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Naughty Tesla is on life support, and I’m sad to inform you that my insurance wants to pull the plug.
The Collision
I was visiting Los Angeles with my family. We were having a pleasant time until the collision.
The collision happened in March. It was Saturday 16, around 3:30 pm.
Naughty Tesla got pretty banged up on the right rear side. Luckily for my two sons and me, it handled the impact like a champ, and no airbags got deployed. It appears the rear right wheel absorbed most of the kinetic force.
The impact made the rear right door unusable. Interestingly, the window continued to work without any problem. I was surprised.
How did it happen?
I had my right turn signal on and waited for the light to turn green at the stoplight. After it did, I ensured no strugglers were attempting to cross and proceeded forward.
I had my turn signal on because I was going to enter the freeway ramp. As I turned, a very impatient driver driving a brand-new Honda Civic passed me on the right shoulder and entered the freeway ramp. It was an illegal and unsafe move. As I turned into the ramp, a car crashed into mine, sending me into the far left lane of the ramp.
I believed he was trying to do the same thing the Honda driver did. However, I think he misjudged his speed and angle of the ramp entrance.
I discuss what happened after the collision in a dedicated post on Nelly Eggsy. Also, while visiting my site, check out some of the things to do after an accident.
It’s a total loss.
On Monday, July 11, I received a text message from Tesla. It said the following statement.
Nelson, I guess the shop found quite a bit more damage on your vehicle. Apparently it’s a total loss. We will get moving on getting you your value asap.
Tesla Insurance text message, 07-11-22 10: 38 am
My heart sank to my stomach when I read that message. I immediately replied, “Please don’t tell me that! That’s horrible news.” Someone at Tesla replied, “I’m so sorry.” Yes, not as sorry as I am.
Tesla Insurance
Dealing with Tesla Insurance has been awful. The collision happened on a Saturday. Tesla Insurance representatives do not work on the weekends. All you can do is make a claim using the Tesla App. The app makes making a claim very easy. Good thing Naughty Tesla was drivable because if I needed a tow truck and a rental car, I would have had to pay out of pocket since you can’t contact anyone from Tesla Insurance on the weekends. I don’t even know how I would deal with leaving my car in LA when I live in the SF Bay Area.
I drove the car home from LA without significant incidents. I chose to leave around 9 pm on Sunday. I figure there wouldn’t be as much traffic, and the road temperature would benefit my current car situation. Once on the road, I had to drive slowly because the rear right tire would hit the impacted wheel well whenever I hit a dip on the road. As a result, it would smell inside the car like burned tire or rubber for a few moments. It took us a long time to get home. Luckily for us, we made it. What a relief it was to be home. It felt like a haven. At least for me.
We made it home almost at 6 am. Yes, it took a long time to get home. We did rest at Superchargers and drove slowly.
Tesla Insurance Adjusters
On Monday, at around 9 am, I missed a call from a Tesla Adjuster. I returned the call and got a hold of him. We discussed what happened and had a reassuring conversation.
Sadly, that didn’t last long. My original adjuster notified me that a senior adjuster was going to take over the claim because the person that crashed into me is denying fault and is now claiming injuries. What a nightmare! I almost feel as if the other driver crashed onto me on purpose.
Anyway, my new adjuster was responsive and approachable at the beginning. As time passed and they declared my car a total loss, that did not seem to be the case.
It is still a pending claim.
I am still waiting to hear what will happen with my claim. Last I heard, my adjuster, is working on getting me a value. I am getting ready for their lowball offer based on my email interactions.
I hope the Tesla Insurance adjuster will give me my vehicle’s average fair market value. It was barely over a year old and had complete paint protection. Additionally, it had the Autopilot and Full Self-Driving components. The latter are two expensive Tesla premium options.
What will happen to Naughty Tesla?
Sadly, the Tesla-approved body shop will not repair my beloved 2020 Tesla Model 3 Long Range because Tesla Insurance declared it a total loss. Will I get a new Model 3? Perhaps.
Only time will tell if I can get another Tesla car. Perhaps is time to move away from Tesla?
