Tesla, which last year announced plans to expand its service center footprint and begin performing more collision repairs at those facilities, has begun performing autobody work at its own branded shops.
In an email sent to Tesla owners at the end of June, the company officially announced the availability of collision repair services at its service centers and via its mobile service offering.
According to the email, Tesla service centers will now replace bumpers, fenders, doors, side mirrors, and a variety of other bolt-on parts, as well as repairing minor dents, paint scuffs and scratches.
"We are excited to announce that Tesla Service is now performing collision repair at our Service Centers and through Mobile Service. Having your vehicle repaired by Tesla ensures quality work, quick service and transparent pricing," the company wrote in the email.
Tesla also certifies third-party body shops to work on its vehicles, but customers have complained for years about long waits for parts. The shops in the current network have blamed Tesla’s supply chain, while Tesla has pointed the finger at the shops themselves as well as parts shortages caused by its efforts to fulfill new vehicle orders. It’s still not clear how Tesla plans to address the long lead times, but it appears the automakers will stock common parts at the service centers.
Tesla’s service footprint in North America is still spread thinly, with most service centers clustered in California and in the Northeast. It’s likely certified body shops will still play an important role in meeting the demand for repairs, and Tesla’s description of the collision services offered indicates that major damage will still require the services of a collision specialist.
Tesla has also focused on having customers make service appointments online and through its mobile app, rather than contacting service centers directly.
In the company’s January shareholder’s call, CEO Elon Musk discussed the focus on service including the mobile component:
“I’m actually really excited about our mobile service,” Musk said. “We have mobile service vans that will come fix your car as soon as it breaks down. It actually will immediately send a note to Tesla mobile service and it will be on its way to fix the car. We trialed it in the Bay Area and now have extended it to the L.A. area and a number of others for tire repair. The van will arrive, give you a new tire in half an hour, and you’re on your way. It makes it a huge difference. We’re adding things like bumper repair and collision repair. If I look at the things that most trouble customers, it’s things like collision repair taking an eternity and a third-party body shop charging an arm and a leg after taking an eternity. We’re moving a lot of the body repair in-house at Tesla, and then even providing it on mobile service.”
Musk noted that the company had recently completed its first bumper replacement from a mobile service van, and that the repair took less than an hour.
In a Twitter announcement in May, the company also stated that the vehicles themselves will now alert owners if when parts need to be replaced. The vehicles can also automatically initiate a parts order prior to the service visit.
Other OEMs, meanwhile, are expanding their own collision repair certification programs. General Motors is actively recruiting more shops into its own GM Collision Repair Network. Ford is working to boost the use of its Find-A-Collision-Shop locator on the Collision.Ford.com website. BMW of North American also recently announced the opening of two new service and collision repair technician training centers in South Carolina and Georgia, along with the expansion of training facilities in California and New Jersey.
