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Forget the batteries look at the cost of replacing aluminum quarter panel which is welded on. For the Model S it's supposedly $15,000+ just for the part then fi

Forget the batteries look at the cost of replacing aluminum quarter panel which is welded on. For the Model S it's supposedly $15,000+ just for the part then fixed at a Tesla approved bodyshop. That's nuts! I did the math and for comparison on a $3 million Enzo Ferrari a hood (couldn't find a quarter panel) unpainted and used is about $10,000. http://www.ferrparts.com/en/usd/diagrams/front-hood-and-opening-device-23f01bca-50c3-48e2-ae63-e4ebfc5a08db http://www.ferrparts.com/en/usd/diagrams/front-hood-and-open... I like electric but I can't own a car that will cost so much to repair. A $15,000 bill not including labor on a $70,000 vehicle 20% of the total vehicle cost is not worth it.

greglindahl 10y ago
I'm not sure what this complaint has to do with electric cars in general -- sure, expensive cars are expensive. Your Tesla number is definitely incorrect; I rear-ended someone in traffic and fixing the front-end was $10k of parts and $10k of labor. Not a surprising amount given what the car costs. I suspect a Chevy Bolt will cost about the same to repair as other Chevy cars with a similar price.
- toomuchtodo 10y ago
  > I rear-ended someone in traffic Emergency braking safety system didn't kick in?
  - greglindahl 10y ago
    I have an early car, without the necessary sensors.
    - deleted 10y ago
      [deleted]
    - StavrosK 10y ago
      Not to mention that even my 2014 Mercedes A class doesn't have that, for some reason.
qaq 10y ago
And we are comparing new part with totally unrelated used part because it's more fun? Would also be nice to have a source for Tesla part price.
ebbv 10y ago
You're talking about a $60k+ (realistically probably more like $80k) vehicle. Aluminum body panels for luxury cars in that class have long been similarly priced. If you bought an all aluminum Audi A8 in 1999 for a similar price, you'd be in a similar situation. If you balk at that kind of repair bill, you shouldn't be considering a car in that price range. Your comparison of the used Ferrari hood is hardly applicable at all. First it's a used part, second it's a carbon fiber part, not aluminum. Additionally, why would you expect to pay the price for the part yourself? That's what insurance is for. In reality, Tesla is doing you a favor by making their body panels so expensive because that means it's easier for your car to get declared a total write off in an accident and you can get a new car instead of a busted up repaired car that will never be the same (as anyone who's had a car repaired from a major accident can tell you.) Lastly, I'd imagine the cost of Tesla body parts has a lot to do with the fact that they are in extremely high demand right now because there's still a waiting list. Any body panel Tesla sells you can't be used to build a car.
- votingprawn 10y ago
  > In reality, Tesla is doing you a favor by making their body panels so expensive because that means it's easier for your car to get declared a total write off in an accident and you can get a new car I think the chance of getting new value for your totalled car is pretty slim, unless it was written off in the first year or you're paying extra for GAP insurance. My car got written off by an insurance company last year after someone drove into me. I ended up taking a settlement and getting the car fixed myself, there was no way their write off settlement would by me anything like the car I was about to lose. I also hate "throwing away" something mechanically sound over a few body panels, some panel beating, and some paint. And it is certainly not the 'green' choice either!
  - ebbv 10y ago
    If your car gets hit to the point where you have to replace body panels it's not as mechanically sound any more as you might think. Only weird, edge case accidents can result in a body panel being destroyed to the point of replacement where the actual structure of the car hasn't been bent or warped in ways that will permanently alter the handling and behavior of the car. As for being green; when you write off a car it's not like it just gets buried in the ground whole. It gets parted out and the parts all get sold. It's actually quite green. :P Your insurance will give you replacement value for the car that was destroyed. No that's not original MSRP but it's what the destroyed car is worth. If you're really intent on repairing it, you usually use that money to buy the written off car from whoever the insurance company ends up selling it to (usually whatever mechanic or storage place the totaled vehicle is physically located) and then pay to have it repaired. If the total of that procedure is higher than what the insurance company gave you, then it's a bad idea to do that. :)

greglindahl 10y ago

I'm not sure what this complaint has to do with electric cars in general -- sure, expensive cars are expensive. Your Tesla number is definitely incorrect; I rear-ended someone in traffic and fixing the front-end was $10k of parts and $10k of labor. Not a surprising amount given what the car costs. I suspect a Chevy Bolt will cost about the same to repair as other Chevy cars with a similar price.

toomuchtodo 10y ago
> I rear-ended someone in traffic Emergency braking safety system didn't kick in?
- greglindahl 10y ago
  I have an early car, without the necessary sensors.
  - deleted 10y ago
    [deleted]
  - StavrosK 10y ago
    Not to mention that even my 2014 Mercedes A class doesn't have that, for some reason.

qaq 10y ago

And we are comparing new part with totally unrelated used part because it's more fun? Would also be nice to have a source for Tesla part price.

ebbv 10y ago

You're talking about a $60k+ (realistically probably more like $80k) vehicle. Aluminum body panels for luxury cars in that class have long been similarly priced. If you bought an all aluminum Audi A8 in 1999 for a similar price, you'd be in a similar situation. If you balk at that kind of repair bill, you shouldn't be considering a car in that price range. Your comparison of the used Ferrari hood is hardly applicable at all. First it's a used part, second it's a carbon fiber part, not aluminum. Additionally, why would you expect to pay the price for the part yourself? That's what insurance is for. In reality, Tesla is doing you a favor by making their body panels so expensive because that means it's easier for your car to get declared a total write off in an accident and you can get a new car instead of a busted up repaired car that will never be the same (as anyone who's had a car repaired from a major accident can tell you.) Lastly, I'd imagine the cost of Tesla body parts has a lot to do with the fact that they are in extremely high demand right now because there's still a waiting list. Any body panel Tesla sells you can't be used to build a car.

votingprawn 10y ago
> In reality, Tesla is doing you a favor by making their body panels so expensive because that means it's easier for your car to get declared a total write off in an accident and you can get a new car I think the chance of getting new value for your totalled car is pretty slim, unless it was written off in the first year or you're paying extra for GAP insurance. My car got written off by an insurance company last year after someone drove into me. I ended up taking a settlement and getting the car fixed myself, there was no way their write off settlement would by me anything like the car I was about to lose. I also hate "throwing away" something mechanically sound over a few body panels, some panel beating, and some paint. And it is certainly not the 'green' choice either!
- ebbv 10y ago
  If your car gets hit to the point where you have to replace body panels it's not as mechanically sound any more as you might think. Only weird, edge case accidents can result in a body panel being destroyed to the point of replacement where the actual structure of the car hasn't been bent or warped in ways that will permanently alter the handling and behavior of the car. As for being green; when you write off a car it's not like it just gets buried in the ground whole. It gets parted out and the parts all get sold. It's actually quite green. :P Your insurance will give you replacement value for the car that was destroyed. No that's not original MSRP but it's what the destroyed car is worth. If you're really intent on repairing it, you usually use that money to buy the written off car from whoever the insurance company ends up selling it to (usually whatever mechanic or storage place the totaled vehicle is physically located) and then pay to have it repaired. If the total of that procedure is higher than what the insurance company gave you, then it's a bad idea to do that. :)