- Joined
- Apr 15, 2022
- Messages
- 52
- Cars
- Lucid Grand Touring
I was unfortunately rearended on the freeway in the East Bay this week. It was during the rush hour, so lots of cars whizzing along. The Tesla in front of me stopped suddenly. I was sufficiently behind him to be able to come to a complete stop. Not so with the guy behind me, who reardended my GT. CJ at Lucid could not have been more helpful in arranging to have the car worked on. I took it to Chilton’s in San Carlos, where Mike showed me the shop and took me to see a Lucid that had more extensive damage than mine. That car had both the front and rear ends removed, enabling one to get a “cutaway” view of the works. I thought that you might be interested in seeing some of this. Hopefully I’ll be able to caption the pictures to give you a better sense of them.
My car, showing the damage. Mike pointed out that the car behind me was braking heavily, as the front end of his car “dove under” the rear end of mine. The “guts” of the car sit between the front and rear wheels, meaning that the battery pack, etc was (hopefully) not damaged.View attachment C2CF71FE-2080-43C9-AFC6-DCD30ABF61B3.jpegThe area in green above the wheels indicates a crimp in the fender that, honestly, I might have missed. Once pointed out, it is glaringly obvious. I show you this as a something to keep in mind.View attachment 373F3C00-B0A4-4293-B135-B7FEBABD5CF8.jpegThis is a view of the front end of a Lucid which is in the midst of a major repair. You can see the motor in position. Below it appear to be brake rotors/axles that have been dropped down from their usual location. The battery pack (not visible) runs the length of the car between the wheels and, as you know from Peter’s video, is an integral part of the frame. It weighs something like 1100 pounds. Other car parts are on the floor of the garage.View attachment 5D38A980-05C5-41EE-86F4-A253B6833DC6.jpegHere’s the rear end of the same car.
Finally, you’re likely asking, “how long to do the repair?” The answer won’t surprise you: it depends on part availability. What I was told was that Lucid is doing a pretty good job at getting parts to the repair shops right now. I may have the car back in weeks, or it may be a few months. There is a Mazda in the shop at Childton’s that has been awaiting parts since February. Hopefully that won’t be the case here.
Finally, we never think about crash protection. I’m 77, and this is the first accident I’ve ever been involved in. From an engineering perspective, the car did exactly what it was designed to do: it absorbed and dissipated energy by destroying parts of itself. Despite the significant damage, all I felt at the time was a slight bump. I hope that this never happens to any of you, but rest assured that if it does, the car has been designed to work on your behalf.
Again, my thanks to CJ at Lucid and Mike and George at Chilton’s in San Carlos who have all been so helpful.
Finally, you’re likely asking, “how long to do the repair?” The answer won’t surprise you: it depends on part availability. What I was told was that Lucid is doing a pretty good job at getting parts to the repair shops right now. I may have the car back in weeks, or it may be a few months. There is a Mazda in the shop at Childton’s that has been awaiting parts since February. Hopefully that won’t be the case here.
Finally, we never think about crash protection. I’m 77, and this is the first accident I’ve ever been involved in. From an engineering perspective, the car did exactly what it was designed to do: it absorbed and dissipated energy by destroying parts of itself. Despite the significant damage, all I felt at the time was a slight bump. I hope that this never happens to any of you, but rest assured that if it does, the car has been designed to work on your behalf.
Again, my thanks to CJ at Lucid and Mike and George at Chilton’s in San Carlos who have all been so helpful.
