My tesla has a little dent

Doesn’t everyone dream of having a super fast sports car that has a ludicrous mode, that is environmentally friendly, can sorta drive itself when you are napping and is pretty to look at. Why yes, yes, not a good idea and yes! Along comes Tesla and it promises all of these amazing things and more, but it also comes with a hidden cost, the cost to repair it after a car accident and the cost to insure any vehicle Tesla makes.
Is insurance on a Tesla really that different from any other car? Let’s take an example that I happen to witness one day. I’m working out at the gym on the elliptical machine, minding my own business. Working hard and not really going anywhere. A nice black Tesla model S rolls out of the parking lot. They go to take a left where you can only take a right. They drive that fancy car into the concrete street divider. The driver gets out, nods his head, puts his hands on top of his head, walks back and forth. From what I can see, he looks like a pretty young kid and is rightfully upset. The front bumper is damaged and the car can not be driven. The poor kids is obviously upset. The first thing that came to my mind was that it is going to be pretty annoying trying to get that car fixed.
So, now what happens? Well, hopefully it isn’t his dad’s car because that wouldn’t be fun to explain to him. After the tow truck comes to get your sad banged up car it gets towed to a repair shop. You call your insurance company and let them know you had a “momentary lapse” in good judgement. Most companies have pre-approved repair shops they can recommend. But, finding a shop to fix your Tesla might be a little more difficult.
In case you haven't heard, Tesla’s are a real pain to fix. First, you have the electric power system and any body shop that is going to fix your car is going to want to power it down so that no one gets electrocuted working on it. In some cases to get to the power system it requires removal of the back seat. More labor more cost. Secondly, a lot of the Tesla is aluminum. Aluminum requires specialized equipment to repair and not all shops are set up to do that work. Next there are the parts. I’ve heard of some cases where it can take six months to get a specific part. Tesla has been working to remedy this and I hear that it has gotten easier to get parts but you can still expect delays. The paint is another complex thing. A lot of high end cars use complex paint methods to give their cars a special shine. Different colors have different paint schemes. A few colors require three different coats of paint. More coats, more time more money. Additionally, there aren’t that many approved repair shops. Tesla is still a relatively new company and it takes time to certify mechanics and body shops. Sensors sensor sensors. All those sensors that keep your car in lane or let it drive along with traffic are built into different areas of the car.
Let’s imagine we need to repair this kids car that hit a concrete street divider. On a regular car it’s a couple of clips and screws and off comes the bumper. You order a new bumper, paint it, pop it on and off you go. On a Tesla it takes time to safely remove the sensors and reconnect them when it is put back on the vehicle. And then we need to get a part from Tesla. Or maybe we need several parts including new clips, new sensors and a new bumper. All of these things take time and time is more money. So, you put all of these things together just understand repairing a Tesla can be a very expensive proposition. If you are wondering why it costs so much to insured a Tesla no matter the model now you have a better idea.
Hopefully everything went smoothly to get this kids car repaired. But, I’m willing to bet it took a lot longer than expected and he most likely had to come out of pocket more than he expected.
One other thing to consider is your rental car coverage. Most policies offer 30 days of rental car coverage up to your policy limits. When that is used up you are on your own paying. Additionally, different companies charge different rates for car insurance. Those rates can be based off the driver and also the car you are trying to insure. It is best to shop your rate around with several companies to see who charges the least. Or, you can call us and we will shop it for you with all of our companies. 951-395-0754 www.socalinsured.com