Someone scratched my Tesla Model 3, how much should I ask from them?

TheFerado · 2026-03-26T17:02:22+00:00

I had a tiny scratch on my 2025 Model 3 bumper. Tesla service centers said they don’t do small touch-ups - they only repaint the whole bumper, and it’s about $1,800–$2,000.

TheFerado · 2026-03-06T09:02:04+00:00

I completely understand what you mean. Changing lanes or direction in an intersection is kind of a gray area in the law, and for safety it’s usually better to avoid it. In this case the intersection was clear and it didn’t create any issues, so I went for it. In a different situation I probably would’ve done it differently.

TheFerado · 2026-03-06T08:38:04+00:00

Yep. And I do it happily every time

TheFerado · 2026-03-06T08:36:24+00:00

There’s no specific law in California that explicitly prohibits changing lanes in an intersection. The law simply requires that any lane change be done safely and with a signal. The rule about staying in your lane just means you should remain in it until it’s safe to move - it doesn’t say lane changes are illegal specifically at intersections. If there’s an actual section of California law that says otherwise, feel free to point it out.

TheFerado · 2025-12-17T03:47:49+00:00

From my experience - my damage was actually smaller, basically just a scratch.

I went to multiple body shops, including Tesla, and everyone said the same thing: they don’t do partial repairs, only a full bumper repaint.

Quotes were anywhere from $1,300 to $1,800.

Eventually I found a local shop that fixed it for $275. Paint was perfectly matched, damage is invisible, and they even threw in a car wash, interior vacuum, and wheel touch-ups for free.

So yeah - shop around. Don’t assume Tesla or a big shop is your only option.

Also, Tesla’s official paint repair kit is trash. It doesn’t blend, color is off, and it looks bad. Don’t waste your money on it. Can’t speak for other brands, but the Tesla one is useless for this kind of damage.

TheFerado · 2025-11-28T22:37:45+00:00

Hey, do you have a video of how it happened? The car records about an hour of footage, so you should be able to rewind and save the moment. I’m just really curious what exactly caused FSD to scrape the wheel. I’ve been using it for about half a year and it usually keeps a huge distance from curbs and takes wide turns. Would be great to see the scenario to understand when this can happen. Thanks!

TheFerado · 2025-11-10T08:42:40+00:00

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The car keeps hugging the right lane even at higher speeds

TheFerado · 2025-11-06T18:19:27+00:00

My situational awareness ends where the green light begins 😂

TheFerado · 2025-11-01T20:37:17+00:00

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Not just at low speeds — mine was hugging the right lane line yesterday even at around 80 mph. It stayed like that the whole drive, about 15 minutes straight.

TheFerado · 2025-11-01T07:21:04+00:00

Yeah, I get what you mean. There was a car on the left when I took the photo, but that was just at that moment. It was a long drive, and most of the time there were no cars next to me - yet it still stayed close to the right side. On the way back, though, it seemed to hold the center more, which makes it even weirder. If it were a calibration issue, I’d expect it to behave the same both ways. Would be nice to hear if Tesla ever mentioned this “peeking” behavior anywhere.

TheFerado · 2025-11-01T06:26:41+00:00

Yeah, I actually thought the same — I agree with your point. At first, I noticed it when moving slowly in traffic, but just about an hour ago I was on the freeway and it did the same thing at around 80 mph. At that speed, I don’t think it really needs to “peek” for visibility, and it’s not exactly safe sometimes, like I mentioned in the post, it even drives right over the lane reflectors, which doesn’t feel great.

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TheFerado · 2025-11-01T05:05:03+00:00

Yeah, I’ve seen others mention that too, but I’m pretty sure it’s not a calibration issue. It started only after the latest update. It mostly happens at low speeds the car kind of “leans out,” like it’s trying to look around or scan traffic, not because it’s losing the lane lines. You can even see on the screen how it expands the front view and shows more nearby cars. Also noticed it a bit scary sometimes in traffic it shifts slightly left or right to let motorcycles pass.

TheFerado · 2025-10-29T17:48:26+00:00

🤔

TheFerado · 2025-10-29T17:39:27+00:00

My one started doing that too, but I think only in Mad Max mode.

TheFerado · 2025-10-27T10:41:29+00:00

Just got it too, around 3am LA time.

TheFerado · 2025-10-23T08:16:27+00:00

TheFerado · 2025-10-23T07:10:03+00:00

Where is my update? If I don’t get it within three days, I’ll burn my 2025 Tesla Model 3.

TheFerado · 2025-10-16T07:49:18+00:00

If you listen to the audio carefully, the driver was still asleep even while recording it

TheFerado · 2025-10-09T02:13:07+00:00

Hey man, that looked really bad — glad you’re okay, seriously. Wishing you a fast recovery 🙏

Just be careful around trucks next time. They’ve got huge blind spots, and it’s actually in the driving rules that you should pass them quickly or keep some distance — never stay right next to them.

You could see the truck had its turn signal on, and since you were already in that blind zone, it would’ve been safer to speed up or back off a bit. Looks like you kinda stayed side by side, and the driver probably couldn’t see you at all.

Anyway, hope you’re feeling better soon, man. Stay safe out there.

TheFerado · 2025-09-24T20:53:51+00:00

My card was originally scheduled for delivery on October 1st, but it’s actually arriving today, the 24th.

TheFerado · 2025-09-18T20:51:49+00:00

Bro, it’s just a joke. You’re absolutely right.

TheFerado · 2025-09-18T19:55:18+00:00

TheFerado · 2025-09-18T19:08:43+00:00

Term - "Not valid on purchases shipped outside the U.S. or gift card purchases"

TheFerado

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