Need Advice on allstate declaring my bumper/panel damage totaled!

[vcor]

Sorry to hear of the damage. The reason the repair is costly is that the rear fender needs to be replaced. It is cut out and a new one is installed which is a fair amount of labor. The bumper replacement is relatively cheap (maybe $1-2K). There is very likely some not-so-important structural damage under the bumper, so I have no idea how much work that will take to fix. It's hard to tell from the one photo if the rear hatch is also damaged - which is quite expensive - usually requiring new glass too (it often breaks in attempts to remove it). Lastly, all the new parts will need to be painted. That estimate of $20K+ seems reasonable to me (well, reasonable for what shops charge for this much damage). I hope you come out whole in the end.

 

[wrysys]

Thanks for the responses, but the 4K was sent after a 2 min video inspection from Allstate. Then they called me to say it's totalled after I took it to the body shop and the shop estimated 20K.

My perspective is that the car drives, the trunk opens, and there are no defects apart from the cosmetics. it's old, so the market value is around $20K and I won't be able to find a similar Tesla with FUSC. Many of these early S's are still going strong with 200,000+ miles, if I"m not mistaken. I don't feel like buying a new Tesla, because I think the build quality has dropped and I don't feel like giving them more money.

 

[brainhouston]

what production month is ur 90d? if its AP1 then those are easier to find with FUSC but AP2+ from Oct 2016 are unicorns

 

[brkaus]

Definitely not worth $20k with that damage.

 

[cbdream99]

My 90 was hit while parked. The guy left a note but his Allstate insurance says the estimate from my shop (Brooks motors in nor cal) of 20k means it is totalled. See my pics. It is ugly but it still drives and charges and trunk opens. And most of all it has FUSP. So the Allstate guy says he will send an estimate of what he thinks the car is worth. At most they have offered is 4k. I have amica insurance but havent moved on a claim with them thinking going 3rd party with Allstate would take care of it. Guess i was naive. So should i find another shop who can give a lower estimate? Dont know of any such place and brooks did a great job on a prior accident my wife had. Just file a claim with my insurance? Advice appreciated. My 90 has been working like a champ and dont want to give it up, but i guess its age is starting to be an issue and this could be more than 20k according to the shopView attachment 1020589

Do you have the actual quote ? Last August/Sep, I replaced my rear quarter panel, rear door, rocker panel, repainted everything include the front driver door. Total is 11K with Tesla insurance at Tesla Collision Center, without it should be around 14-15k, I don't have any inside damage though.

 

[Skavatar]

the question is, can you even find a similar vehicle for that "fair market value"

 

[wrysys]

that's my point, there's no equivalent vehicle. Does anyone know the rate of HV battery failure ? Is it related to total miles/battery cycles? my 90d has 146K miles. It'd love to see data on it. I guess I thought this car would keep running for another 10 years, but I've thought more about trying to transfer the FUSC to a new Tesla because the warranty on the HV battery and drive train expires in September. But it's run so well (and still does) that I have a hard time getting rid of it.

 

[brkaus]

Yup. That’s the question. I have a 2017 S100D that I feel the same way about. It happens to have a smaller dent in the rear quarter that I’ve lived with for 3 years now. (Parking lot bump).

The fusc/FSD transfer is about to push me over the edge to get a new warranty. But honestly, I’ve only supercharged <10 times in 98k miles.

Decisions…

 

[TLLMRRJ]

that's my point, there's no equivalent vehicle. Does anyone know the rate of HV battery failure ? Is it related to total miles/battery cycles? my 90d has 146K miles. It'd love to see data on it. I guess I thought this car would keep running for another 10 years, but I've thought more about trying to transfer the FUSC to a new Tesla because the warranty on the HV battery and drive train expires in September. But it's run so well (and still does) that I have a hard time getting rid of it.

That data is being kept pretty darn secret. But you can look at the actions of people that have the data. Almost all manufacturers won't warranty past 8 years. There might be a couple that will do 10 years. I don't know of any that have unlimited mileage anymore. Tesla dropped that for a reason that should tell you something. As an insurance company, you can bet Xcare ran the numbers over and over before creating their extended battery warranties, and they won't go past 12-14 years and 175K miles for a reason.

I'd pay attention to the actions of the manufacturers and insurance companies before listening to anyone's claims on battery life. There's definitely more to it than just charge cycles and mileage. There's also a very obvious time factor.

 

[dmurphy]

I would not involve your own insurance because even if it’s not an at fault claim they can still increase your rates.

This is, IMO, not great advice. Your own insurance company has much more experience and many more lawyers than you do …. Let them go to work on your behalf. If you’re not at fault, they’ll recover your deductible for you as well.

I prefer to have the army of lawyers go to town for me and subrogate the other party’s insurance.

In this case, it can’t hurt because the other party is lowballing on value.

 

[XCare EV]

That data is being kept pretty darn secret. But you can look at the actions of people that have the data. Almost all manufacturers won't warranty past 8 years. There might be a couple that will do 10 years. I don't know of any that have unlimited mileage anymore. Tesla dropped that for a reason that should tell you something. As an insurance company, you can bet Xcare ran the numbers over and over before creating their extended battery warranties, and they won't go past 12-14 years and 175K miles for a reason.

I'd pay attention to the actions of the manufacturers and insurance companies before listening to anyone's claims on battery life. There's definitely more to it than just charge cycles and mileage. There's also a very obvious time factor.

Good morning! Most manufacturers warrantee their vehicles/systems/powertrains with a view toward their engineered lifespan, so you're correct that these numbers are good guideposts to consider.

Just a quick note of clarification for the thread. XCare will warranty the HV Battery and Drive Units in our Battery & Drive Unit coverage up to 250,000 total vehicle miles, but our XCare Premium coverage is capped at 175k total vehicle miles. Have a great day! -Team XCare

 

[Yelobird]

This is, IMO, not great advice. Your own insurance company has much more experience and many more lawyers than you do …. Let them go to work on your behalf. If you’re not at fault, they’ll recover your deductible for you as well.

I prefer to have the army of lawyers go to town for me and subrogate the other party’s insurance.

In this case, it can’t hurt because the other party is lowballing on value.

I agree. If anything they will fight to make sure They don’t have to pay any part of the claim. Furthermore it would not be hard to gather a dozen similar comparable car sales to negotiate a higher value estimate.

 

[cbdream99]

I suggest getting another quote or may be from Tesla collision center, 20K+ seems high based on my experience, but if AllState thinks your car only worth 4k, it doesn't matter where you get the quote, it definitely cost more than that to fix it, seems like they super low ball the worth of the car to avoid paying the repair. Amica is excellent in handling claim, you should let them fight the battle for you.

 

[Yelobird]

As is typical with posts like this Detail and info would go a long way in providing suggestions and input. Pictures of the Entire car as they received would explain a bit more. Reviewing single picture you provided it Appears the paint was trashed and looking at the 1/4 tire rim image she looks very abused. Many seem to be imagining this as a beautiful higher mile car. Questionable but just an opinion. Get some comparables and sick your insurance company on them. That’s what you Paid them to do all these years.

 

[wrysys]

More info today. So the 4k I received was not the ACV, that was some kind of down payment for repair after they did their video estimate. Not sure what they call it. The rep called the ACV 16K, premashup. KBB estimated around 20K as a rough guide. I am new to all this, and the Allstate rep says that they are calling it a total loss, and that when this occurs, it's not reversible. This threw me. I had thought I could drop the claim, but apparently I cannot, according to them. Is this true?? Seems like they want me to hand the car over. Now I see why people bring lawyers into these petty crashes. I'm not interested in spending more time on this. To me, the best option is to get the FUSC transferred and take delivery of a new tesla before my still operating car shows up as "salvage." I appreciate the points made earlier on the lifespan of the HV battery, which makes me think a new Tesla makes more sense with my warranty expiring in a few months. What's the fastest method of getting a new tesla, aside from picking one under "inventory" at tesla.com?

 

[sorka]

More info today. So the 4k I received was not the ACV, that was some kind of down payment for repair after they did their video estimate. Not sure what they call it. The rep called the ACV 16K, premashup. KBB estimated around 20K as a rough guide. I am new to all this, and the Allstate rep says that they are calling it a total loss, and that when this occurs, it's not reversible. This threw me. I had thought I could drop the claim, but apparently I cannot, according to them. Is this true?? Seems like they want me to hand the car over. Now I see why people bring lawyers into these petty crashes. I'm not interested in spending more time on this. To me, the best option is to get the FUSC transferred and take delivery of a new tesla before my still operating car shows up as "salvage." I appreciate the points made earlier on the lifespan of the HV battery, which makes me think a new Tesla makes more sense with my warranty expiring in a few months. What's the fastest method of getting a new tesla, aside from picking one under "inventory" at tesla.com?

Buying a 2023 in inventory ASAP is your best bet. However, currently the total estimated cost of repairs doesn't exceed the value. You're in California, so they must value the car based on what it would cost to replace it with a similar vehicle with FUSC.

I'd go ahead and buy an inventory vehicle now and get the transfer done ASAP. Don't wait for a payout. On a separate track, be prepared to fight with your insurance company on the value by presenting them with comps and if necessary get third party appraisals. If they still don't pony up, it's time to file a complaint with the state regulators, demand arbitration, or just sue them with your own retained legal firm.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

More info today. So the 4k I received was not the ACV, that was some kind of down payment for repair after they did their video estimate. Not sure what they call it. The rep called the ACV 16K, premashup. KBB estimated around 20K as a rough guide. I am new to all this, and the Allstate rep says that they are calling it a total loss, and that when this occurs, it's not reversible. This threw me. I had thought I could drop the claim, but apparently I cannot, according to them. Is this true?? Seems like they want me to hand the car over. Now I see why people bring lawyers into these petty crashes. I'm not interested in spending more time on this. To me, the best option is to get the FUSC transferred and take delivery of a new tesla before my still operating car shows up as "salvage." I appreciate the points made earlier on the lifespan of the HV battery, which makes me think a new Tesla makes more sense with my warranty expiring in a few months. What's the fastest method of getting a new tesla, aside from picking one under "inventory" at tesla.com?

They are pushing you around. Go through your own insurance already, to protect your rights. Don’t let Allstate touch the car.

 

[E90alex]

What's the fastest method of getting a new tesla, aside from picking one under "inventory" at tesla.com?

That’s the only way to get a car quick. A custom order will take weeks or months. Which I don’t know how long you have before insurance takes the car.

 

[sorka]

They are pushing you around. Go through your own insurance already, to protect your rights. Don’t let Allstate touch the car.

I missed that. Allstate isn't the OPs insurer as well? If that's the case, tell them to take a hike and file a claim with your own insurance company. In California, it's never a good idea to deal directly with the other parties insurance company unless you don't have your own insurance and the other party is at fault. If it's YOUR fault, then dealing with the other party to avoid an at fault claim on your own insurance is a fine thing to do.

 

[dmurphy]

They are pushing you around. Go through your own insurance already, to protect your rights. Don’t let Allstate touch the car.

Exactly right. Stop the nonsense, call your own carrier and let them work the claim.

You’ll have to lay out your deductible but they can subrogate that back from Allstate.

Allstate couldn’t care less about you as you’re not their customer. Their only concern is paying as little as possible and getting you to go away.

Your carrier is protecting their interest and since they will be subrogating Allstate, they have no incentive to squeeze your payment down.

Let their lawyers work for you — it’s part of what you pay them for.