New Buyers Beware / Negative repair process

[y2kcurt]

Last update/Repair complete. Total repair time = 5 months & $15k in repair costs.

Thinking about selling it, scared to death of getting into accident again. Way too much of a hassle, although the car is great, no car is worth this kind of nightmare to repair it.

For reference, reposting original damage.

Thanks for all the comments and support...
Be careful out there!

 

[techmaven]

I wanted to add another story to this thread, about how not all repair processes are bad.


I'm going through a repair now (Door ding).

I called 2 Tesla certified body shops in the area, each 1.5 hours drive from me (nothing nearby).
Shop 1 - 1.5 hours north of me -- "Tesla parts take anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months for delivery."
Shop 2 - 1.5 hours south of me -- "Tesla parts take anywhere from 5 days to 10 days for delivery. In addition, we can pick up your car at the Tesla Service center (next to my job), and drop it back off when the work is complete, so you don't have to travel 1.5 hours each way."

Guess which shop I'm going with .

I am assuming the shop south of you is Dorn's in Mechanicsville. They did a great job on my repair and are doing quite a few coming from northern VA and NC. They are also cheaper - still expensive, but much cheaper than the ones in D.C. apparently. Great guys. Of course, there could be delays and sometimes some parts are harder to come by. But apparently both parts prices have come down and parts availability is now far better.

 

[techmaven]

Last update/Repair complete. Total repair time = 5 months & $15k in repair costs.

Thinking about selling it, scared to death of getting into accident again. Way too much of a hassle, although the car is great, no car is worth this kind of nightmare to repair it.

For reference, reposting original damage.

Thanks for all the comments and support...
Be careful out there!

My repair was for far more damage and done in about 3.5 weeks. Sorry to hear you had such a bad experience. As more Tesla's are on the road, more body shops will invest in the training and equipment and there would be more competition on prices. Hopefully.

 

[hybridbear]

Last update/Repair complete. Total repair time = 5 months & $15k in repair costs.

Thinking about selling it, scared to death of getting into accident again. Way too much of a hassle, although the car is great, no car is worth this kind of nightmare to repair it.

Did Tesla Corp do anything to make up for the hassle? You said that you had been in contact with someone at corporate.

 

[brkaus]

Last update/Repair complete. Total repair time = 5 months & $15k in repair costs.

Thinking about selling it, scared to death of getting into accident again. Way too much of a hassle, although the car is great, no car is worth this kind of nightmare to repair it.

For reference, reposting original damage.

Thanks for all the comments and support...
Be careful out there!

Do you have a list of work actually done and parts replaced?

 

[y2kcurt]

Do you have a list of work actually done and parts replaced?

Yes...I will try to scan an image an upload.

 

[JMG]

Wow, that is awful to read. I posted my story last year when mine was 6 days old and someone backed into me. Put a grapefruit sized dent just below the charging port right on the rear quarter panel crease.

Since it was still driveable, I drove it until the parts came in (rear quarter panel, new trim pieces, etc.). I took it in and it sat in the parking lot of the body shops without being touched for about 10 working days (they forgot to turn off the remote access). When I called them out on it, they finally started working on it. A day or two before the "estimated finish date" they called and said that they had ordered the wrong rear quarter panel....so they placed an "emergency order" with Tesla. That took another 2 weeks.

My timeline for a similar damage:

Parts ordered on May 2nd
Parts arrived on May 27th
Car dropped off on June 1st (was told this was when the Tesla trained tech was free to work on it)
Correct rear quarter panel reordered - June 19th
Correct rear quarter panel received - June 29th
Picked up completed car - July 8th

Man I feel for you, that is awful that it took that long.

 

[3mp_kwh]

I think people make a big deal out of the reality that lots of aluminum parts are used, these days on nicer cars. I think the rear quarters may need adhesive, or heliarc welds, but hatch, hood, doors, front quarters are probably like any other (but for being aluminum).

If I had such misfortune, I'd reach for the TDI that is on deck for VW to pick back up.

 

[LESTER F]

Albuquerque, NM Tesla Certified Body Shop (Car Crafters) Stay away do not use. My 2015 Model S sustained hail damage.
Car was taken there since it was the only Tesla Certified body shop within 250 miles of my home. They did a terrible job repairing the car.
Tesla ranger came to inspect the car after got it back. Tesla arranged to transport in both directionsthe car to Scottsdale ( Rain Tree Auto Body ) which is located next to the Tesla Service center. When Rain Tree was finished with the car it was as good as it was seven months earlier when it was delivered. Recommendation - Do not use Car Crafters in Albuquerque, NM

 

[tinm]

Albuquerque, NM Tesla Certified Body Shop (Car Crafters) Stay away do not use. My 2015 Model S sustained hail damage.
Car was taken there since it was the only Tesla Certified body shop within 250 miles of my home. They did a terrible job repairing the car.
Tesla ranger came to inspect the car after got it back. Tesla arranged to transport in both directionsthe car to Scottsdale ( Rain Tree Auto Body ) which is located next to the Tesla Service center. When Rain Tree was finished with the car it was as good as it was seven months earlier when it was delivered. Recommendation - Do not use Car Crafters in Albuquerque, NM

Interesting. I've used Car Crafters for minor work on my S. They were ok.

Did insursnce pay for your body work? Did they pay for both CarCrafters and Rain Tree? I've long worried about hail damage here in NM.

 

[internalaudit]

No wonder Telsa is fitting the Model S and Y with a lot of cameras for side collision and possibly, rear collision (maybe have the car speed up when there is nothing up ahead), this will save a lot of owners a lot of grief from the horrendous repair wait times.

Are parts like filters, fluids, batteries (and other stuff related to annual servicing) readily available to be bought at the service center or online?

I cannot afford a MS but I am confortable owning a M3 if part/repairs after the warranty period are not going to cost me a lot more than gasoline fuel costs on my ICE's.

 

[bhzmark]

Last update/Repair complete. Total repair time = 5 months & $15k in repair costs.

Thinking about selling it, scared to death of getting into accident again. Way too much of a hassle, although the car is great, no car is worth this kind of nightmare to repair it.

For reference, reposting original damage.

Thanks for all the comments and support...
Be careful out there!

That seems pretty minor. Why not drive the car until the parts come in? Perhaps after any band-aid cosmetic or functional repairs without parts?

 

[Science fan]

First and foremost, I love my model S! Definately the best car ever made. This said, there is at least 1 thing I wish I had know prior to buying, which may have disuaded me (may), which I thought I would share with other new prospective buyers.



Not a record. I believe that I have earned the dubious honor of having the longest repair job - stemming from a crash on September 9, 2016. Another car hit my left front fender, with damage propagating across the front of the car. Best I can figure, the last of the required parts (there were many) did not arrive until year's end, and one key part needed to be ordered in December because the shop was not aware that it had been damaged. It is now February 13, 2017 and the car is still in repair, although I am told that I may have it back later this week. Can't even remember what driving it was like. I believe that the repair shop has been working in good faith and that the repairs are labor intensive. The problem: Tesla has taken far, far too long to deliver the parts to the repair center. The Tesla service manager has been knowledgable, professional, empathic, and pro-active in making sure that I have a loaner (I have put about 12,000 miles on the loaners so far). HOWEVER, the other people I have spoken with at the Tesla service center have been rude and unhelpful - disdainful of my pitiful attempts at trying to figure out when parts will be arriving at the repair shop. Had they behaved more appropriately - humanely - I would not have written this note because I want Tesla to succeed. As someone else has written, I will be afraid to drive my Tesla once I get it back because of this incredibly prolonged, negative experience.

 

[Science fan]

First and foremost, I love my model S! Definately the best car ever made. This said, there is at least 1 thing I wish I had know prior to buying, which may have disuaded me (may), which I thought I would share with other new prospective buyers.

I was rear ended about 2 2/2 months ago. Not much damage, mostly cosmetic. As a result I had to take in for repairs. The process is nowhere near as positive as it is buying a car nor is it even close to the semi crappy experience of getting a traditional internal combustion engine repair; unfortunately much worse.

1- Tesla doesnt perform body repairs so you are reliant on third part repair facilities
2- There are only 2 certified repair facilities in a 60 mile radius (Denver/Boulder)
3- The repair facilities have no inventory of parts and must order from Tesla whenever they do a repair
4- Tesla does not have parts readily available and it can take weeks (in my case at least 5/6 weeks) for a simple quarter panel.
5- Tesla does not provide the certified repair facility with any ETAs so you are left in the dark

Because of only having 2 repair facilities available, it took me 3 weeks just to get an appointment for repairs. The repair facility has had the car for 1 month and no eta on when they will be done. So be warned, even a simple dent on a Tesla could you filling your rental for months...all while you are stuck making monthly payments, watching the car depreciate in value.

There are definitely opportunities for improvement in this area if Tesla wants to compete on a bigger stage (ie Model 3). Lets hope they make some investments.

 

[Science fan]

I believe that I have earned the dubious honor of having the lengthiest repair job - stemming from a crash on September 9, 2016. Another car hit my left front fender, with damage propagating across the front of the car. Best I can figure, the last of the required parts (there were many) did not arrive until year's end, and one key part needed to be ordered in December because the shop was not aware that it had been damaged. It is now February 13, 2017 and the car is still in repair, although I am told that I may have it back later this week. Can't even remember what driving it was like. I believe that the repair shop has been working in good faith and that the repairs are labor intensive. The problem: Tesla has taken far, far too long to deliver the parts to the repair center. The Tesla service manager has been knowledgable, professional, empathic, and pro-active in making sure that I have a loaner (I have put about 12,000 miles on the loaners so far). HOWEVER, the other people I have spoken with at the Tesla service center have been rude and unhelpful - disdainful of my pitiful attempts at trying to figure out when parts will be arriving at the repair shop. Had they behaved more appropriately - humanely - I would not have written this note because I want Tesla to succeed. As someone else has written, I will be afraid to drive my Tesla once I get it back because of this incredibly prolonged, negative experience.

 

[xborg]

I believe that I have earned the dubious honor of having the lengthiest repair job - stemming from a crash on September 9, 2016. Another car hit my left front fender, with damage propagating across the front of the car. Best I can figure, the last of the required parts (there were many) did not arrive until year's end, and one key part needed to be ordered in December because the shop was not aware that it had been damaged. It is now February 13, 2017 and the car is still in repair, although I am told that I may have it back later this week. Can't even remember what driving it was like. I believe that the repair shop has been working in good faith and that the repairs are labor intensive. The problem: Tesla has taken far, far too long to deliver the parts to the repair center. The Tesla service manager has been knowledgable, professional, empathic, and pro-active in making sure that I have a loaner (I have put about 12,000 miles on the loaners so far). HOWEVER, the other people I have spoken with at the Tesla service center have been rude and unhelpful - disdainful of my pitiful attempts at trying to figure out when parts will be arriving at the repair shop. Had they behaved more appropriately - humanely - I would not have written this note because I want Tesla to succeed. As someone else has written, I will be afraid to drive my Tesla once I get it back because of this incredibly prolonged, negative experience.

Very similar to my experience.
+ I did not get a loaner.