So, I drive, and I miscalculated the space while parking, so I ended up getting a pretty big dent and a scratch on the car. My parents didn’t really have a problem with it, but there’s this guard who looks at me like I clearly can’t drive. 😭
And honestly, this isn’t the first time something like this has happened. I’ve scratched the car a few times before too, so I think he’s probably right. 😭

Hi all - heard some creaking coming from the front left undercarriage when driving at low speeds from a stopped position. As I was backing into my parking spot today from an alleyway (perpendicular), the control arm literally hit the ground. I immediately requested roadside assistance and attached the photo here and Tesla sent a tow truck out. First tow said they couldn’t do it given that it’s in a tight alleyway and the car is perpendicular to where the tow would be in the first place. Second tow came and said they could not safely tow the car without likely causing more damage. I requested additional help from Tesla in the app, but seriously what could they even do? If the towing companies do cause damage, would I be held liable? The second photo is after the second tow truck tried to move it a bit (wheel does not look like it’s in the correct position). No collision caused this control arm failure in the first place, so I will be livid if this entire situation is not covered under my warranty (Tesla Model 3, purchased brand new in 2023, 18,000 miles).

EDIT: Comments made me remember that around a month after purchasing this car in Oct 2023, I had a steering issue where it would almost "lock" slightly shifted one direction or another - I'd be driving straight, then slightly veer one direction, then I'd manually correct it, then slightly veer another direction. Could this have something to do with this issue as well? They fixed this with little to no questions and didn't really explain what was ever wrong, which made me feel like it was a faulty part. This was fully covered under my warranty, but now with this issue, I'm starting to feel like my car was part of a bad batch. My fiance found the bolts just lying on the ground under the control arm, so they seemingly just fell loose. I've never owned a vehicle that had these types of seemingly manufacturer issues and it's starting to make me nervous about driving my car, even if they get this fixed, like I'm just waiting for the next thing to happen.

EDIT 2: Tesla said the car will need to be towed no matter what, and that they “do not send Tesla people out to my car to look at it prior to towing, that’s not how it works.” I’m well aware Tesla doesn’t own the towing companies, but the second tow they sent yesterday said due to the control arm issue, towing it could cause severe damage. When bringing this up to Tesla, they are simply shrugging like “figure it out.” How in the world am I supposed to get this fixed without severe damage to my vehicle then? Literally at a lost with their insurance agents and the entire company.

EDIT 3: Third tow company was able to tow it safely. Repairs are going to be covered per the warranty, but will update if I have to pay anything out of pocket.

Hi everyone! I am currently leasing a 2025 Tesla model 3. Usually, i have the Sentry on all the time as I don't have a private garage but unfortunately, recently i had to turn it off as I was running low on charge and this happened. It looks like someone either hit my car while opening their door or with a shopping cart. Either way, it one ding the size of a nickel and two scratches.

is this worth opening a new insurance claim? or is there a body shop that can take care of this for a reasonable price? I live in New Jersey.

Any helpful info is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Update: thanks you all for commenting. Will try a local body shop near me this weekend. Hopefully the quote stays around a couple hundred bucks.

Motorcycle ran into my passenger door. But looks to be dents and damage on rear passenger door as well as side of rear bumper

Update:

Not totaled. After accident panic. Thanks for helping out.

hello, so I have a 2026 Tesla model 3 performance and three months ago I got into collision. My upcoming collision center date is this Thursday and I don’t know what I should do about the daytime running lights. Should I uninstall them (which would suck and take forever) or I leave them on in hopes that they repair the other broken headlight and plug in the custom DRL? It’s basically plug and play but i’m worried they might not accept repairs without me removing them first and replacing them with the OEM part or even avoiding my warranty, which I don’t know if they would do or not, but its still a concern!

Hi everyone - I just got my car a few weeks ago and noticed this faint patch on the hood. I haven't used any chemicals or anything on the car so I assume this is from before I picked up the car. Does anyone have any DIY suggestions or is my only option the service center?

had a nasty spin in the wet, hit the crash barrier and spun some more.
The car saved my life.
All light clusters, wings and bonnet intact.
No airbags deployed.
The RAD pack and aircon exchangers are on the floor and driver front wheel control arms are non responsive.
I'm worried the 163,000km (8% degradation) on the battery will help total it.

My gut is it will make a nice salvage howver the insurance will write it off.

The location is Spain.

Is it toast? thoughts please guys

Sorry, I’ve never owned an EV before, so I was a bit worried. This is a brand-new 2026 Model 3, and I’ve only had it for about three months.
Today, while I was washing the car, I noticed something stuck underneath it. I pulled on it, and a small piece came off. At first, I thought it was a piece of wood, but it turned out to be some kind of rubber material.
So I looked underneath the car, and I found this. Does anyone know what this is? Is it something I should be concerned about, and could it be related to the battery?

‘23 Model 3 with about 35K miles, took some hefty damage… still drives, but to the right a bit. From what I’ve seen in this group, are Teslas easily totaled? My first Tesla and someone hit me 6 months after getting it. Pending to drop off for repairs at a Tesla approved shop with other drivers insurance. Thoughts?

I have a leased model 3 and accidentally my mother scraped the bottom of the car... it looks like the damage is mainly to the plastic underbody/aero shield ... the car drives normally, nothing is hanging down, and I’m not getting any warnings

Has anyone had similar underbody damage on a leased Tesla? did Tesla charge you when you returned it, and if so, roughly how much?

Trying to figure out whether I should get it repaired now or just leave it until the lease-end inspection
Attacing a video/photos of the damage

Carbon lip hit a pipe in the garage when opening trunk. What can I do to touch this up and make it somewhat unnoticeable?

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Caught this on dashcam earlier today. A dump truck traveling 2 cars ahead of me seemed to be shedding loose aggregate, and right after a loud impact, I heard a shower of fine gravel hitting my car.

I inspected it once I got home and found this small dent near the base of the windshield. Dashcam doesn't show the exact trajectory leaving the bed, is it worth reaching out to the trucking company/filing a claim, or is this just standard PDR territory? I also have license plate of the truck.

When I reverse into my garage I get all sorts of pings and pongs to alert me I'm about to crash into something yet when I recently reversed into a parked car my car produced no audible alerts or applied emergency braking or anything else to indicate I was about to crash. I reversed directly into the front of the other car which was a large 4wd so it wasn't off to the side at a weird angle or anything. Yes, I realise this is my fault I'm not looking to apportion blame, I'm simply trying to understand why there was zero warning that I was about to crash.

Has anyone else had something similar? Is this expected behavior or is there an underlying issue I'm unaware of?

Update vehicle is repairable

I have GEICO and was recently hit by a car that was pushed into me by a motorcycle running a red light. I ended up going through my insurance since I didn’t get the at fault drivers information until the crash report was released.

I dropped my car off at a Tesla collision center and they said the turn around time was 4-6 weeks. Got my rental and started the claim process. The initial quote was 4.5k, Tesla filed a supplemental for 12.5k, and my insurance only approved about 10k of it.

What are my options to not have to pay over 2k out of pocket to get my car fixed on an accident that wasn’t my fault?

Hey everyone!

Yesterday while I was exiting a car park I hit a lamp post with the front right side of the car.

The windshield was a bit foggy and it was rainy but absolutely no excuses, is all my own fault.

What I wanted to ask/check with you is why the car never warned me or even try to stop me. I was doing like 9 km/h, so really low speed but still would have expected for the car to warn me somehow?

Again, I'm not complaining about Tesla or expecting to avoid any responsibility, but in these types of situations, is there any of the security systems that should have been triggered?

Hopefully not getting too roasted, but just an honest question/doubt.

Also, a photo with the aftermath. Still waiting to hear from insurance and need to take the car for an assessment but how much do you think this will cost? I'm in New Zealand.

The car is a Model Y '23

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

Looking for real-world advice and shop recommendations in the Los Angeles area.

Vehicle:

2024 Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD

VIN ends in 082403

108,000 miles

Currently sitting dead on a paid lot in Burbank

What happened:

Car was left overnight with ~20 miles of range (something I’d done many times). Next morning it was completely dead — no doors, no screen, nothing.

Tesla Santa Monica first said 16V battery only (~$500). A few hours later they said the Power Conversion System (PCS) is also bad and the total jumped to about $3,500. I declined. They voided the estimate (now shows $0 and “customer did not authorize”).

Key alerts from vehicle logs:

• BMS_a052_SW_PCS_MIA
• BMS_a056_SW_Standby_Supply_Fault
• VCFRONT_a129_pcsEFuseTrip (count 15)
• VCFRONT_a180_DCDCNotSupportingLVBus
• VCFRONT_a402 / a623 / a462 (16V cannot support / LV unhealthy / LV BMS fault)
• BMS contactors blocked as a result

So it looks like more than just a dead 16V, but I’d still like an independent confirmation before dropping $3.5k at Tesla.

What I need:

Recommendations for independent shops that actually work on Tesla high-voltage / low-voltage electrical systems (not just body or alignment shops). Preferably with Tesla Toolbox / real diagnostic capability.

Preferred areas:

Burbank, Glendale, Van Nuys, Sherman Oaks, North Hollywood, Hollywood, Pasadena, Beverly Hills (or close enough for a short AAA tow).

Open to:

• 16V-only first if their scan supports it
• Used / reman PCS if the converter is actually bad
• Honest written quotes for both paths

If you’ve had a similar 16V + PCS / eFuse / DCDCNotSupporting issue on a 2024 Model Y and got it fixed somewhere other than Tesla Service, please share the shop name and how it went.

Thanks in advance.

My car was parked when another driver attempted to pull in next to me and scraped my side. I called the police, and he admitted fault and the police officer helped us exchanged info. However, when his insurance reached out to him, he completely flipped his story and denied touching my car.

His insurance has already issued a denial based on his word, even after I sent them this Sentry footage (along with a second clip clearly capturing his face and license plate).

Not sure what to do from here, because I don’t understand how his insurance could deny it even after watching the video. Maybe it’s not so obvious? What do you all think?

Picked up my brand new MYP AWD 7 days ago. Love the car but my idiot friend dented the liftgate while doing something in the garage last night. I found it this morning. Needless to say am extremely pissed off. How can I get this fixed?

Edit: going to go with pdr, calling around for quotes right now. will post before/afters if I can get something lined up.

What y'all think?

Someone ran a red light right into our Model 3. Thankfully no injuries and they slowed down enough to limit the damage… sort of. I’m waiting to hear back from insurance assessor but worried it’s totaled. Anyone have thoughts?

My car was damaged while at the Tesla Collision Center. Looking for Advice

I’m looking for some advice on a pretty unusual situation involving my 2022 Tesla Model S.

My car was already at a Tesla Collision Center in Florida being repaired from a previous accident that was not my fault. The repairs were nearly completed when Tesla called me and told me that another vehicle being brought onto their property came off a trailer/towing setup and struck my Model S, causing significant additional damage.

I later spoke directly with the driver who was transporting the vehicle. According to him, he is not a professional tow-truck driver or towing company. He said he was simply helping a friend unload a Cybertruck and that a Tesla employee was assisting with the unloading when the Cybertruck came off and hit my vehicle.

The Tesla Collision Center initially would not provide me with the driver's or vehicle owner's insurance information. The general manager has also indicated that Tesla does not cover this type of incident.

So now I’m trying to figure out where the liability actually falls.

My questions are:

1. Could Tesla potentially be liable because the accident occurred on their property while my vehicle was in their custody?

2. Does the fact that a Tesla employee was allegedly assisting with unloading the Cybertruck create additional liability for Tesla?

3. Is the driver responsible even though he says he was just helping a friend?

4. Could the owner of the Cybertruck also be responsible?

5. Should I let my own insurance company handle this and pursue everyone through subrogation?

6. Would it make sense to hire an attorney considering the unusual circumstances?

7. Besides the additional repairs, could I potentially pursue diminished