In March, Tesla President of Sales and Service Jon McNeill promised that the automaker would apply “brute force” in response to complaints about lengthy wait times in third-party Tesla-approved body shops.
In a letter posted on the Tesla Motors Club forum, McNeill said Tesla would add 300 approved body shops and eliminate poor-performing shops in short order.
The automaker also informed shops that it would it simplify the tooling and training requirements for the Tesla Approved Body Shop program. To that end, Tesla recently updated the tooling master list and operating standards for Tesla-approved body shops.
In the updated operating standards, Tesla says shops must maintain a minimum 96 percent CSI, a nine-day cycle time and a backlog of one week or less, while limiting the number of parts orders to two per repair order.
The document also states that MSOs with a primary location approved for structural repairs can apply for Tesla certification at non-structural satellite locations as well. To gain certification as a “satellite cosmetic repair location,” all technicians must complete a one-hour electric-vehicle safety course.
For both levels of certification, Tesla has phased out all requirements for on-site, instructor-led training in favor of online training.
Earlier this month, Tesla’s top executives also announced that the automaker would open the first Tesla-owned collision repair shops later this year.
