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If anybody wants to know what a new rear bumper costs...

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Backstory: on Friday afternoon I was giving a buddy a ride to his house. He had never ridden in a Tesla before so was asking lots of questions. So I was talking to him while parallel parking in front of his house, and in the distraction I didn't hear the parking sensors nor did I notice the old-style Jeep behind me. I backed right into it. :cursing:

Damaged the plastic rear bumper pretty good (attached below - zero damage to the Jeep of course). A new one from Tesla costs $850, unpainted. OK. About $105 for the paint materials and associated stuff brings it to $955. OK. 9.7 hours of labor at the only Tesla-certified body shop in San Diego: plus $1280. :scared:

So...$2300 (including tax) for about 2 seconds of distraction. Guess I know where I'll be spending that $2500 CARB rebate I'm getting next month.

There are very few times when I feel like a total idiot. Friday afternoon was one of those times. :redface:

black eye.JPG
 
I have been quoted $500 to repair a plastic bumper on my Cadillac STS. It has much worse damage than the dent on your MS. They repair the bumper rather than replace it. The guys he employs get paid for their work rather than spending a lot of money just for the part. A Win-Win. See if you can find a body shop that actually repairs rather than replaces parts.
 
A few days ago I got my renewal from Gieco for the next 6 months starting in September. The premium went up by $100 for a 6 month period (thus, $200 for a year). I called to ask why, as I have had no tickets or accidents to effect my rate. I was informed that it was a statewide rate increase because the number of Tesla's involved in accidents in the State had dramatically increased.

I am concerned that these very high repair costs are going to drive up insurance rates to the point that people will be afraid to buy the car. Please don't tell me the rates are high because it is an aluminum car. For structural repairs that is valid. For simply slapping on a whole new aluminum body panel or plastic panel, that is not a valid argument. The bumper cover above is plastic and can be replaced/repaired by any competent shop. Some of the horror stories I have read makes me conclude that many of the Tesla authorized body shops are taking advantage of usTesla owners.
 
A few days ago I got my renewal from Gieco for the next 6 months starting in September. The premium went up by $100 for a 6 month period (thus, $200 for a year). I called to ask why, as I have had no tickets or accidents to effect my rate. I was informed that it was a statewide rate increase because the number of Tesla's involved in accidents in the State had dramatically increased.

I am concerned that these very high repair costs are going to drive up insurance rates to the point that people will be afraid to buy the car. Please don't tell me the rates are high because it is an aluminum car. For structural repairs that is valid. For simply slapping on a whole new aluminum body panel or plastic panel, that is not a valid argument. The bumper cover above is plastic and can be replaced/repaired by any competent shop. Some of the horror stories I have read makes me conclude that many of the Tesla authorized body shops are taking advantage of usTesla owners.
$955 for a whole new bumper and associated paint from Tesla seems reasonable to me. The $132/hour labor is a killer.
 
The fender covers used to be about $800, somewhat higher than most other cars, but not excessive. I agree that the labor rate is excessive. I checked, and the two Tesla authorized body shops in MD have a labor rate for painting (non-structural repairs) of less than $50/hr.
 
I was informed that it was a statewide rate increase because the number of Tesla's involved in accidents in the State had dramatically increased.
That's sort of a silly answer from the insurance company since the number of Teslas on the road has increased dramatically. I can guarantee the number of accidents involving 2015 Camrys will skyrocket next year compared to this year!

If they'd said the accident rate was higher than expected, that'd be different.
 
And you had the sensors :eek: (says a bitter early VIN owner that never had the option :) )

I've had a lot worse that that (at least what's apparent from the photo) repaired, although honestly, I would probably go with a replacement for something like this, just because it's only a few months old, so you want it to be 'perfect'. Or at least, I would.
 
brianman, the state is MD. I believe what Gieco told me for the following reasons: I stopped at EuroPro and spoke with the owner. EuroPro specializes in Porsches, Teslas, Lexus, among other cars. The owner told me that percentage wise, based on the number of cars on the road in this area, he is seeing way more Teslas for body work than the other cars he repairs. He also told me that some of the cars have been in for multiple accidents, with two cars being in four accidents. These cars have not been on the road that long. I also spoke to Jonathan at the Rockville SC about this, and he indicated that Tesla drivers seem to be poorer drivers than drivers of other performance cars. Speculation is that the typical Tesla driver is not accustomed to such a powerful car. In this regard, he told me that one customer had a day old car that he let his son pull out of the driveway. The car lurched and crashed into a wall causing about $30K worth of damage.

Its not that the car is not safe (it is extremely safe). It appears that the typical driver is ill prepared to drive the car (just like some people are not "qualified" to drive the barely street legal Porsche (can't remember the model number at the moment)).
 
Although some accidents might be due to performance, I would think many are just due to the physical size of the MS. It's a large, wide vehicle that many people might not be used to driving. It also doesn't have the best rear visability. Even with the backup camera and tilting mirrors, it is difficult to judge where the back end and rear sides of the car are at.
 
That is very interesting, I also have Geico in MD for my S, and have for almost the past 2 years. My renewal notice came the other day, and the premium hasn't changed at all.

Peter

brianman, the state is MD. I believe what Gieco told me for the following reasons: I stopped at EuroPro and spoke with the owner. EuroPro specializes in Porsches, Teslas, Lexus, among other cars. The owner told me that percentage wise, based on the number of cars on the road in this area, he is seeing way more Teslas for body work than the other cars he repairs. He also told me that some of the cars have been in for multiple accidents, with two cars being in four accidents. These cars have not been on the road that long. I also spoke to Jonathan at the Rockville SC about this, and he indicated that Tesla drivers seem to be poorer drivers than drivers of other performance cars. Speculation is that the typical Tesla driver is not accustomed to such a powerful car. In this regard, he told me that one customer had a day old car that he let his son pull out of the driveway. The car lurched and crashed into a wall causing about $30K worth of damage.

Its not that the car is not safe (it is extremely safe). It appears that the typical driver is ill prepared to drive the car (just like some people are not "qualified" to drive the barely street legal Porsche (can't remember the model number at the moment)).
 
And you had the sensors :eek: (says a bitter early VIN owner that never had the option :) )

I've had a lot worse that that (at least what's apparent from the photo) repaired, although honestly, I would probably go with a replacement for something like this, just because it's only a few months old, so you want it to be 'perfect'. Or at least, I would.
Yeah, I just flat out didn't hear the sensors because I was talking at the time. It really was an all-around epic FAIL on my part.
 
Although some accidents might be due to performance, I would think many are just due to the physical size of the MS. It's a large, wide vehicle that many people might not be used to driving. It also doesn't have the best rear visability. Even with the backup camera and tilting mirrors, it is difficult to judge where the back end and rear sides of the car are at.
Indeed. I suspect it's a lot of little things. More power than a lot of buyers are expecting and that power hits instantly so there's no grace when you screw up. It's a big car as well, which was a huge change for me and why I've curbed my rims so badly. It's also very low to the ground compared to a lot of sedans.

Plus, the touch screen can be really distracting initially until you get the muscle memory on where the buttons are. Early on I caught myself looking at it for far too long trying to figure out where to change a radio station or find a track on my USB stick. Learning the layout happens with any new car, but we're all so familiar with the standard push buttons for preprogrammed stations/tracks it's a tiny learning curve, whereas the S takes a little bit to learn the GUI. It's not a problem now, but that unfamiliarity right as you're also getting used to all the other aspects can be multiply into a problem.

More on topic, I had someone tap my rear bumper and got it repaired and painted (not replaced). $900.
 
bluetinc, where are you located? I'm I'm Potomac.

I have 2 cars on the policy; a 2013 Tesla and a 2013 Avalon Hybrid. No tickets, no accidents. Wife and I each driving for 40+ years. Policy is $711/6 mo. for $300K/$500K bodily injury liability, $100K for property damage liability, $300K/$500K for uninsured motorist bodily injury, $100K uninsured motorist property damage, comprehensive with $250 deductible and collision with $500 deductible. I have a separate umbrella policy that gives me additional protection.