Marc Favreau

EV Body Repair Frustrations

So here’s a post I never expected or ever wanted to make.

I did what is seen to the right to my Polestar 2. Yes it actually was my fault. And as bad as it looks thankfully its all cosmetic and no one got hurt.

The post is not about my first accident in decades involving another car. What’s at issue is the absurd and truly frustrating experience I had getting the car repaired. Where and how to get body work is not a question one anticipates asking when getting a new car.

And I frankly in good conscience could not recommend what is a terrific car to anyone until after spending several months back and forth with Polestar Connect, which is the phone number you see below, and the key to what I’m going to tell you.

After the accident, I was able to get an estimate at one of two body shops recommended by my insurance company, and you see it here, just about $6,500. However, they called several days later declining the job because they couldn’t get information needed to actually do the repair. I was able to confirmed with them later that this was strictly about the proper handling of the high voltage battery.

EVs aren’t rocket ships — they are still primarily sheet metal and paint. But all EV manufacturers need to be forthcoming with whatever information is needed in order to work on their cars.

The two Polestar dealers in the area stated flatly that there was only one shop certified to work on the car. The dealers are part of the same dealer group and use the same shop.

Further, I was not allowed to simply go to that shop and get an estimate. No! The car needed to be put on a flat bed, trucked to the shop, after which an estimate would be done and the car would sit until parts arrived and the work was done!

It’s All Wrong

This is just wrong. First of all, being a part of this industry for 30 odd years, I can tell you the process goes like this: If the car is drivable, and mine was, one goes to the shop, gets an estimate, as I managed to do, and one returns home. Parts are ordered and when they arrive one drives the car back and leaves it for repair. A week, two weeks, three weeks later, depended on the damage, the car is done and one returns to pick it up.

I was in a rental car for 12 and half weeks. On the order of eight of those weeks were spent waiting for parts. This is simply not acceptable.

Second, not having a choice of body shops is a prescription for abuse. The original estimate, above, just about $6500. On the right is the certified shop’s estimate. This is not a joke, over $21,000! More than three times the original! A disclaimer is needed here as it is often the case that more damage is found once the work begins, but I don’t ever recall seeing a job jump by a factor of three!

To their credit, my insurer, #StateFarm, did not blink an eye. They get an A+. #PolestarCars on the other hand needed to be taken to task.

This is where the phone number shown comes in. As noted, I spent a good deal of time going back and forth with a Polestar rep looking to turn this on its head. They were in fact very helpful and went all the way to HQ in Sweden for a definitive answer, and it is this: Polestar is a spin off of Volvo and any Volvo store’s certified body shop can work on the car. In my area this alone triples the available options.

But it won’t be so simple. I tried to get an estimate from that local Volvo store before handing it over to the flatbed, only to be told they couldn’t work on the car. Turns out they’re wrong.

Secondly, in point of fact most new car dealers today regardless of manufacturer do not have thier own body shops and contract with local shops to do their work. A friend who drives a Lexus was sent by Lexus to the same shop I got the initial estimate from. In fact, that same shop is sometimes sent work from the local Volvo store.

So I’m going to go out on a limb and tell you that you can choose any decent body to do the work. They very likely have plenty of Volvo experience. So have your preferred body shop’s number handy, get on that Polestar connect number below and ask that a Technical Operations Specialist call your shop with the necessary information.

Better yet, don’t do what I did. Don’t get into an accident…

A final disclaimer: I had an accidental encounter with a staffing official from Polestar at a charging station. I relayed my story and he noted that they had a very difficult time getting good people in place at Polestar Connect, and that it was only staffed to his satisfaction in July of 2022, which is just about the time I had the accident. The representative I ultimately dealt with beginning in August was in fact terrific.

If you have your own experience with body repair on an electric car, good or bad, let us know in the comments below. Lets let the world know what’s happening so we can get it fixed. And if you’re getting push back from Polestar, leave us a comment here or send us a note. I’ll be more than happy to remind them of the results of my experience.

Marc Favreau

The author has 25 years of automotive experience and has assembled the most extensive collection of symbols and warning lights anywhere (over 1,000!) and can help you open and start any keyless start car with a dead key fob battery. BA, St. Joseph’s College, ME: MS, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, NY