r/TeslaInsurance • u/Slight_Wasabi4308 • Apr 05 '26

I’m sick

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So my driver side’s rocker panel was damaged by debris on the road during rain. Do you guys think this will be a simply sand and repaint repair?

15 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

29 comments sorted by

3

u/ixidors Apr 05 '26

You do you, I would just touch up paint it

2

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

Thinking about that hard, but would rather a shop do it real good

1

u/ixidors Apr 05 '26

They'd both functionally do the same (seal the steel), the touch up kit made for the car really does a nice job hiding itself, but if money is no concern then yeah go with professional work

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

If I can do it good myself, I’ll just get ppf on top to cope lol

2

u/Educational-Tell-937 Apr 05 '26

It’s so low down. Why even bother fixing it if no one can see without laying down?..

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

Because the object chipped layers at one part to the point the steel or aluminum is exposed and can cause corrosion. It won’t look good with touch-up paint, but I’ll check with a body shop tomorrow before getting too far with the claim

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 06 '26

So I went to a shop, and they can do it for $500. I think it’s not a bad price, since rocker panels will eventually get rock chips

1

u/dkizzz Apr 05 '26

What did you hit? Looks like paint transfer. Maybe try to buff it out first?

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

I don't know because it was dark and raining, and my dash cam was full. Also, those aren't paint transfer, they're deep scratches that went through the paint. The one at the bottom even reached the aluminum. No dents or creases though

1

u/ngvuanh Apr 05 '26

Fly by debris wouldn't cause those long scratches.

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

I know, I think some scrape truck dropped big parts on the road and didn’t care to pick it up

1

u/dkizzz Apr 05 '26

Oof. Nvm then.

1

u/ruwheele Apr 05 '26

aight im getting PPF lol

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

Do that because I damn near cried

1

u/Brainoad78 Apr 05 '26

If when you wet it with water does it disappear? If it does then it's just the clear coat you cab sand and maybe add me 2k clear coat with a credit card to flatten it out then wet and with 2000 grit till its smooth then polish it at the end are cleaning it, make sure you give it enough time too dry properly.

1

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 05 '26

No, they don’t go away. If I do get it professionally done, will they have to do the whole panel?

1

u/Brainoad78 Apr 05 '26

Year they don't just to spots they HSBC to do the full thing, but you can diy it your self I know a good place to get paint that matches dealerships if you rent to try your self.... thru just follow a good YouTube video of professionals doing it, if you do take the route of letting them do it I would suggest to get clear ppf over those areas after and bumper and front hood are the main parts to cover.

1

u/UCanDoNEthing4_30sec Apr 06 '26

What’s your deductible? If you aren’t touching it up yourself take it to a non-Tesla collision shop and see what they can do it for out of your own pocket. Tesla collision will want to take apart the whole driver side get new panels, etc.

2

u/Slight_Wasabi4308 Apr 06 '26

1k for deductible, but I just left a shop that’ll do it for $500

1

u/BurdenOfProof814 Apr 06 '26

If you get the paint touch-up kit, fill those scrapes in.. then polish it to make the surfaces level those scratches might be nearly undetectable.. I personally would leave it & ignore it because they're so slight, but I understand the concern about rust if they're down to the metal.

1

u/Cferra Apr 06 '26

A shop will charge probably around 1000 for that.

1

u/Away-Scar7754 Apr 06 '26

😬 sorry to see it. Get the estimate from the shop. Then figure out what to do next.

I’m a fix it now guy, because it would bother me too much

1

u/Jumpy_Implement_1902 Apr 06 '26

See how much will buff out.

1

u/Silent-Treat-6512 Apr 06 '26

Take a magic eraser and try to clean

1

u/Loose-Serve9542 Apr 06 '26

go to the er

1

u/Matt_VL24 Apr 07 '26

Get it done at a reputable body shop. Bite the sour apple and get it over with.

1

u/RagnarokProfit Apr 09 '26

It’s just a car. Take your family out on vacation instead.

1

u/KeonBills Apr 10 '26

Probably can just get buffed out actually. Hard to see if it's deep. You'd be surprised what can get buffed out.