[Brad Sylvester]

I was informed by Tesla Service Manager that in order to repair the damage to my left rear fender that occurred when my wife got into a fender bender accident I have to ship the car to the mainland because there is no certified Tesla repair facility in Hawaii. I am extremely displeased. It seems this detail should have been disclosed before you sold me the car. I don't think I would have bought a car that could not be repaired without shipping it from Hawaii to a repair facility in the continental USA.

 

[Simon Mac]

Sorry to hear that.

Not sure where I'd get mine fixed if it was bumped here in the UK either. Hopefully I won't find out.

Is there an Audi approved body shop you could approach, you'd hope they'd have some experience in fixing A8s and so have the necessary skills with aluminium.

Asking them to apply for Tesla approval, might be quicker.

A quick look at my car the rear fender (we call them wings) does look fairly replaceable (there are distinct shut lines, and it doesn't flow straight into the roof) I haven't dismantled it to be sure..

Of course they may be reluctant due to the safety issues with the high voltage parts around the charge port, but this is really a training issue.

Just throwing some ideas out there.

Please let us know how you get on!

 

[Brad Sylvester]

Tesla insists that the shop be Tesla certified. One shop manager told me that requires an investment of about $40,000, not worth it for the limited number of Tesla's in Hawaii.
Also I posted this comment on the Tesla Forum and they removed it.
Makes you wonder what other negative comments they have removed.

 

[Brad Sylvester]

I was wrong about them removing my comment.
When I checked today it was there.

 

[Robwiz]

Another reason for Tesla owners to wake up in a cold sweat at 3 am. First, battery degradation, now approved body shops! It's tough being an early adopter!

 

[Simon Mac]

Tesla insists that the shop be Tesla certified. One shop manager told me that requires an investment of about $40,000, not worth it for the limited number of Tesla's in Hawaii.
Also I posted this comment on the Tesla Forum and they removed it.
Makes you wonder what other negative comments they have removed.

Brad, as I said, check for other aluminium repair specialists. I can see $40k investment being realistic if they need to buy aluminium welding gear and train up their welding guys to deal with the stuff. It used to be a specialist job.

Now you guys are about to get the new F150 with an all aluminium body I'm sure the investment won't take long to be repaid, it's about to get much more mainstream.

A number of other US TMC owners have approached Audi dealers asking where they'd take an A8 to be repaired, with some success.

Ultimately it's the insurance co, not Tesla that insist where you must take the car, and that body shop will have the responsibility for ensuring adequate repair.

 

[Paul]

Audi and also didn't BMW have a few cars with Alu panels?

 

[Nick]

Audi and also didn't BMW have a few cars with Alu panels?

Some Jaguars are alloy-intensive.

 

[Simon Mac]

Audi and also didn't BMW have a few cars with Alu panels?

I think a fair few manufacturers have gone for aluminium on parts like boot lids, bonnets, etc. (I know Honda did it for the S2000 bonnet, and recent E Class Coupes have Ali rear tailgates, as concrete examples, not sure about BMW but it wouldn't surprise me.)

In those cases though if you damage one of these items you can just unbolt them, and put a new panel on.

Something that needs welding on (like most modern spot welded wings) it's a different kettle of fish, and will need specialist kit. A cursory look at my car would suggest this is how Tesla body panels are fastened on to the car.

Then you get bonded stuff (like the Elise and Tesla Roadster "tub") and it's different again. Generally it's a write off if you damage the tub.

When the new all aluminium F150 hits general sales it's inevitable body shops will have to catch up. The old model sold 885,000 in 2013 alone! Can't see the 2015 car being far behind that number, so there will be plenty to repair!

 

[Brad Sylvester]

I got a call from the Regional Service Manager.
He stated that he and State Farm are working together to fly a Tesla Technician out to work with a local body shop. Might be a short and long range solution.

 

[Simon Mac]

I got a call from the Regional Service Manager.
He stated that he and State Farm are working together to fly a Tesla Technician out to work with a local body shop. Might be a short and long range solution.

Great news!

Bet there was a queue of Tesla technicians volunteering for that assignment