Tesla starts doing some of its own bodywork at service centers and mobile service

Tesla announced today that it is starting to do some of its own bodywork at service centers and with its mobile service technicians in order to reduce repair times.

Some Tesla owners had been complaining about repair time after accidents for a long time, but it came back to the forefront of Tesla news back in 2017.

It can sometimes take months for repairs to be completed.

Tesla placed the fault on its third-party body shops and the body shops are saying that it’s Tesla’s fault because of delays for parts.

At that time, Tesla moved some of its training programs online and it looked to certify more equipment in order to offer more options to shops. After the changes, the automaker said it was ‘adding 300 body shops to its network‘.

Despite those initiatives, Tesla owners are still reporting some long wait times with third-party body shops after body damages.

Last year, Tesla said that it would launch its own in-house ‘Body Repair Centers’ to reduce repair time.

Now the automaker is announcing that it is starting to do some of its own bodywork repairs at service centers and with its mobile service technicians.

Tesla wrote to owners in an email:

“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 automaker says that the available repairs through service centers and mobile service include:

• Paint scuffs and scratches
• Minor dents
• Bumper, fender, door, side mirrors and other bolt-on replacements

As we reported last week, Tesla let go of some service employees in a ‘restructuring’ effort.

Tesla is making it more difficult for owners to contact the service centers directly and instead, they are moving to online appointments and through their mobile app.

It’s also the case for this new body repair initiative:

“To have Tesla Service confirm your repair, select ‘Collision Repair’ in the Service Menu of your Tesla app and choose your desired appointment time. If Mobile Service is available, we will coordinate sending a technician to you.”

Earlier this year, the automaker launched a new live service status update feature through its mobile app.

Recently, Tesla has made several statements about expanding service after CEO Elon Musk admitted a ‘foolish oversight’ of Tesla’s service coverage and plans to open many more service centers around the world.

The CEO says that service centers and Supercharger stations are the main drivers of sales in new markets.