I'm writing this review while my Tesla Model X is still in the shop. Once I get it back, I'll update the review to account for the repair itself.
The communication from Pacific Auto Body has been horrendous so far, and they seem to be very disorganized. Overall, every single update they've promised me either didn't happen or didn't contain any useful information. So far, delays and poor communication from their end have cost me, at latest count, at least five weeks of delay in getting my car repaired. At this point, I won't have my car back in time for the beginning of ski season, and may not have it before my rental allowance from my insurance runs out.
The only reason I've rated them two stars and not lower is that the staff is always nice and seems like they want to help, even when they can't or won't.
Among the issues I've faced so far:
(1) When I initially brought my car in for a preliminary estimate on a Monday, I was promised that they would have the estimate submitted to my insurance the same week. I had to contact them to get the estimate and forward it to my insurance myself. They didn't get me the estimate until over two full weeks later.
(2) After my insurance approved the estimate, the shop refused to order parts until they had a physical check from my insurance company. I might be able to see this if I had some fly-by-night insurance company, but I have Progressive, who they work with all the time. Ultimately, this is their business, but it's unusual, and struck me as an unnecessary delay.
(3) After my insurance inspected the car and approved the claim, they sent a check immediately. Over two weeks later, I went into the shop to sign some paperwork to find that they still hadn't ordered the parts. According to them, they hadn't received the check yet. When I insisted that insurance had sent the check some time ago, they found it in a pile of papers behind the front desk.
(4) They told me the check was for substantially less than their estimate, and that they couldn't order parts until they knew which parts insurance had approved. I had to contact my insurance company myself to sort this out, and it turns out the shop had already gotten approval for all the parts they requested (detailed by the insurance estimate they received), and the outstanding balance was for labor, which they'd approve on final inspection. Notably, my insurance mentioned that this is standard practice, and the shop should have known this. After Pacific Auto Body found the estimate from insurance that they had already gotten, they ordered the parts.
(5) Once the parts were in, two weeks after ordering them, I got a call from Tesla informing me of this. Not a peep from Pacific Auto Body. I had to call them and tell them they had my parts. Of course, they couldn't confirm this, and it took them several days to even figure out that they had the parts.
(6) Once they confirmed they had the parts, they finally allowed me to schedule the repair. Their next slot was over two weeks out. I understand they get booked up, but they had previously agreed to let me schedule early and hold the spot, but that went out the window at some point. They weren't obligated to do so by any means, but I do expect them to either follow through on what they told me, or at least inform me that it isn't possible. Instead, it was as if that conversation never happened, and there was nothing they could do to get me a sooner slot.
(7) When I dropped my car off, I was given an estimate of 2 weeks for the repair to be done. I know this wasn't a firm estimate, and I didn't take it as such, but after two weeks had gone by, I had heard nothing from them. I called them the next day to see what was going on, and was informed that they had found extra damage and had to order extra parts. I understand this is part of the repair process, but I also expect them to keep me updated on what's going on.
Importantly, the person I talked to was completely unable to tell me what the additional damage was, what parts were ordered, whether it was something that would affect painting, and what their new estimated time was. I was actually able to get more information out of Tesla (as they have a record of parts ordered) than out of the shop.
It took three days of calling and emailing, including multiple missed promised communications, to get any details at all, and even the information I was provided didn't include what I care most about, how much longer it's going to take. Today, after several more emails, I've *finally* gotten an update on timing. They also informed me that painting is just now in progress, when they've already had my car longer than the initial estimate.
In a bout of disorganization that would be hilarious if it weren't so frustrating, in the email thread I had with them last night and today they got my name and car model wrong, and first said they didn't have insurance approval for the supplement, then realized they in fact, did. read more