Battery pack damaged

[R P]

My son has had his M3 out of service for 3 months now (since Dec 25/22) and still no ETA for a fix. The battery pack got damaged after he ran over some debris that pierced the plastic battery cover. This happened in Mar/22, but when he looked at it, he thought the pack was OK, and just the plastic cover was damaged. Then on Dec 25, his 12V battery died, but he nursed it to the local Tesla service centre for them to look at it after Xmas holidays. A few days later, they told him that the traction battery pack was also damaged and needed to be replaced. Needless to say, this was quite a shock to my son.

My son contacted his insurance company, and after a couple weeks, they did accept the damage as a valid claim. Whewww!! He expected it would take a few weeks or maybe a bit more to get his car back. But as of today, they are still waiting for parts, ie a new battery pack. His 2018 M3 was the long range mode, so had the larger pack. What is really frustrating for him, is the lack of information about when the parts might arrive. It is almost like they don't want to fix it, and are waiting for the insurance company to write it off. That could happen, reading on the internet, as this has happened to others.

Meanwhile he is stuck with driving an ICE rental vehicle, Toyota Corolla, which he is not happy about. Why is it taking so long for Tesla to supply a replacement battery pack??

I should mention that I recently purchased a Subaru Solterra. It has a thick solid metal under cover that would be very hard to pierce or even dent protecting the battery and all the under car components. There is also a sizable gap and other layers before you even reach the battery pack. This is very different than the Tesla, with the flimsy plastic cover and battery pack very exposed to minor road damage. I've read that Tesla insurance is 74% higher than other cars, and even a scratch on the battery pack can cause a write-off. This seems to me very poor design. Might be cheaper to manufacturer, but leaves the owner at great risk.
https://www.notebookcheck.net/Tesla...y-going-straight-to-the-grinder.702429.0.html
https://www.reuters.com/business/au...r-insurer-may-have-junk-whole-car-2023-03-20/

 

[bwilson4web]

Thank you!

I won't take my Model 3 to a Tesla dealer as long as I can avoid it. This is the best justification for self or 3d party maintenance I've ever read.

A retired engineer, I would quote Bre Rabbit, "Oh Please don't throw me into the self-maintenance briar patch."

Bob Wilson

 

[rrolsbe]

I can assure you the cover on the bottom of the battery is NOT made out of plastic; however, there are things that are vulnerable located on the front of the battery that are only protected by a plastic or fiber aero shield. Was the aero shield damaged or was there a tear on the bottom of the traction battery? Pictures?

 

[DaleL]

I've read that Tesla insurance is 74% higher than other cars, and even a scratch on the battery pack can cause a write-off.

The Reuters story, upon which the notebookcheck is also based, includes this text, "According to online brokerage Policygenius, the average U.S. monthly EV insurance payment in 2023 is $206, 27% more than for a combustion-engine model." That is a far cry from 74%. The average EV is more expensive and newer than the average ICE vehicle. That also tends to make the EV more expensive to insure. My experience is that my 2023 MY LR cost only about 20% more to insure than the much less expensive 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV it replaced.

 

[R P]

My son is still waiting to get his car back (out of service since Dec 25). They finally got the new battery pack and it is installed. But now a new problem. The A/C compressor doesn't work and needs to be replaced, so now waiting for those parts. And to add insult to injury, the insurance won't pay for it, as they say it is not related to the battery pack damage. And Tesla won't cover it since it is long out of warranty. The A/C was working fine when the car was taken in to Tesla for the battery pack replacement. Somehow while they had it, it was broken. But they are not accepting any responsibility. The bill will be another $1000 to fix that, and my son has no choice but to pay for it. And who knows how long this will take.

 

[navguy12]

The Reuters story, upon which the notebookcheck is also based, includes this text, "According to online brokerage Policygenius, the average U.S. monthly EV insurance payment in 2023 is $206, 27% more than for a combustion-engine model." That is a far cry from 74%. The average EV is more expensive and newer than the average ICE vehicle. That also tends to make the EV more expensive to insure. My experience is that my 2023 MY LR cost only about 20% more to insure than the much less expensive 2018 Honda Clarity PHEV it replaced.

I’m sure everyone is different, but when I moved from a 2008 Prius to my 2018 TM3, the insurance was essentially the same (within 3%).

I currently pay about $750 a year for full coverage with CAA (and CAA gives it full replacement coverage for another three weeks until it is 60 months old).

As always, YMMV.

 

[rcnesneg]

The plastic cover is in front and behind the battery on a model 3. Those cover the coolant lines that are easily damaged by debris. A damaged coolant line fitting is a cheap DIY repair but tesla will total the battery pack to replace it.
You can replace the plastic panels with aluminum to prevent this kind of damage:
https://www.rpmtesla.com/products/t...-dampening-skid-plates?variant=33110166208566

For the battery pack itself, the model 3 has a 3mm aluminum plate and a 1/2" air gap to the battery modules.

What does the solterra have? Pictures or thickness measurements? I'd like to know since they brag about it being "offroady" but it doesn't seem to be load-bearing (like the Hummer EV skidplates) and probably not much different than the Tesla model 3/Y.

Tesla model 3 battery pack design:

More info:
https://www.teslaownersonline.com/t...3-y-battery-how-thick-is-bottom-casing.26043/

 

[R P]

I’m sure everyone is different, but when I moved from a 2008 Prius to my 2018 TM3, the insurance was essentially the same (within 3%).

I currently pay about $750 a year for full coverage with CAA (and CAA gives it full replacement coverage for another three weeks until it is 60 months old).

As always, YMMV.

My son just got his insurance renewal for the Tesla (though it has been out of service since Dec 25). It is $2416 for the year and being accident free he gets the full discounts. I insured my Solterra in Jan and it was just over $1500. That is a big difference esp considering his Tesla would be worth less than half my Solterra at this time.

 

[R P]

The plastic cover is in front and behind the battery on a model 3. Those cover the coolant lines that are easily damaged by debris. A damaged coolant line fitting is a cheap DIY repair but tesla will total the battery pack to replace it.
You can replace the plastic panels with aluminum to prevent this kind of damage:
https://www.rpmtesla.com/products/t...-dampening-skid-plates?variant=33110166208566

For the battery pack itself, the model 3 has a 3mm aluminum plate and a 1/2" air gap to the battery modules.

What does the solterra have? Pictures or thickness measurements? I'd like to know since they brag about it being "offroady" but it doesn't seem to be load-bearing (like the Hummer EV skidplates) and probably not much different than the Tesla model 3/Y.

Tesla model 3 battery pack design:

More info:
https://www.teslaownersonline.com/t...3-y-battery-how-thick-is-bottom-casing.26043/

Instead of just a weak plastic guard under the battery as in my son's 2018 M3, my Solterra has a thick solid metal plate under guard protecting the full battery and other underside parts. There is a gap between that and the battery. Can't tell exactly how far to the battery which also has a solid metal covering. Subaru wouldn't be advertising the Solterra for off-road if it didn't have extra protection.

 

[navguy12]

My son just got his insurance renewal for the Tesla (though it has been out of service since Dec 25). It is $2416 for the year and being accident free he gets the full discounts. I insured my Solterra in Jan and it was just over $1500. That is a big difference esp considering his Tesla would be worth less than half my Solterra at this time.

Like I said, everyone is different.

 

[rcnesneg]

My son just got his insurance renewal for the Tesla (though it has been out of service since Dec 25). It is $2416 for the year and being accident free he gets the full discounts. I insured my Solterra in Jan and it was just over $1500. That is a big difference esp considering his Tesla would be worth less than half my Solterra at this time.

I'm sorry to hear that! That's not good! My 2021 Model 3 LR is insured for $1200 a year in a large metropolitan/suburban area. It's 5% more than a Kia Niro EV and 20% more than an old Subaru Outback with the same carrier in the same area.

 

[R P]

I'm sorry to hear that! That's not good! My 2021 Model 3 LR is insured for $1200 a year in a large metropolitan/suburban area. It's 5% more than a Kia Niro EV and 20% more than an old Subaru Outback with the same carrier in the same area.

My son also has a Subaru Forester, and his renewal is $1658 also more than my Solterra. We both have perfect driving records, no accidents or traffic violations so eligible for max discounts. My insurance might be cheaper because I am retired and don't have to insure it for travelling to work. I live in BC where we have govt insurance, ICBC, and have no other options for cheaper insurance.

 

[navguy12]

My son also has a Subaru Forester, and his renewal is $1658 also more than my Solterra. We both have perfect driving records, no accidents or traffic violations so eligible for max discounts. My insurance might be cheaper because I am retired and don't have to insure it for travelling to work. I live in BC where we have govt insurance, ICBC, and have no other options for cheaper insurance.

That explains why you’re not shopping around. I forgot about ICBC (I lived on Vancouver Island between 1980-1984).

 

[R P]

Well, miracle of miracles, my son finally got his car back yesterday, after almost 5 months out of service, since Dec 26. New battery pack in, and A/C fixed. All seems well, and with over 200K kms on the odometer it now is effectively back to zero. It is a LR model, so will likely be keeping it for quite a while longer now.

It was not a pretty experience from start to finish, having to deal with Tesla, the insurance company and the non-Tesla ICBC (the govt insurance agency) appointed repair service centre. The Tesla service centres here do not handle insurance claims. I gave some of the early details above, but it was bad right to the end. It was very difficult getting info on the progress, or lack of, from anyone. Can't deal with Tesla directly, because of the insurance claim, so couldn't get any clear answers from anyone. But biggest issue was just waiting for parts from Tesla. This was not a good case in support of a non-dealer service model.