When hail hammered her Tesla, one proprietor didn’t notice the worst of it till she acquired in. What seemed like just a few dings from the curb turned out to be a dying sentence for her EV, and a $20,000 drawback she will’t drive anymore.
A Nebraska creator (@mo_surviving_my_40s) realized the exhausting means that the lauded Tesla model is probably not constructed for the plains states. In a video that’s been considered greater than 487,000 occasions, she exhibits that the glass roof of the automotive has been shattered past any sensible restore. The remainder of the automotive physique suffered injury from the hail downpour as nicely, however we study that the roof was the deciding think about her insurance coverage firm’s resolution to declare it totaled.
The panoramic glass roof—one among Tesla’s signature design options—is shattered throughout its complete floor. “It doesn’t look that unhealthy from the surface,” she says, “however it’s totaled.”
“In some unspecified time in the future, the pressure will likely be nice sufficient to shatter it…”
Tesla Whole Loss: She’s Not Alone
This wasn’t the primary time a Tesla’s glass roof had met its match in a hailstorm. In August 2022, a driver in Alberta, Canada, discovered their Mannequin 3 catastrophically broken after a sudden hailstorm bombarded the automotive with ice the dimensions of grapefruits. Although the physique panels escaped with minor dents, the panoramic glass roof and windshield shattered utterly, flooding the cabin and forcing the insurer to declare it a complete loss.
Extra not too long ago, in Bavaria, Germany, video footage captured throughout a summer season storm confirmed large hailstones pounding a Tesla Mannequin Y. The rear glass shattered on digital camera, leaving the again half of the automobile uncovered to the weather.
Tesla homeowners have taken to boards and Reddit to match notes. “From expertise, the glass roof can completely crack in a hailstorm,” one wrote. One other added, “It’s higher than a metallic roof for all however excessive hail… in some unspecified time in the future, the pressure will likely be nice sufficient to shatter it.” Whereas Tesla’s glass design earns reward for aesthetics and security in rollover assessments, real-world climate has a means of rewriting the principles and the restore payments.
Extra About Tesla’s Roofs
Tesla’s laminated glass roofs are engineered for power and rigidity, providing structural help in rollovers and enhanced cabin quietness, however they merely weren’t designed to resist hail bigger than golf balls. Not like metallic, which dents underneath stress, glass resists deformation till it shatters explosively. Even when the automobile’s metal body stays intact, a shattered roof panel usually fails inspection requirements or turns into unsafe, pushing insurance coverage firms to complete the automotive. In lots of instances, changing that one piece of glass triggers a total-loss analysis as a result of restore prices exceed automobile worth.
Insurance coverage insurance policies sometimes contemplate a automobile totaled when restore bills hit round 60% of the present market worth. Tesla’s glass roof alternative, together with elements, labor, seals, and recalibration, routinely exceeds that threshold.
What if I Wish to Try a Restore?
Restore choices fluctuate by state and state of affairs. Paintless dent restore may assist with small physique dings, however not shattered glass. Tesla’s OEM replacements are dependable however usually costly and sluggish to supply. Aftermarket replacements will be extra reasonably priced, but danger voiding warranties or failing future inspections. Some homeowners select salvage retention, shopping for again their totaled Teslas to aim DIY fixes or half out the automobile. However this usually comes with limitations: in Texas, for instance, automobiles with salvage titles might lose entry to Supercharging, software program updates, and sure insurance coverage choices.
Motor1 reached out to the creator through direct message and to Tesla through e-mail. We’ll be sure you replace this text if we hear again.
