How much does it cost to fix a broken Tesla?
At this point, we are nearly two months into the saga of repairing our crunched Tesla Model 3. One of our newest long-term arrivals suffered a minor fender bender in mid-April, and has yet to actually be repaired. In this video, Tommy and Roman give an update on how timely — and expensive — the situation has become over the past seven weeks.
When Tommy took the Tesla in for an original estimate back in April, the damage was approximated at just over $6,000. That is already a sizable chunk of change for a minor accident. Even knowing Teslas are expensive to fix going in, that number can still come as a shock. Fortunately, the insurance deductible should take most of the sting out of the repair bill.
Ah, but that was before the wait began. Since that April estimate, we and the repair shop have been waiting for parts to come in. Even worse than the wait was the realization that this may get even more expensive once the collision repair shop started digging in. And it did get more expensive. As technicians starting pulling the damaged pieces off the car, they discovered hidden damage that necessitated more parts than what was in the original estimate.
From the rear bumper to the trunk lid, quarter panel and light assemblies, the parts alone amount to $4,509.01. Factor in paint and labor, and the cost balloons all the way to $10,369.36. Thanks to a new round of parts, it’s also unclear exactly when our Tesla will actually be repaired.
Headaches and broken glass
Another headache in our saga is the matter of broken glass. Apparently, fixing this damage required technicians to remove both the front and rear glass pieces. In the process, they ended up breaking both pieces, adding over $1,000 to the repair bill. Some of you have commented in the video that neither we nor insurance should be responsible to pay for the broken glass. According to the repair shop, the glass breaks “about 50 percent of the time.”
Whether or not insurance does ultimately end up paying for it, we will provide more Tesla Model 3 repair updates down the line. Stay tuned to TFLcar.com for more coming soon!
If you missed the last Thrifty 3 video, check it out below:
