Model Y windscreen and roof glass replacement, hail damage repair

[Midnight Man]

Many thanks to anyone who can offer some insight here!

We had a good sized storm roll through this afternoon with some very large hail. Unfortunately, the Model Y was parked in the driveway, and has copped a good amount of damage.

The windscreen needs replacement, and the glass roof has a crack in it, so I'm guessing it too will need replacement.

First question - are these things that will need the car taken back to Tesla, or can they be fixed by any decent windscreen repair place? I'm near Newcastle, and I'm afraid the car will need to be taken to Sydney for repair - it's undriveable as is, and we're a one-car household. Has anyone had either of these replaced and is aware of the cost please?

The other aspect is that the bonnet, front bumper, quarter panel (one side), back quarter panel, 2 doors and trunk lid all have a good number of hail dents in them. Of course, that doesn't make the car undriveable, but is that something only Tesla can fix, or are there other panel shops that can handle this?

Is it worth privately looking into paintless dent repair options? I am considering what effect this will have on future insurance premiums with a claim on my record - I haven't claimed on motor vehicle insurance since 1988, and therefore have no idea what effect this claim will have on me - any thoughts here would also be appreciated before I proceed with any claim (I do have NRMA Comprehensive Plus insurance)

Many thanks if anyone has experience here and can offer some input!

 

[Hairyman]

There is a Tesla approved repairer at Warners Bay, they may be able to give you some help.

Williams Body Works

Williams BodyWorks Smash Repairs have been a leader in repairing vehicles in Lake Macquarie, Newcastle and the Hunter area for over 40 years.

www.williamsbodyworkssmashrepairs.com.au

 

[meloccom]

My brother in law had his nearly new Mazda 6 hail damaged a couple of years ago. Initially they replaced the windscreen and one or two other windows to get the car drivable. Later the car was written off and he now has a new Mazda 6.
That is the most likely scenario if your car is badly hail damaged. the bonnet, front guards doors and boot lid can all be replaced but what will determine if your car is repairable is the amount of damage on the non removable parts , in particular things like the A, B and C pillar.
Contact your insurance company as soon as possible before the local repairers become swamped or you may see your car moved to a distant repairer as the insurance companies try to spread the load.

 

[Jules22]

Yep I had a Mazda in the same situation a few years back. Just over a year old and had hail damage to almost every panel, no glass damage though.

Was written off and replaced under new for old. Did not affect my premiums.

 

[Midnight Man]

Thank you folks for the input, it's appreciated!

I've done some chewing over this situation overnight, and will proceed with getting the windscreen fixed initially - at least that gives us a driveable car, and I'll have a chat to the insurer today to see what they suggest going forward.

If possible (and if I can fond out), I will try and post cost information here for future knowledge.

 

[Nevyn72]

I'd have a chat to your Insurance company first before doing anything.

2 Important insurance questions;
- do you have glass cover?
- Is a hire car included?

Anecdotal evidence suggests that genuine Tesla windscreens are superior to aftermarket.

If a hire car is included in your policy then the insurance company should provide it immediately while your car is being assessed.

You don't want go out and pay for a windscreen if you don't have to!

 

[Midnight Man]

2 Important insurance questions;
- do you have glass cover?
- Is a hire car included?

Yes and yes on both questions, and many thanks for the thoughts and input - I had no idea there were after market windscreens!

Waiting on a call back from the windscreen place (arranged by insurer) now.

 

[Midnight Man]

Follow-on quick question for anyone who might know - is it safe to drive a Model Y with a crack in the glass roof (over the passenger seat)?

 

[Quickst]

is it safe to drive a Model Y with a crack in the glass roof (over the passenger seat)?

Yes it is, It is laminated and not part of the windscreen.

 

[Midnight Man]

Yes it is, It is laminated and not part of the windscreen.

Thank you!

 

[DerbyCityY]

Tesla replaced my Model Y glass roof for $1,600 and only took about 4 hours.

 

[Midnight Man]

Early information here, but given we're outside of Sydney, and the vehicle will need to be towed to any repair place, we found one place here that can install them, but cannot buy genuine windscreens directly.

So, we have arranged a service request in the app - the cost estimate is $2060.37, and you then need to accept a booking (even though it's not actually required in this case) to progress the purchase.

We're waiting now to hear back from Tesla after this is reviewed and enters the service queue to make shipping arrangements etc.

 

[Maximillan]

I had my MY glass roof repaired last year by Tesla, AUD$2400 or thereabouts. I drove it for a while before noticing the crack in the glass, Tesla Chatswood needed it for the day to do the job. Based on the tools that they left in the car after I picked it up it's a specialised job, I wouldn't trust anyone but Tesla to do it it.

 

[Midnight Man]

I had my MY glass roof repaired last year by Tesla, AUD$2400 or thereabouts. I drove it for a while before noticing the crack in the glass, Tesla Chatswood needed it for the day to do the job. Based on the tools that they left in the car after I picked it up it's a specialised job, I wouldn't trust anyone but Tesla to do it it.

Thank you for that info.

I have no real choice but to get the windscreen done locally, but we are ordering a genuine Tesla windscreen and having it shipped up here.

I plan on then getting the car booked in for roof replacement at Tesla themselves, exactly as you suggest (a gut feeling told me that it would be best to have Tesla themselves do this, so your confirmation on that front gives me great comfort, thank you).

From there it will be a case of getting the dents out...

 

[Quickst]

there it will be a case of getting the dents out..

Sorry to see

Didn't the Autopilot automatically dodge the hailstones (as per the YouTube channels with videos purporting that Teslas automatically avoid being hit by other cars)

 

[Midnight Man]

Sorry to see

Didn't the Autopilot automatically dodge the hailstones (as per the YouTube channels with videos purporting that Teslas automatically avoid being hit by other cars)

LOL

No, it wasn't quick enough! In all honesty, I have seen hail before, but in all my years, I have never seen anything like this - and I hope to never see anything like it again to be honest. I don't scare easily, but this was somewhat scary - I was simply glad that everyone in the family was inside at the time, and safe. We've copped some damage, but everyone is well, healthy, and the house has actually suffered nearly no damage (couple of solar panels and roof tiles, and a sunroom roof copped a fair bit of damage, all non-critical stuff).

 

[evbee]

LOL

No, it wasn't quick enough! In all honesty, I have seen hail before, but in all my years, I have never seen anything like this - and I hope to never see anything like it again to be honest. I don't scare easily, but this was somewhat scary - I was simply glad that everyone in the family was inside at the time, and safe. We've copped some damage, but everyone is well, healthy, and the house has actually suffered nearly no damage (couple of solar panels and roof tiles, and a sunroom roof copped a fair bit of damage, all non-critical stuff).

Or of curiosity, how big were the hail? Golf ball size?

 

[Nevyn72]

From there it will be a case of getting the dents out...

Has the insurance company actually done an assessment yet?

From that one picture I would have thought it was a boderline write-off...

 

[Futuretech]

Just wondering if you need to pay an excess at all and does it affect your no claim bonus? Which insurer are you with?

 

[Midnight Man]

To answer questions above:

The hail was near cricket ball sized.

The insurance company has not done an assessment, they didn't want to send someone out, though I did suggest that. I suspect because the vehicle is only 3 months old, they are probably not willing to write it off. I know you all haven't seen the rest of the car, but if you were to repair this, you would at worst replace hood, and 2 x quarter panels. An indication of cost on a new hood is here: Hood Damage The rest I would think could be handled by paintless dent repair (there are only a few other impact sites along rear boot and left side doors/back quarter panel - and they are nowhere near as bad as the hood).

In terms of excess, for the hail damage, yes, there is an excess for me to pay. I have no claim bonus protection on the policy.

One thing I will categorically say at this point - I had read about choice of repairer and many suggestions on the Internet that this option isn't worth it because the car has to go to a Tesla approved repair centre etc. This is proving to be questionable, as the amount of to-and-fro and fiddling around is hardly worth the small extra price to pay for this option. As an example, I am now dealing with the third windscreen replacement place (that I had to find) because the first two options from the insurance company each took a whole day to advise "Sorry, we can't do Tesla". This includes some very large names. Had I had choice of repairer, I would have shipped the Tesla off to a repair centre relatively near here, instead of it still sitting in the driveway under a tarpaulin...