Giovine

If the shop has been buying parts it’s not a salvage title. the only way a vehicle can be tagged as a total loss is if the collision center fills out a total loss sheet and emails it to Teslas total loss email - then Tesla goes in a kills the VIN. We have fixed Teslas since 2015 and we have replaced thousands of airbags - that doesn’t total loss a car. I have a 2023 Model X I’m fixing now that’s at $85k lots of airbags still no total loss. Now with the parts issue - I have waited many months for parts many times. It doesn’t happen as often as it used to BUT I just had a customer wreck his 2020 MS with a month left on his lease, he gave us the car, leased a new 2022 MS, it took us 8 months to get the part & another 2 months to fix it & Tesla charged him for every month just like he was driving the car even though they knew it was down in our shop & couldn’t be fixed bc they couldn’t get us the parts. Your shop should’ve made a parts case, should’ve contacted the bodyrepair team at Tesla, requested that a customer contact case be created so someone from Tesla will keep you updated & also give you someone at Tesla to communicate with. It’s a raw deal anyway you cut it but there are things your shop can be doing to help the situation.

 

[AW9nineteen]

A ton of cases are the shops just putting the car in storage and not actively trying to get parts. In this case OP said he asked a Tesla store and it was the store that told him the car was marked as salvage and thus not able to get parts. OP would need to work with insurance company and Tesla to clear that flag (as it's not salvage if insurance company is proceeding with repairs). Unfortunately for a lot of shops you really need to handhold them and poke them to get movement. They are not proactive in trying to get parts.

As for the lease situation, although the OP was lucky to get a credit, in general I don't think they have any involvement. That you have to keep making payments even with a damaged car is expected, as the lease company is not a party in the accident. You can seek compensation for loss of use or for rental car from the insurance company (either your own or opposing party if they were at fault).

I had my MS on Turo for maybe 2 months, second trip someone damaged the front fog light and sensor on the highway. Was so low something could have kicked up on it. I dropped it off and after two weeks I confronted the collision center. The guy apologized and flat out said, if he knew it would be this big of a headache they wouldn’t have taken it in. They can’t get parts and no one from Tesla answers from what I was told. I asked him to put it back together and that I would speak to Tesla. I went to my local SC and they ordered the part same day (today actually). So to some extent I agree that people do the bare minimum, but isn’t that life and most of the workforce we see today? So I will get the light and drop it off for them to finish the job.

The person driving the car paid me cash out of pocket after seeing the estimate, so I can’t come back to them now. I want to make sure I stay at or under the estimate, write the damage off, and get it back to neutral.

 

[brkaus]

I had my MS on Turo for maybe 2 months, second trip someone damaged the front fog light and sensor on the highway. Was so low something could have kicked up on it. I dropped it off and after two weeks I confronted the collision center. The guy apologized and flat out said, if he knew it would be this big of a headache they wouldn’t have taken it in. They can’t get parts and no one from Tesla answers from what I was told. I asked him to put it back together and that I would speak to Tesla. I went to my local SC and they ordered the part same day (today actually). So to some extent I agree that people do the bare minimum, but isn’t that life and most of the workforce we see today? So I will get the light and drop it off for them to finish the job.

The person driving the car paid me cash out of pocket after seeing the estimate, so I can’t come back to them now. I want to make sure I stay at or under the estimate, write the damage off, and get it back to neutral.

They make easy money on “storage fees” if they have the space.

 

[richyrich]

After the accident, the car was removed at the request of the police and towed to a nearby body repair shop called Lee's Collisions Centers.

I think this may be where things started to go wrong. Although it's tough when you've been in an accident, do not allow any random recovery vehicle to take your car, and don't allow it to be taken to their choice of location. There's lot of cosy relationships between all these companies and they aren't doing their best for you, they're maximizing recovery fees, storage fees and kickbacks. ALWAYS call your insurance and have them help with recovery using their recommended recovery company and going to their recommended facility. Otherwise you're gambling.

 

[jeremymc7]

It helps to know the business. People in their first accident or people who don’t know better will do the wrong thing.

Use our repair shop. We guarantee the work for the life of the car.

Those shops are usually horrible.

Find a good shop now so you know where to take it if you do get in an accident.

Or just ONLY two to your house until you figure out otherwise. Then tow it there.

I’d been using the same people for decades until a big chain can in and

 

[jboy210]

I think this may be where things started to go wrong. Although it's tough when you've been in an accident, do not allow any random recovery vehicle to take your car, and don't allow it to be taken to their choice of location. There's lot of cosy relationships between all these companies and they aren't doing their best for you, they're maximizing recovery fees, storage fees and kickbacks. ALWAYS call your insurance and have them help with recovery using their recommended recovery company and going to their recommended facility. Otherwise you're gambling.

Yep. A lot of these tow truck drivers that roam the highway listening to police scanners. When they hear about an accident, they show up fast and the driver thinks the police called them. Then the tow driver charges the owner and their insurance company to tow the car to the "best" body shop. (It is the "best" body shop since the driver also get a cut). And then the "best" body shop starts the clock on storage fees, etc. so has no incentive to order parts quickly. Here is one of the many articles on this "service" scam.

 

[richyrich]

Yep. A lot of these tow truck drivers that roam the highway listening to police scanners. When they hear about an accident, they show up fast and the driver thinks the police called them. Then the tow driver charges the owner and their insurance company to tow the car to the "best" body shop. (It is the "best" body shop since the driver also get a cut). And then the "best" body shop starts the clock on storage fees, etc. so has no incentive to order parts quickly. Here is one of the many articles on this "service" scam.

Definitely. The local companies where I am also pay $50 to cab drivers who call in stranded vehicles they subsequently recover. It's a very shady business.

EDIT: And in further shadiness, I know of someone who called a tow truck from their roadside assistance, a truck showed up and vaguely (in hindsight) confirmed it was theirs so they let them start loading the vehicle. Five minutes later the actual truck turns up, kinda pissed that they've gone there for nothing. Turns out once your vehicle is on the ramps of any tow-truck, they can't and won't remove it so they had to let the first truck take it and pay them. Soooo shady.

 

[Mayer]

To Original Poster:
Any update on the 9 month wait for parts?
Did you secure a contact at Tesla to apply pressure to secure your parts?
If so, please share.
I’m on month 3 and was told yesterday I need frame rails that are also “backordered.”

 

[lightgreen]

To Original Poster:
Any update on the 9 month wait for parts?
Did you secure a contact at Tesla to apply pressure to secure your parts?
If so, please share.
I’m on month 3 and was told yesterday I need frame rails that are also “backordered.”

I believe on month three I would have forgotten that I left a Tesla for repair and would have fully explored and vetted my loss of use clause with my insurance and/ or business malpractice atty. I have had Italian exotics involved in a serious crashes fixed in about that time frame. Just finished supervising a crashed 911 turbo s cab. With what amounts to a whole front end and German tech sent from Germany the body shop still let the car loose in about 100 days. Just providing a yardstick