Phoenix Repairs Shops Don't Like Dealing With Damaged Teslas

Oct. 15, 2022 12:21 PM ET by Jarryd Neves Industry News / 10 Comments

Reports suggested that certain repair shops in Arizona were unwilling to fix accident-damaged Teslas.

If you're a Geico-insured Tesla driver located in Phoenix, Arizona, chances are you've seen several startling reports over the past few days. Earlier this month, Teslarati reported vehicle repair shops in The Grand Canyon State were declining to repair accident-damaged Teslas covered by Geico.

The since-deleted article claimed the auto insurance company was unwilling to offer full compensation for repair costs. However, this has turned out to be untrue. As per Carscoops, Tesla has since clarified the issue and, after a brief investigation, reached out to the publication with an official statement.

According to the automaker, collision repair centers in the Phoenix area are, in fact, repairing Tesla vehicles.

The story stemmed from a now-deleted tweet posted by Wham Bam TeslaCam. The owner of a damaged Tesla reportedly tried to have his vehicle fixed after it was rear-ended by a Geico-insured driver. The report says the owner was quoted $2,000 for the repairs at a Tesla-certified repair shop.

The owner, known only as Jeff, explained the situation to Teslarati. "And then [a repair shop worker] said, 'Do you have Geico insurance?' I said, no I have State Farm but Geico will be picking up the tab on this one." The employee allegedly replied, "Well, I have to tell you upfront. If you want to file it through State Farm, we'll repair your car. But if you file it through Geico, we won't because Geico won't pay our rates ... we're tired of fighting them."

Of course, this could strike fear into the heart of a Model 3 or Model Y owner; who would want a repair claim denied just because they're insured with Geico? At the time, Teslarati had reached out to the insurer, but no comment was provided. While this has since been refuted by Tesla, another report by Repairer Driven News (RDN) makes for interesting reading.

The publication reached out to several repair shops in the area, who said obtaining Tesla certification requires auto repairers to invest in training and specialized equipment, making it expensive to repair these vehicles. Repair shop representatives told RDN that some insurance companies are not paying 100% of the involved costs.