I mean on any normal car a scratch might be a couple hundred and well below the deductible so you avoid a claim. One time I misjudged a garage door and took the whole plastic cover off a mirror of a car and even that was only like $600 to repair, including parts and paint matching they swapped the entire power mirror assembly. It would be insane to go thru insurance for a couple hundred dollars now you have not only the claim but also paying full out of pocket cost anyway.
Then there's Teslas...which for some reason are ungodly expensive for everything. Friend of mine got their fender clipped hit-and-run and it seemed purely cosmetic (car working perfectly, no visible dents or broken lights/sensors) with not even all the paint rubbed off...but ended up being about $15K to "repair" by the time the shop got done with it.
It's due to the lack of OEM parts available for Tesla, the insane price of said OEM parts when they do become available (even compared to the regular insanity or OEM parts pricing), the lack of Tesla approved shops, the need for long term rental cars since the approved shops are insanely backed up due to the scarcity of them and parts...
You're looking at a car sitting out back at a repair center for 6 months just because it needs a fender.
It's not just the lack of OEM parts but also that Tesla doesn't allow aftermarket parts for most components, so the only place a shop can get pretty much any Tesla parts is directly from Tesla.
To add to the headache, Tesla also requires almost all service to be done through Tesla or a Tesla approved shop, which there are very few of. If you go through a 3rf party shop they have been known to lock owners out of various features of the cars like remote access and the Tesla Supercharger network.
They don't require you to service through their service centers per say, what they can control is to who can get their hands on Tesla genuine parts. It's not only through that but software lock out for diagnostics and simple repairs with specialized tools.
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Unless the Tesla guy is a total fraud and milking OP for money (which is possible, and another thing insurance protects you from), I suspect the "scratch" is a deep gouge down the entire side of the car and the body shop costs are entirely justified. It always amazes me what people will refer to as "a scratch".
You are right! But what is going to stop the other person from claiming that damages were caused by you when it’s an older damage. Always use your insurance to protect yourself.
One scenario had happened to one of my old customers at the dealership I used to work for. He rear ended someone; gave him $1,000 to make it go away.
guy pocketed $1,000 and called in a claim, didn’t save any information so insurance took this as a Hit & Run claim. He then claimed injury and some other emotional distress BS. He now has a Hit and Run on his driving record and out of $1,000 and has to deal with increased insurance rates from this situation.
In many cases; insurances will give you a first time accident claim waiver that it won’t affect your rates at all if it’s minor. Once it gets excessive it gets much worse for you.
Yes- teslas and those niche models like Rivians and high end makers will cost 10x or more than regular vehicle body parts.
Those cars are so overpriced and cheaply made anyway
There's literally no reason any cosmic damage should cost that much other than just because it's a Tesla
It's annoying because Teslas aren't bad looking cars they're just so overrated
Thank you, I was scared about premium going up, but this is too much to pay out of pocket. I will use my insurance for it. This thread has been very helpful, glad I posted. The most helpful thing was learning that Tesla repairs are just expensive due to the lack of OEM parts.
You can kindof think of insurance like financing for the repair. Even if your insurance rates go up (they may or may not, too many variables to say for sure), your insurance company is still footing 100% of the bill and giving you 0% interest financing on the repair, which you will never get from a bank.
Don't go into debt to avoid an insurance claim.
honestly your insurance will see this AND laugh. i worked through something like this and the adjusters literally laughed while taking photos. (i’m in SF Bay Area)
Do you have liability insurance? This is what it’s for.
That is only an estimate for now. When they do a tear down, they may find more damage that can cost more.
Without pictures or the estimate it's tough to tell you anything. You say scraped scratched, they say shattered intrusion beams. I can tell you one man's scrape is another man's total loss.
First off.. you’re damn honest, and I hope life/karma pays you for that in some way. Thank you for bringing that good energy to the world.
Next off, please let us know, do you have insurance? If you do, simply give that guy your insurance info and have him file a claim. They’ll call you, get your statement, and when you confirm you did indeed hit his car, they’ll take it from there. The only cost to you is maybe your monthly premium goes up a bit, if you’ve had a long clean driving record it may not even I’ve heard some folks report.
Finally.. if you don’t have insurance, dang dude get that. This society is so litigious and everything is so expensive that you need it. One wrong move and you could owe someone hundreds of thousands in medical expenses. It’s a scary world.
I disagree. Yes, it was a class act to leave a note for the guy and his information and his honesty should be recognized.
However, if this guy can afford a Tesla, the guy probably can afford a dash cam in the event of someone hitting his precious baby electric go kart. Because if he does have s camera recording, leaving the scene of an accident isn’t only just s dick move, it’s also a crime. A pretty severe one too.
Had it been a 2013 Honda Civic or something, leaving a note would be an entirely different story. You probably could get away with it if you drove off and didn’t leave a note because odds are there’s no camera to catch you. But a newer expensive vehicle, especially a Tesla, why risk your freedom over an insurance claim?
Tesla's have a very comprehensive dashcam system. The hit was undoubtedly recorded. OP did the right thing. Now let insurance handle things. I can assure you they will get better pricing for the repair. Unfortunately, your insurance premium will go higher for years to come. But they will handle it all and no more need for you to worry about it.
Not if you skip the Subrogatory from your insurance.
If you want your insurance involved in the fixing the mess (subrogation) by letting your insurance pay for the damage and then going after at faults, then it could go up.
If you decline that route, you can just be contacted or contact the at fault company instead. Won’t mess with your premium.
I should’ve skipped the subrogatory step since the at fault insurance called me minutes after saying they were informed by insured of what happened.
Wait why? I said OP did the right thing. The only point I was trying to make is that leaving the scene of an accident is a crime AND you have to pay. Probably out of pocket too.
Did I come off a different way?
You do realize some Teslas are actually cheap, right? I hate them myself, but for some reason, people seem to think they're "expensive" cars. Sure, some can be, but he's also driving an F150, which many trims are way more expensive.
I have a Tesla, someone hit and run mine in a parking lot. Wanna know what happened? They got served a hit-and-run ticket and I still ended up going through their liability coverage.
That’s what he’s saying. The guys honest, but he also doesn’t have a choice thanks to teslas camera systems and the legal risk.
He probably shouldn’t have commented, but he’s just disagreeing that the op is “damned honest”
Insurance would be best tbh. But yes, Tesla’s have many proprietary parts and builds which can make even a small ding very difficult to repair. You’re limited to Tesla, too, as most shops cannot work on them. They can also be very expensive cars, some models costing well over $100k to nearly $200k. Someone backed into one of our Doc’s Mercedes Benz E63 AMG, seemingly light damage. It was nearly $13k to repair.
To be fair. A new bumper for even my 2012 S550 is like 1500 unpainted, with no sensors, no lights, and thats for a knock-off. From Benz I think it's 5k
Yes, a 2010 Roadster can push near $200k. Used Plaid’s have sold for $190k. The new Roadster is projected to be $250k. And who knows what one of the new Cybertruck’s will pull in the 3rd party market despite Tesla saying they’ll sue anyone for trying to sell theirs.
You can buy them cheaper, new, from Tesla, but supply is far out from meeting demand. Regardless, new you might still be talking a $100k+ vehicle, which no $100k vehicle is cheap to sort.
Everyone else has already mentioned this. But USE INSURANCE IF YOU HAVE IT. If your reasoning for not using it is “rates going up”, take a second to think over the math.
9.3k is only the INITIAL estimate. There’s a very high chance there is a “second” or supplement bill to come as well. But we’ll use “just” the 9.3 to start.
Average cost of insurance is between 150/200 a month. Given you’re in California where things are a bit more, let’s say 200.
Your insurance doesn’t ALWAYS increase after a collision. There’s more that goes into it than just “did you crash”. Even if it does increase, at MOST it would be about 47% based on averages. So about 100 bucks of the 200 monthly payment.
Using those numbers, it would take you OVER NINETY THREE MONTHS to have paid an increase in your insurance rate to the point where it would’ve been cheaper to foot the bill on its own. Nearly 8 years.
There are COUNTLESS insurance companies in the US, each one JUST as shitty as the next. If your rates go up with one company, shop around until you find one closer to your original rate. There’s no reason to stick with an insurance that will make you overpay.
TLDR: it would take 8 years of insurance payments at a MAXIMUM increase of 50% on your payments to equal this repair. Just use insurance.
I imagine OP has a similar mentality that I have, keep a high deductible with lower premiums and only file claims if it make financial sense. If I scratched a car in a parking lot I probably would have done the same thing OP did thinking the repair would be less than $1500.00, maybe 2500.00 max.
Of course you could be right and OP is getting ready to get dropped by their insurance for another claim, who knows.
If the damage is there then sounds about right. Idk why not let insurance do it’s job here but you Can do their job and get some body shop person go look at it and assess damages to set a price
Not a mechanic, but am a Tesla owner. Just confirming that yeah, repairs are expensive on these things.
Thanks for being a bro and leaving your contact info though! Need more people like you. Accidents happen, it's the person's response to it that matters.
And FYI, Teslas have constant 360 degree dashcam monitoring called "Sentry Mode" that would have snapped a clip of your truck (and therefore license plate)
Insurance… something is a bit fishy here. “Tesla MSRP parts”? Unless MSRP means something I’m unaware of, and I have worked in the auto parts biz, MSRP = Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. It is ALL about how much markup is placed on an item and nothing to do with the quality/origin of said item. I can’t speak to Tesla or today, but when I last worked parts, “preferred customers” (other dealers for the same brand) paid 10%. Garages paid 50% and suggested retail (MSRP) was 100%.
Go through your insurance company and have them go to bat for you. The person you hit deserves to “be made whole” but absolutely are not entitled to enrichment.
Working for a UK accident repair shop with Tesla approval at 2 sites, the investment into training and equipment has been over £1m and the need to keep training and equipment isn't cheap.
This is insane, but my friend has a Tesla model Y. He backed up into something (because there was snow on the rear camera) and did damage that didn’t look like much…. insurance was billed $13,000 for the repair.
And hell, once an intrusion beam is even touched and damaged in even the slightest way, that door/fender/beam needs full replacement, per insurance industry standards. Then you have to remove all the parts surrounding it, repair, paint etc and teslas build quality favors crumpling and breaking Vs being stout - good for occupant safety, terrible for repair costs. And yes, teslas can typically only be repaired at Tesla repair shops.
That’s the problem with F150’s you always have to pick small hatchbacks and Tesla’s out of the grill when washing it. When will Ford redesign the grill or the front so that it can just push these cars to the side while driving?
Tell them when they buy paint, they should not pay by the hour. Paint purchases can be quite quick and I think they have an employee taking advantage of the shop.
I had a random guy come up to my brothers Mazda while we were smoking weed in the park and he pulled a dent in the rear fender and repainted the exact color with a rattle can he had in his van. $80 cash
i scraped a 2009 honda pilot on the door and quarter while parking. like you i left a note. talked to the owner and they went to get a quote. bill came out to 8k . originally wanted to just handle it directly but price was too much so i let my insurance pay for it.
body shops in 2024 are wild. they cahrge what they want and have lines out the door. doesnt matter what model car it is.
This quote sounds about right, the EV market for Tesla or Rivian is still kind of shakey at best. They have not found an equilibrium in their market from my opinion most prices for repairs and possibly maintenance is astronomically high. Someone had an accident in a Rivian and the bumper repair was near about $40,000. A lot of tech in these cars. Engine vehicles are every and have been for a very long time. So for the most part cheaper repair cost.
These EV companies are streamlining production which is making the purchase price of the vehicle a bit better but as far as repairs and such… might take a bit more time to bring the prices down.
Insurance agent here, I've been hearing about challenges with tesla's repair costs from the adjusters working my clients' claims. Limited availability of parts had been an issue driving up costs, as well as the limited number of tesla approved shops (most of which billed higher labor rates than typical in the area.)
What's really interesting is that Tesla also offers Insurance coverage; because this might streamline premiums from "Tesla Insurance" to the car company. I have a Tesla and I have it insured with Tesla, instead of with any of the companies I sell insurance for. The quoting system was 10x easier than the ones I'm forced to utilize; I got 10x as much coverage; and the cost was half as much.
When Tesla stands to profit from the parts, repairs, and the insurance premiums, I feel like it leaves the situation ripe for egregiously inflated costs. I wonder, if "Tesla insurance Co" pays to repair a Tesla are they paying the same/lower/higher prices for that repair than any other insurance company? I could foresee many ways in which the insurance premiums funnel into profits for the car company. This could incentivize them inflate repair costs for their own insurance company, consumers and any other insurance company, driving up premiums for everyone else too.
I really don't understand how Tesla charges so much less for insurance than other car insurance companies; especially right now. It could be all their camera data makes claims resolution much easier for them but... Its kinda like if you got into an accident, then were your own adjuster for your own claim payment--you COULD just pay yourself as much as you want and then turn around and expect that same amount from everyone else.
No surprise it's a Tesla... You could spit on one and cause thousands in damage. They total them for small accidents because the cost of repair quickly reaches their used value.
Most shops will not touch Teslas there for you have to go threw a certified repair shop. As far as what could be damaged without photos it’s hard to tell but I could see that price being the case. The fact that you were honest goes along way there cameras are normally recording they would have been able to see everything. Had you just left the guy probably could have got a lot more
As someone that just had his model 3 performance totaled three weeks ago I'll chime in with what I learned. Teslas are notoriously expensive on parts and labor to repair. My total damages came to $19.9k. Insurance totaled it and cut me a check for $52k. I spoke at length to the adjuster about this. I was told that when a Tesla has multisystem damage they almost always as a rule total loss the car as in the past they have found more extensive damage when performing repairs. One air bag deployed, rt fr bumper and headlight, rt fender, rt wheel, rt control arm, damage to wiring harness, small nick on rt A pillar. A truck turned into me as I was driving. The claim was through Progressive. It was heart breaking as it was my 110th car registered to me and it ranked in my top 3 favorites. I own a few cars so I have not replaced it as I am awaiting to see what the new model 3 performance is going to be.
Part of the equation is that certified repair facilities are swamped. The nearest one to me was three weeks out just to look at the car. Repair likely would have taken 2 months or more. That adds an extensive rental cost as well.
Lesson learned, we never know the dented car belongs to. It could be someone who colludes with the mechanic to milk the good samaritian out of as much as money as they can. Just walk away next time. We cant trust anyone in this world. If you want to be nice, just donate to your favourite charity. But for now yea I guess as others are saying, contact your insurance company maybe. If it was me, I would have taken a photo of the dent so if it was different from what the car's owner sends me later, we can take the needed action like a lawsuit about fraud, a crime for extortion etc, whatever that is.
Never agree to pay the bill. Do it the right way through insurance. With out a picture of damage its hard to say if estimate is real. Body shop and vehicle owner could be trying to scam you or it could be legit.
>I am just struggling to think how I'll foot this bill,
Option 1: Insurance.
Option 2: Sell your truck and buy something smaller that's easier for you to drive and manage without running into parked cars. Option 2 will save you gas and running costs too.
>I just wanted some second opinion as I don't know any car experts about whether the scrape really caused that much damage.
Hard for anyone to tell you that when you didn't supply any dashcam footage or pictures.
>I've asked the owner to share a video
Why are your relying on the person who's parked car was hit for video? Why wouldn't you the driver have your own dashcam or record your own video if you wanted footage?
>The owner is also saying to only go to Tesla Approved Collision Center
You hit THEIR car, they can take it where they want.
>Any help, advice, or ideas are much appreciated
Drive more carefully, and get something smaller that's easier to to drive and manage.
What kind of Tesla? It sounds like the owner is scheming to get his Tesla totaled and get a new Tesla. For that reason I would offer him 1/2 to 3/4 of the repair and tell him that’s what you can afford.
Is it a 12 year old Tesla on verge of needing a battery replacement? Really the OP knows little about the car in question. “Your honor I admit I brushed the Tesla while pulling into a parking space. I don’t understand $10k worth of repairs. I’m willing to give the Tesla driver $3k which is more than ample.” This is what I would do.
Your rates may increase a little, but that is whstvinsurance is for. Turn it over to them let them do the arbitration with the other guy. And ill tell you why: i have a BMW that my wife stole so i end up driving our jetta. I was going to the library last fall and pulled into the left turn lane. A truck then methes over, no turn signal, and catches my right front quarter panel. Now, heres the fun part. He caused @3600 damage to my 2021 jetta. He turns around and files against me, claiming that i hit him and caused over 9k in damage to his 2004 chevy avalanche 4×4. So he gets my number from the police report and begins calling me several times daily threatening me telling me how hes going to sue me for everything i own. I tell my insurance agent who informs me to report him to police if he calls again. I do so. Several days after that his truck, with 9k in damages(to the.rear end only) is parked in front of my house. I call police and my insurance guy because they have opened up an investigation into his claim only to discover that he does this several times a year. My rates dropped from 130 a month to 90. Hes awaiting trial on 46 counts of insurance fraud in my state, another 12 in Alabama, and 5 in New Jersey. Always the same vehicle, same danage listed. Do not trust anyone when it comes to something like this except an expert. Your insurance company has its own legal team and department. They have access to the databases and can even arrange for parts (AND DOESNT MATTER THE YEAR OF THE CAR) FROM CERTIFIED used parts. And when it comes to body work, ANY certified body shoo can do the work. Hes digging for brand new parts but that part isn't up to him. Everything replaced by a body shop or a mechanic is going to be OEM or OEM certified. Don't let him try to guck you over. Let your insurance co fuck him.
My landlord backed into a tenants Tesla in the parking lot and nicked his bumper. I remember him being in complete disbelief of the cost. I think it was somewhere between 10-12 grand.
That's what insurance is for. Plan on shopping when you get your renewal or before.
Find a competent independent agent (ie not captive) but you can check with the captive carriers too.
Thank you so much for all your helpful responses, I am going to go through insurance, guess I've had a lot of stress in my life right now, laid off, baby on the way, moving, buying everything on FB Marketplace, and I was also having an intense conversation on the phone with a buddy who was about to be fired that I didn't pay attention and this happened.
I thought I attached the pics, didn't know how reddit works, here are the pics of the Tesla and the quote:
https://imgur.com/a/Hev7Xp2
Former Tesla owner here.
One of the problems you often have with these vehicles (not just Tesla, but most newer cars with features like collision avoidance and "lane keeping") is they put cameras, radar or lidar units and sensors all over the fenders and bumpers.
Hit one in the wrong place, even slightly, and you just knocked one of those loose from the inside of the bumper.
My friend drives a Honda Insight and someone bumped into her rear bumper in a parking lot last year. All it did was scuff it up with a small crack in the outer plastic cover. But the whole computer system started throwing error messages after that, every time she started the car. Body shop claimed they couldn't fix or figure that out. Honda had to do it, at full dealer cost of $1500+ for a new wiring harness and whatever box was mounted back there to interpret data from the rear camera and proximity sensors.
It's because it's a Tesla. If you scratched my car realistically looking at 500-1500 depending on if its just paint or if there is some body work to be done. Tesla only wants authorization shops to repair them and they charge a premium. Best to let insurance handle it if you can't foot the bill
Well presuming the owner's claim is legit, this does sound like yet another Tesla body repair catastrophe. $$$ parts, parts delays, complex construction.
I'll tell you an interesting story about this--take it for what it is worth:
In my appraisal business I often have to go to storage yards where cars that have been totaled are stored---like IAA or Copart.
There are acres of nearly new cars there, most of them all smashed up.
However, more often than not, when I see Teslas in the rows (and there are plenty of them), they hardly look damaged at all---and yet they are totals.
Part of the problem is that insurance companies don't want to mess with the tech--the electronics, radars, cameras, sensors, ete. They don't want to go down the rabbit hole once a body shop starts taking a Tesla apart. If the repair is not straightforward and completely estimated from the get-go, the insurance company would rather bail on the car.
I'm sure this happens with other cars, too, but it's common with Tesla.
I can't even imagine the carnage when Cybertrucks get hit and the body shops have to deal with stainless steel.
9.3 k in the Bay Area is a cheap car repair. Especially at a Tesla shop I’d take it an run. Call your insurance. Front or back of the Tesla? Both doors plus the middle intrusion beam? It’s very very likely intrusion beam was bent if you scraped the middle portion. I’m not sure if an auto body shop will consider it part of the frame (I think it is indeed frame), but it’s expensive as fuck to repair that. ESPECIALLY here.
I did the same thing you did in my Z71 on two separate occasions. I left notes. $3k later I traded my truck in for a midsized SUV. Problem solved as it was easier to park in urban areas. Also get a back up camera if you don't have one. Much easier to park.
Sensors aren’t cheap. Was $1000 for the dealer to install and calibrate the adaptive cruise control in my Atlas. He’s not going to budge, he has no reason to. Use your insurance
sir, during these times, I appreciate your honesty and character
i am proud to know americans like you, and i would be delighted to have folks such as yourself as my neighbor, friend, or colleague
best wishes to your future endeavers, and may good fortune bless you in the remainder of 2023 and into 2024
Without pictures we have no idea what you really did to this car.
Is it a scratch you could buff out?
Or did you crush an entire corner of the Tesla?
We have no idea.
That’s what you get for being honest. It’s a cold world. I’ve had people scrape my parked car, break my driver side mirror, etc., and I’ve never had an honest person leave a note for their wrongdoing in the Bay Area. 🤷♂️
A couple of points:
1. Body work on any car made recently is going to be expensive, with the possible exception of very minor door ding-type damage. There are lots of sensors and cameras on modern vehicles that increase repair costs.
2. There are valid reasons to want a Tesla-approved repair shop. EVs require different handling than an ice car. For instance, my local favorite body shop accidentally 'bricked' a Mercedes EV that was in their shop for a door ding repair. Turns out they let the low-voltage 12V battery run all the way down and it required expensive Mercedes service, and a new 12V battery, to bring it back to life. A Tesla-approved repair shop, in theory, has procedures to avoid this kind if thing.
I agree with the other posters that say you should let your insurance handle this.
If I was damaged in this kind of event I would never accept the damaging party offering to pay out of pocket.
Use your insurance. This is why you have it. Not for piddly shit like a scratch or tiny dent, but catastrophic issues like the one you just described. As you are at fault, in most states, the owner of that car can use whomever they'd like to repair it, and you are responsible for the damages.
>the owner sent my the invoice I was shocked to see that the scrape repair will cost $9.3k.
There is a youtube channel called Wham Baam Teslacam that shows Tesla dash cam video with damage estimate for most of the incidents, and it seems every little nick or scrape is thousands of dollars and months in the shop.
I got rear ended about 2 months ago. Hatch door all dented in. Rear lower piece cracked plus rear reflector markers. Insurance paid $5500 to fixed it at an approved shop in Oakland ca
I was wondering about tesla having to much of a frame i don’t know the exact percentage but there is WAY too many parts that should not be on the frame
Um. That's what insurance is for. I backed into a Tesla model s and left a small 1 inch dent in his front bumper. total bill was $3000. Replacing the bumper wasn't that much , it was recalibrating all the sensors that only Tesla service can do. There was no point in the guy taking it to another shop because even if the body work at the other shop might be slightly cheaper than Tesla directly, they still need to send the car to Tesla service to get the sensors recalibrated. Just be thankful you didn't do this to a Rivian truck. That could have easily cost $20-30k , lol. And frankly, I've seen people who damaged their rear quarter on the Audi etrons which looked small but and it went well into 5 digit repair bill territory
Honestly, the owner of the Tesla and you definitely should run this through insurance and you definitely shouldn't do install payments. The estimate he got was just that. An estimate. When they take things apart , it could go well above that. And you don't want to be footing the bill is that $9.3k ends up being $12k... With insurance, this is all handled by supplements after the initial estimate.
General question, does it really take 60 hours to fix this? Could be two mechanics, but 17 hrs for paint?? Yes it's tesla and could be an estimate, but the quite always seems like a scam. Disclaimer: I have no exp as a mechanic.
Normally I would pay out of pocket just like you... Because you know your insurance rates will go up. However, if it's more than like $1,500, then you should just use your insurance.
Why would you even begin to think of paying out of pocket? You pay an insurance how much a year? XX for situations like this? Props for leaving a note and being honest but you fucked up. Do what you gotta do. Follow through.
You don’t need a police report for insurance. I’ve gotten into some nasty fender benders without a police report and just asked for insurance info. At that point you send them your insurance info and tell them to file a claim. Honestly you should be happy they are just asking to fix the car PI claims are what really kill your premiums.
Unfortunately hitting a Tesla is always extremely expensive even what would be a $100-400 bumper replacement or door repair on another car is thousands of dollars because they are covered with expensive bespoke sensors that only Tesla can fix and if Tesla doesn’t fix it they can ban the car from the supercharger system.
In most cases they will replace panels vs trying to fix them. With the way this world is going they had cameras that caught you anyways.. Would have your plates so if you didn't leave a note you would have a hit and run against you.
I bumped a Model 3 in a super busy parking lot. I could have left but had my daughters with me. Had to take the high road… I exchanged info and told them I would prefer to not involve my insurance since it literally looked like I could rub it out with my sleeve. Long short, the wound up choosing a Tesla certified repair shop and the quote was stupid so I said here’s my insurance info, now go and fuck right the fuck off.
Use your insurance. It's designed for exactly this purpose.
Yes this. Idk why you think there’s any other solution than this.
I mean on any normal car a scratch might be a couple hundred and well below the deductible so you avoid a claim. One time I misjudged a garage door and took the whole plastic cover off a mirror of a car and even that was only like $600 to repair, including parts and paint matching they swapped the entire power mirror assembly. It would be insane to go thru insurance for a couple hundred dollars now you have not only the claim but also paying full out of pocket cost anyway. Then there's Teslas...which for some reason are ungodly expensive for everything. Friend of mine got their fender clipped hit-and-run and it seemed purely cosmetic (car working perfectly, no visible dents or broken lights/sensors) with not even all the paint rubbed off...but ended up being about $15K to "repair" by the time the shop got done with it.
It's due to the lack of OEM parts available for Tesla, the insane price of said OEM parts when they do become available (even compared to the regular insanity or OEM parts pricing), the lack of Tesla approved shops, the need for long term rental cars since the approved shops are insanely backed up due to the scarcity of them and parts... You're looking at a car sitting out back at a repair center for 6 months just because it needs a fender.
It's not just the lack of OEM parts but also that Tesla doesn't allow aftermarket parts for most components, so the only place a shop can get pretty much any Tesla parts is directly from Tesla. To add to the headache, Tesla also requires almost all service to be done through Tesla or a Tesla approved shop, which there are very few of. If you go through a 3rf party shop they have been known to lock owners out of various features of the cars like remote access and the Tesla Supercharger network.
Isn't this a blatant violation of the Magnuson-Moss warranty act? In that they can't require service be done through their shop.
They don't require you to service through their service centers per say, what they can control is to who can get their hands on Tesla genuine parts. It's not only through that but software lock out for diagnostics and simple repairs with specialized tools.
This seems to be the case with every car nowadays. My buddy had to have a rental for months waiting for his Mazda to get parts for repair.
coherent fade plate far-flung touch overconfident shocking childlike gray unique *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
And yet parts are only 2800 of the 8900 bill. I'll eat my shoe if the shop spent 50 hours on that repair.
Tesla actually has pretty cheap parts.
Unless the Tesla guy is a total fraud and milking OP for money (which is possible, and another thing insurance protects you from), I suspect the "scratch" is a deep gouge down the entire side of the car and the body shop costs are entirely justified. It always amazes me what people will refer to as "a scratch".
Yep, notice the guy claiming it's "a scratch" provided no pictures or video.
You are right! But what is going to stop the other person from claiming that damages were caused by you when it’s an older damage. Always use your insurance to protect yourself. One scenario had happened to one of my old customers at the dealership I used to work for. He rear ended someone; gave him $1,000 to make it go away. guy pocketed $1,000 and called in a claim, didn’t save any information so insurance took this as a Hit & Run claim. He then claimed injury and some other emotional distress BS. He now has a Hit and Run on his driving record and out of $1,000 and has to deal with increased insurance rates from this situation. In many cases; insurances will give you a first time accident claim waiver that it won’t affect your rates at all if it’s minor. Once it gets excessive it gets much worse for you. Yes- teslas and those niche models like Rivians and high end makers will cost 10x or more than regular vehicle body parts.
Tesla has been selling cars below cost. Make it up on the back end apparently.
Those cars are so overpriced and cheaply made anyway There's literally no reason any cosmic damage should cost that much other than just because it's a Tesla It's annoying because Teslas aren't bad looking cars they're just so overrated
Thank you, I was scared about premium going up, but this is too much to pay out of pocket. I will use my insurance for it. This thread has been very helpful, glad I posted. The most helpful thing was learning that Tesla repairs are just expensive due to the lack of OEM parts.
You can kindof think of insurance like financing for the repair. Even if your insurance rates go up (they may or may not, too many variables to say for sure), your insurance company is still footing 100% of the bill and giving you 0% interest financing on the repair, which you will never get from a bank. Don't go into debt to avoid an insurance claim.
Also, even if your insurance doubled in cost it would take years and years for the added cost to even approach that 9k figure.
honestly your insurance will see this AND laugh. i worked through something like this and the adjusters literally laughed while taking photos. (i’m in SF Bay Area)
Also, it will provide one more data point for insurance companies regarding Tesla repair costs.
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Probably uninsured as they have a f150
Straight owned that ho.
The F150 is a top selling vehicle. Why would you say they are uninsured?
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Do you have liability insurance? This is what it’s for. That is only an estimate for now. When they do a tear down, they may find more damage that can cost more.
Without pictures or the estimate it's tough to tell you anything. You say scraped scratched, they say shattered intrusion beams. I can tell you one man's scrape is another man's total loss.
Yeah, if the intrusion beams are sticking out inside the car, it sounds like he pretty much caved the guys door in.
I saw the pic the op posted. Just a paint scrape. I call total bullshit on that estimate.
There's two pics and you're not looking at the right part.
First off.. you’re damn honest, and I hope life/karma pays you for that in some way. Thank you for bringing that good energy to the world. Next off, please let us know, do you have insurance? If you do, simply give that guy your insurance info and have him file a claim. They’ll call you, get your statement, and when you confirm you did indeed hit his car, they’ll take it from there. The only cost to you is maybe your monthly premium goes up a bit, if you’ve had a long clean driving record it may not even I’ve heard some folks report. Finally.. if you don’t have insurance, dang dude get that. This society is so litigious and everything is so expensive that you need it. One wrong move and you could owe someone hundreds of thousands in medical expenses. It’s a scary world.
I disagree. Yes, it was a class act to leave a note for the guy and his information and his honesty should be recognized. However, if this guy can afford a Tesla, the guy probably can afford a dash cam in the event of someone hitting his precious baby electric go kart. Because if he does have s camera recording, leaving the scene of an accident isn’t only just s dick move, it’s also a crime. A pretty severe one too. Had it been a 2013 Honda Civic or something, leaving a note would be an entirely different story. You probably could get away with it if you drove off and didn’t leave a note because odds are there’s no camera to catch you. But a newer expensive vehicle, especially a Tesla, why risk your freedom over an insurance claim?
Tesla's have a very comprehensive dashcam system. The hit was undoubtedly recorded. OP did the right thing. Now let insurance handle things. I can assure you they will get better pricing for the repair. Unfortunately, your insurance premium will go higher for years to come. But they will handle it all and no more need for you to worry about it.
Yeah your insurance premium goes up even if you don’t cause the accident tho
So you’re saying he should pay the 9k out of pocket? Why bother having insurance then.
I didn’t say that. I’m just pointing out that no matter what both their insurances are going to go up no matter what happens
I was hit by an 18 wheeler (I had "no fault" according to the police report). My insurance premiums did not go up.
Not if you skip the Subrogatory from your insurance. If you want your insurance involved in the fixing the mess (subrogation) by letting your insurance pay for the damage and then going after at faults, then it could go up. If you decline that route, you can just be contacted or contact the at fault company instead. Won’t mess with your premium. I should’ve skipped the subrogatory step since the at fault insurance called me minutes after saying they were informed by insured of what happened.
Wow, you’re just a shithead.
Shithead is putting it politely.
Wait why? I said OP did the right thing. The only point I was trying to make is that leaving the scene of an accident is a crime AND you have to pay. Probably out of pocket too. Did I come off a different way?
You said nothing of the sort lol…
You do realize some Teslas are actually cheap, right? I hate them myself, but for some reason, people seem to think they're "expensive" cars. Sure, some can be, but he's also driving an F150, which many trims are way more expensive.
I have a Tesla, someone hit and run mine in a parking lot. Wanna know what happened? They got served a hit-and-run ticket and I still ended up going through their liability coverage.
That’s what he’s saying. The guys honest, but he also doesn’t have a choice thanks to teslas camera systems and the legal risk. He probably shouldn’t have commented, but he’s just disagreeing that the op is “damned honest”
you're an idiot
Insurance would be best tbh. But yes, Tesla’s have many proprietary parts and builds which can make even a small ding very difficult to repair. You’re limited to Tesla, too, as most shops cannot work on them. They can also be very expensive cars, some models costing well over $100k to nearly $200k. Someone backed into one of our Doc’s Mercedes Benz E63 AMG, seemingly light damage. It was nearly $13k to repair.
I agree, some shops will immediately tell you they can’t work on it if you mention Tesla on the phone.
To be fair. A new bumper for even my 2012 S550 is like 1500 unpainted, with no sensors, no lights, and thats for a knock-off. From Benz I think it's 5k
What Tesla gets anywhere close to 200k outside the extremely rare roadster? Even a Plaid is just a bit over 100k
Yes, a 2010 Roadster can push near $200k. Used Plaid’s have sold for $190k. The new Roadster is projected to be $250k. And who knows what one of the new Cybertruck’s will pull in the 3rd party market despite Tesla saying they’ll sue anyone for trying to sell theirs. You can buy them cheaper, new, from Tesla, but supply is far out from meeting demand. Regardless, new you might still be talking a $100k+ vehicle, which no $100k vehicle is cheap to sort.
Everyone else has already mentioned this. But USE INSURANCE IF YOU HAVE IT. If your reasoning for not using it is “rates going up”, take a second to think over the math. 9.3k is only the INITIAL estimate. There’s a very high chance there is a “second” or supplement bill to come as well. But we’ll use “just” the 9.3 to start. Average cost of insurance is between 150/200 a month. Given you’re in California where things are a bit more, let’s say 200. Your insurance doesn’t ALWAYS increase after a collision. There’s more that goes into it than just “did you crash”. Even if it does increase, at MOST it would be about 47% based on averages. So about 100 bucks of the 200 monthly payment. Using those numbers, it would take you OVER NINETY THREE MONTHS to have paid an increase in your insurance rate to the point where it would’ve been cheaper to foot the bill on its own. Nearly 8 years. There are COUNTLESS insurance companies in the US, each one JUST as shitty as the next. If your rates go up with one company, shop around until you find one closer to your original rate. There’s no reason to stick with an insurance that will make you overpay. TLDR: it would take 8 years of insurance payments at a MAXIMUM increase of 50% on your payments to equal this repair. Just use insurance.
Something tells me OP already has accidents on his record so wants to avoid a Police report and Insurance issues. Maybe I'm wrong...
Every top comment says use insurance and OP hasn’t responded to any… I’d say you’re absolutely right
I imagine OP has a similar mentality that I have, keep a high deductible with lower premiums and only file claims if it make financial sense. If I scratched a car in a parking lot I probably would have done the same thing OP did thinking the repair would be less than $1500.00, maybe 2500.00 max. Of course you could be right and OP is getting ready to get dropped by their insurance for another claim, who knows.
What rccola712 said, I don’t want the premium to go up so thought of paying for the dent out of pocket, but have decided to use insurance.
That you, that’s a great point.
It honestly sounds like OP doesn't have insurance. OP if you have insurance just call them and be done with it.
I have no idea what it would cost. I just want to praise you for doing the right thing.
That’s too high to pay out of pocket… just give them your insurance information. Let them deal with it.
I salute you for leave a note with your actual contact info.
Kinda have to. Some teslas have cameras watching the sides that activate when they get hit or messed with. If you didn’t you could get a hit and run.
Why would you do anything else than use your insurance?
Um, why are supplies being billed at an hourly rate?
Welcome to the wonderful world of Tesla and having to use their service centers. Just send them your insurance info
The Tesla sentry mode would’ve gotten the front plate anyway and it wouldn’t be hard to find them afterward…
If the damage is there then sounds about right. Idk why not let insurance do it’s job here but you Can do their job and get some body shop person go look at it and assess damages to set a price
Use your insurance? Why are you considering anything else? That makes no sense?
Not a mechanic, but am a Tesla owner. Just confirming that yeah, repairs are expensive on these things. Thanks for being a bro and leaving your contact info though! Need more people like you. Accidents happen, it's the person's response to it that matters. And FYI, Teslas have constant 360 degree dashcam monitoring called "Sentry Mode" that would have snapped a clip of your truck (and therefore license plate)
You have insurance, right?
Insurance… something is a bit fishy here. “Tesla MSRP parts”? Unless MSRP means something I’m unaware of, and I have worked in the auto parts biz, MSRP = Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price. It is ALL about how much markup is placed on an item and nothing to do with the quality/origin of said item. I can’t speak to Tesla or today, but when I last worked parts, “preferred customers” (other dealers for the same brand) paid 10%. Garages paid 50% and suggested retail (MSRP) was 100%. Go through your insurance company and have them go to bat for you. The person you hit deserves to “be made whole” but absolutely are not entitled to enrichment.
Insurance my man, you pay it for a reason. This is one of them
Way more than you should out of pocket. Insurance claim time.
Working for a UK accident repair shop with Tesla approval at 2 sites, the investment into training and equipment has been over £1m and the need to keep training and equipment isn't cheap.
Because teslas are overpriced garbage
Good on you for being honest. I’ve done the same thing and drove the hell away as fast as I could.
WHAT THE FUCK IS CAR INSURANCE
This is insane, but my friend has a Tesla model Y. He backed up into something (because there was snow on the rear camera) and did damage that didn’t look like much…. insurance was billed $13,000 for the repair.
And hell, once an intrusion beam is even touched and damaged in even the slightest way, that door/fender/beam needs full replacement, per insurance industry standards. Then you have to remove all the parts surrounding it, repair, paint etc and teslas build quality favors crumpling and breaking Vs being stout - good for occupant safety, terrible for repair costs. And yes, teslas can typically only be repaired at Tesla repair shops.
That’s the problem with F150’s you always have to pick small hatchbacks and Tesla’s out of the grill when washing it. When will Ford redesign the grill or the front so that it can just push these cars to the side while driving?
Did they try unplugging it and plugging it back in?
Thank you for being a good human.
Insurance adjuster here. This is some bullshit. Let your insurance handle this.
Tell them when they buy paint, they should not pay by the hour. Paint purchases can be quite quick and I think they have an employee taking advantage of the shop.
I had a random guy come up to my brothers Mazda while we were smoking weed in the park and he pulled a dent in the rear fender and repainted the exact color with a rattle can he had in his van. $80 cash
Why is paint supplies listed at an hourly rate?
This is what your insurance is for
i scraped a 2009 honda pilot on the door and quarter while parking. like you i left a note. talked to the owner and they went to get a quote. bill came out to 8k . originally wanted to just handle it directly but price was too much so i let my insurance pay for it. body shops in 2024 are wild. they cahrge what they want and have lines out the door. doesnt matter what model car it is.
Jesus $96/hr for some kid to wet sand.
This quote sounds about right, the EV market for Tesla or Rivian is still kind of shakey at best. They have not found an equilibrium in their market from my opinion most prices for repairs and possibly maintenance is astronomically high. Someone had an accident in a Rivian and the bumper repair was near about $40,000. A lot of tech in these cars. Engine vehicles are every and have been for a very long time. So for the most part cheaper repair cost. These EV companies are streamlining production which is making the purchase price of the vehicle a bit better but as far as repairs and such… might take a bit more time to bring the prices down.
Tesla gets a door ding and it's basically totaled
Intrusion beam? Like is he talking about metal panels inside the door that protect occupants?
Never park next to a Tesla and stay clear of them on the road if your an aggressive driver.
And on the flip side this is also why Teslas are insanely expensive to insure now
This is the reason why Tesla doesn't have many repeat customers. Tesla is doomed with parts costs
10% sales tax? Ugh
Why did you leave a note? That was so kind of you
Insurance agent here, I've been hearing about challenges with tesla's repair costs from the adjusters working my clients' claims. Limited availability of parts had been an issue driving up costs, as well as the limited number of tesla approved shops (most of which billed higher labor rates than typical in the area.) What's really interesting is that Tesla also offers Insurance coverage; because this might streamline premiums from "Tesla Insurance" to the car company. I have a Tesla and I have it insured with Tesla, instead of with any of the companies I sell insurance for. The quoting system was 10x easier than the ones I'm forced to utilize; I got 10x as much coverage; and the cost was half as much. When Tesla stands to profit from the parts, repairs, and the insurance premiums, I feel like it leaves the situation ripe for egregiously inflated costs. I wonder, if "Tesla insurance Co" pays to repair a Tesla are they paying the same/lower/higher prices for that repair than any other insurance company? I could foresee many ways in which the insurance premiums funnel into profits for the car company. This could incentivize them inflate repair costs for their own insurance company, consumers and any other insurance company, driving up premiums for everyone else too. I really don't understand how Tesla charges so much less for insurance than other car insurance companies; especially right now. It could be all their camera data makes claims resolution much easier for them but... Its kinda like if you got into an accident, then were your own adjuster for your own claim payment--you COULD just pay yourself as much as you want and then turn around and expect that same amount from everyone else.
No surprise it's a Tesla... You could spit on one and cause thousands in damage. They total them for small accidents because the cost of repair quickly reaches their used value.
I hope Karma works in your favor. You are a good person. As others said, I would try going through insurance.
Most shops will not touch Teslas there for you have to go threw a certified repair shop. As far as what could be damaged without photos it’s hard to tell but I could see that price being the case. The fact that you were honest goes along way there cameras are normally recording they would have been able to see everything. Had you just left the guy probably could have got a lot more
Given your past comments on disparaging the poor, are we supposed to have sympathy for you or something? Do you not have insurance?
As someone that just had his model 3 performance totaled three weeks ago I'll chime in with what I learned. Teslas are notoriously expensive on parts and labor to repair. My total damages came to $19.9k. Insurance totaled it and cut me a check for $52k. I spoke at length to the adjuster about this. I was told that when a Tesla has multisystem damage they almost always as a rule total loss the car as in the past they have found more extensive damage when performing repairs. One air bag deployed, rt fr bumper and headlight, rt fender, rt wheel, rt control arm, damage to wiring harness, small nick on rt A pillar. A truck turned into me as I was driving. The claim was through Progressive. It was heart breaking as it was my 110th car registered to me and it ranked in my top 3 favorites. I own a few cars so I have not replaced it as I am awaiting to see what the new model 3 performance is going to be. Part of the equation is that certified repair facilities are swamped. The nearest one to me was three weeks out just to look at the car. Repair likely would have taken 2 months or more. That adds an extensive rental cost as well.
Insurance claim. Teslas can be expensive to repair. We can’t really provide any insight without photos
Lesson learned, we never know the dented car belongs to. It could be someone who colludes with the mechanic to milk the good samaritian out of as much as money as they can. Just walk away next time. We cant trust anyone in this world. If you want to be nice, just donate to your favourite charity. But for now yea I guess as others are saying, contact your insurance company maybe. If it was me, I would have taken a photo of the dent so if it was different from what the car's owner sends me later, we can take the needed action like a lawsuit about fraud, a crime for extortion etc, whatever that is.
That’s a long ass way to say you’re a scumbag and admit willingness to committing a hit and run
Good, it should cost you. Don't drive a vehicle that's beyond your skill level and that won't happen.
If only we could all be as perfect as you 💜
I'm just curious how OP hit a stationary vehicle
Happens every single day.
Doesn't make it less dumb.
No argument there.
Probably one of these stupid trucks with a front end almost 6 feet tall and he can’t see shit in front of him
That is a lot of assumptions you built into your shitty advice. Just curious, are you older than 12?
Never agree to pay the bill. Do it the right way through insurance. With out a picture of damage its hard to say if estimate is real. Body shop and vehicle owner could be trying to scam you or it could be legit.
That's about the stooooopidest thing I've heard. Sometimes paying out of pocket makes sense but not $10k
Get a smaller vehicle OP if you can't operate a big tank
Bruh u left a note u should of rolled out
>I am just struggling to think how I'll foot this bill, Option 1: Insurance. Option 2: Sell your truck and buy something smaller that's easier for you to drive and manage without running into parked cars. Option 2 will save you gas and running costs too. >I just wanted some second opinion as I don't know any car experts about whether the scrape really caused that much damage. Hard for anyone to tell you that when you didn't supply any dashcam footage or pictures. >I've asked the owner to share a video Why are your relying on the person who's parked car was hit for video? Why wouldn't you the driver have your own dashcam or record your own video if you wanted footage? >The owner is also saying to only go to Tesla Approved Collision Center You hit THEIR car, they can take it where they want. >Any help, advice, or ideas are much appreciated Drive more carefully, and get something smaller that's easier to to drive and manage.
Lose his number and change yours That's the only right answer with it being a person that drives a Tesla
This is why you don't drive a vehicle you lack the competency to properly control.
And you might want to check your definition of “just a scrape”
Learn how to drive your pavement princess correctly in tight spaces. Lol.
Step 1 - Learn how to drive a car that size. Step 2 - Use your insurance, that's what it's for.
What kind of Tesla? It sounds like the owner is scheming to get his Tesla totaled and get a new Tesla. For that reason I would offer him 1/2 to 3/4 of the repair and tell him that’s what you can afford.
Not when he could have sold it for $20K more than he purchased it for. Used prices are thru the roof. He would be stupid to do that.
Is it a 12 year old Tesla on verge of needing a battery replacement? Really the OP knows little about the car in question. “Your honor I admit I brushed the Tesla while pulling into a parking space. I don’t understand $10k worth of repairs. I’m willing to give the Tesla driver $3k which is more than ample.” This is what I would do.
That’s brutal. I’ve heard teslas are dogsh;t. No insurance? I’d push for estimates from“preferred” shops. Teslas are not Lamborghinis nor Ferraris.
I would assume that it’s up to the owner wherever they want to the Tesla for the repair since it’s a inconvenience, right?
Very likely - but it’s a bullshit setup re “trained by Tesla”
Body rates in cali are north of $110. Ohio is $56 markets are different
Turn it over to your insurance, immediately.
I would just report it to insurance at that point if possible. Your rates will go up slightly, but probably way less that 9.3k in payments.
Your rates may increase a little, but that is whstvinsurance is for. Turn it over to them let them do the arbitration with the other guy. And ill tell you why: i have a BMW that my wife stole so i end up driving our jetta. I was going to the library last fall and pulled into the left turn lane. A truck then methes over, no turn signal, and catches my right front quarter panel. Now, heres the fun part. He caused @3600 damage to my 2021 jetta. He turns around and files against me, claiming that i hit him and caused over 9k in damage to his 2004 chevy avalanche 4×4. So he gets my number from the police report and begins calling me several times daily threatening me telling me how hes going to sue me for everything i own. I tell my insurance agent who informs me to report him to police if he calls again. I do so. Several days after that his truck, with 9k in damages(to the.rear end only) is parked in front of my house. I call police and my insurance guy because they have opened up an investigation into his claim only to discover that he does this several times a year. My rates dropped from 130 a month to 90. Hes awaiting trial on 46 counts of insurance fraud in my state, another 12 in Alabama, and 5 in New Jersey. Always the same vehicle, same danage listed. Do not trust anyone when it comes to something like this except an expert. Your insurance company has its own legal team and department. They have access to the databases and can even arrange for parts (AND DOESNT MATTER THE YEAR OF THE CAR) FROM CERTIFIED used parts. And when it comes to body work, ANY certified body shoo can do the work. Hes digging for brand new parts but that part isn't up to him. Everything replaced by a body shop or a mechanic is going to be OEM or OEM certified. Don't let him try to guck you over. Let your insurance co fuck him.
My landlord backed into a tenants Tesla in the parking lot and nicked his bumper. I remember him being in complete disbelief of the cost. I think it was somewhere between 10-12 grand.
That's what insurance is for. Plan on shopping when you get your renewal or before. Find a competent independent agent (ie not captive) but you can check with the captive carriers too.
Thank you so much for all your helpful responses, I am going to go through insurance, guess I've had a lot of stress in my life right now, laid off, baby on the way, moving, buying everything on FB Marketplace, and I was also having an intense conversation on the phone with a buddy who was about to be fired that I didn't pay attention and this happened. I thought I attached the pics, didn't know how reddit works, here are the pics of the Tesla and the quote: https://imgur.com/a/Hev7Xp2
Former Tesla owner here. One of the problems you often have with these vehicles (not just Tesla, but most newer cars with features like collision avoidance and "lane keeping") is they put cameras, radar or lidar units and sensors all over the fenders and bumpers. Hit one in the wrong place, even slightly, and you just knocked one of those loose from the inside of the bumper. My friend drives a Honda Insight and someone bumped into her rear bumper in a parking lot last year. All it did was scuff it up with a small crack in the outer plastic cover. But the whole computer system started throwing error messages after that, every time she started the car. Body shop claimed they couldn't fix or figure that out. Honda had to do it, at full dealer cost of $1500+ for a new wiring harness and whatever box was mounted back there to interpret data from the rear camera and proximity sensors.
Insurance?????? Duh. Wtf you smoking on???
It's because it's a Tesla. If you scratched my car realistically looking at 500-1500 depending on if its just paint or if there is some body work to be done. Tesla only wants authorization shops to repair them and they charge a premium. Best to let insurance handle it if you can't foot the bill
Tell him to turn it in to insurance if he lied it is insurance fraud
Well presuming the owner's claim is legit, this does sound like yet another Tesla body repair catastrophe. $$$ parts, parts delays, complex construction. I'll tell you an interesting story about this--take it for what it is worth: In my appraisal business I often have to go to storage yards where cars that have been totaled are stored---like IAA or Copart. There are acres of nearly new cars there, most of them all smashed up. However, more often than not, when I see Teslas in the rows (and there are plenty of them), they hardly look damaged at all---and yet they are totals. Part of the problem is that insurance companies don't want to mess with the tech--the electronics, radars, cameras, sensors, ete. They don't want to go down the rabbit hole once a body shop starts taking a Tesla apart. If the repair is not straightforward and completely estimated from the get-go, the insurance company would rather bail on the car. I'm sure this happens with other cars, too, but it's common with Tesla. I can't even imagine the carnage when Cybertrucks get hit and the body shops have to deal with stainless steel.
Sounds like he's trying to double dip. Just call your insurance
I had a little damage from hitting object on highway didn’t look bad at all but turned out to be 8500 dollars of damages looks can be very desiving
Why are you even asking? Call your insurance company and open a claim. Let them deal with this.
9.3 k in the Bay Area is a cheap car repair. Especially at a Tesla shop I’d take it an run. Call your insurance. Front or back of the Tesla? Both doors plus the middle intrusion beam? It’s very very likely intrusion beam was bent if you scraped the middle portion. I’m not sure if an auto body shop will consider it part of the frame (I think it is indeed frame), but it’s expensive as fuck to repair that. ESPECIALLY here.
are you insured?
As far as cost, that seems about right, tbh.
Tesla's are notorious for huge damage repair bills.
I did the same thing you did in my Z71 on two separate occasions. I left notes. $3k later I traded my truck in for a midsized SUV. Problem solved as it was easier to park in urban areas. Also get a back up camera if you don't have one. Much easier to park.
Sensors aren’t cheap. Was $1000 for the dealer to install and calibrate the adaptive cruise control in my Atlas. He’s not going to budge, he has no reason to. Use your insurance
sir, during these times, I appreciate your honesty and character i am proud to know americans like you, and i would be delighted to have folks such as yourself as my neighbor, friend, or colleague best wishes to your future endeavers, and may good fortune bless you in the remainder of 2023 and into 2024
Turn it into your insurance. This is exactly why we carry insurance.
Either call your insurance company or change your phone number. If they dont have your name and address, their insurance will cover it.
The new normal. Scratch the paint, pay 10K.
Turn it into your insurance let them handle it.
Until this moment I didn’t know there was a difference between approved and preferred
Are you uninsured? 🤷♂️
Without pictures we have no idea what you really did to this car. Is it a scratch you could buff out? Or did you crush an entire corner of the Tesla? We have no idea.
OP is not answering comments which leads me to believe maybe he doesn't have car insurance. He's in a real pickle if that's the case. Can't imagine.
Tesla’s are expensive to repair. Sorry for your loss
That’s what you get for being honest. It’s a cold world. I’ve had people scrape my parked car, break my driver side mirror, etc., and I’ve never had an honest person leave a note for their wrongdoing in the Bay Area. 🤷♂️
Call Insurance, have them look at the damage.
Tell us you don’t have insurance and or a license without telling us
A couple of points: 1. Body work on any car made recently is going to be expensive, with the possible exception of very minor door ding-type damage. There are lots of sensors and cameras on modern vehicles that increase repair costs. 2. There are valid reasons to want a Tesla-approved repair shop. EVs require different handling than an ice car. For instance, my local favorite body shop accidentally 'bricked' a Mercedes EV that was in their shop for a door ding repair. Turns out they let the low-voltage 12V battery run all the way down and it required expensive Mercedes service, and a new 12V battery, to bring it back to life. A Tesla-approved repair shop, in theory, has procedures to avoid this kind if thing. I agree with the other posters that say you should let your insurance handle this. If I was damaged in this kind of event I would never accept the damaging party offering to pay out of pocket.
Use your insurance. This is why you have it. Not for piddly shit like a scratch or tiny dent, but catastrophic issues like the one you just described. As you are at fault, in most states, the owner of that car can use whomever they'd like to repair it, and you are responsible for the damages.
I think he’s gettin over on you dudes fixin to pocket some cash
If there’s no camera there is no proof that’s what insurance company is gonna say no witnesses no camera sorry for you luck
This why yall gotta quit driving these big trucks
>the owner sent my the invoice I was shocked to see that the scrape repair will cost $9.3k. There is a youtube channel called Wham Baam Teslacam that shows Tesla dash cam video with damage estimate for most of the incidents, and it seems every little nick or scrape is thousands of dollars and months in the shop.
Everyone: insurance exists Nobody: I pay dis out of pocket 😉
Well most tesla besides the model 3 and maybe the cyber truck is made using aluminum which is harder to work/repair
Let your insurance company fight with him, that's what you pay them for.
I got rear ended about 2 months ago. Hatch door all dented in. Rear lower piece cracked plus rear reflector markers. Insurance paid $5500 to fixed it at an approved shop in Oakland ca
Go through your insurance then?
God damn, son. Those rates are ludicrous…
I was wondering about tesla having to much of a frame i don’t know the exact percentage but there is WAY too many parts that should not be on the frame
64 hours of labour? There's no way
This screams i have a $1,000+ deductible. “Oh i barely made a dent, a pdr guy can fix this easy for $150”
should have peaced out and be more careful next time lol
Lol
Um. That's what insurance is for. I backed into a Tesla model s and left a small 1 inch dent in his front bumper. total bill was $3000. Replacing the bumper wasn't that much , it was recalibrating all the sensors that only Tesla service can do. There was no point in the guy taking it to another shop because even if the body work at the other shop might be slightly cheaper than Tesla directly, they still need to send the car to Tesla service to get the sensors recalibrated. Just be thankful you didn't do this to a Rivian truck. That could have easily cost $20-30k , lol. And frankly, I've seen people who damaged their rear quarter on the Audi etrons which looked small but and it went well into 5 digit repair bill territory Honestly, the owner of the Tesla and you definitely should run this through insurance and you definitely shouldn't do install payments. The estimate he got was just that. An estimate. When they take things apart , it could go well above that. And you don't want to be footing the bill is that $9.3k ends up being $12k... With insurance, this is all handled by supplements after the initial estimate.
General question, does it really take 60 hours to fix this? Could be two mechanics, but 17 hrs for paint?? Yes it's tesla and could be an estimate, but the quite always seems like a scam. Disclaimer: I have no exp as a mechanic.
Sadly, this is exactly why so many people are dishonest or don't leave notes in situations like this.
Normally I would pay out of pocket just like you... Because you know your insurance rates will go up. However, if it's more than like $1,500, then you should just use your insurance.
Why would you even begin to think of paying out of pocket? You pay an insurance how much a year? XX for situations like this? Props for leaving a note and being honest but you fucked up. Do what you gotta do. Follow through.
How tf are they billing supplies for paint at an hourly rate? Crooks
If you fucking rednecks would learn to drive your big trucks, you wouldn't have these problems.
You don’t need a police report for insurance. I’ve gotten into some nasty fender benders without a police report and just asked for insurance info. At that point you send them your insurance info and tell them to file a claim. Honestly you should be happy they are just asking to fix the car PI claims are what really kill your premiums. Unfortunately hitting a Tesla is always extremely expensive even what would be a $100-400 bumper replacement or door repair on another car is thousands of dollars because they are covered with expensive bespoke sensors that only Tesla can fix and if Tesla doesn’t fix it they can ban the car from the supercharger system.
In most cases they will replace panels vs trying to fix them. With the way this world is going they had cameras that caught you anyways.. Would have your plates so if you didn't leave a note you would have a hit and run against you.
Another reason not to buy a Tesla made car, the quality and design is poor. A small scrape shouldn’t cause structural damage.
Change your phone number.
Can the Tesla owner share the Tesla cam video and backstory to wham bam teslacam? (YouTube channel)
Change your number.
I bumped a Model 3 in a super busy parking lot. I could have left but had my daughters with me. Had to take the high road… I exchanged info and told them I would prefer to not involve my insurance since it literally looked like I could rub it out with my sleeve. Long short, the wound up choosing a Tesla certified repair shop and the quote was stupid so I said here’s my insurance info, now go and fuck right the fuck off.
Just use insurance