Tesla key card at a body shop: what to know before a multi-week repair

Collision work runs in weeks, not hours, and that changes what handing over a key card means. The card is a full drive credential with no expiry, no PIN, and no notification. A Tesla holds up to 19 keys, so the card you left in March is still valid in November unless someone deletes it.

Tesla publishes no per-card usage log, and there is no remote wipe. Deletion happens only at the vehicle's touchscreen under Controls > Locks. The practical version: photograph the odometer at drop-off, ask for the card back at pickup, and delete it from the key list while you are standing at the car.

LAST REVIEWED OCTOBER 16, 2026

How long can a body shop keep my Tesla key card?

For as long as the repair runs, and nothing on the card limits it. A card has no expiry, no PIN, and no notification, and a Tesla holds up to 19 keys, so a card left at drop-off is still a valid drive credential weeks later unless someone deletes it. Collision work runs in weeks, not hours, which is why the hand-back matters more here than at a one-day tint appointment.

Up to 19 keys per vehicle; the card you left in March is still on the list in November.
No expiry, no PIN, no notification when the card is used.
No per-card usage log and no remote wipe.
Removal: Controls > Locks, at the car, trash icon next to the key.

Can I see who drove my Tesla while it was at the body shop with my key card?

Not from the card. Tesla publishes no per-card usage log, so nothing records which of the car's keys unlocked or drove it. Your own evidence is the odometer reading and photographs you take at drop-off, compared with the same two things at pickup.

For the fuller treatment of what the card does and does not report, see can you track a Tesla key card.

Should I use Valet Mode at a body shop instead of leaving a key card?

No. Valet Mode locks the frunk and the glovebox, and a collision, PPF, or wrap crew needs the frunk open. A key card also still drives the car in Valet Mode, so it restricts the car without removing the credential. Valet Mode is a stand tool, not a repair-shop default.

The two modes shops confuse are compared in Valet Mode vs Service Mode.

What should I agree with the body shop before a multi-week stay?

Three things besides the key: a charging plan, a Sentry Mode setting, and how access ends. Owner forums carry threads about cars sitting at body shops for months with both the high-voltage pack and the 12V battery dead, so ask who is notified if the state of charge falls. Tesla says Sentry can increase power consumption and is unavailable in Low Power Mode on the current Model Y, so agree a setting rather than assuming one.

Photograph the odometer and the car's condition yourself at drop-off. It is the one record you control.
Ask for the shop's charging plan, and who is notified if the state of charge falls.
Agree a Sentry Mode setting rather than assuming one. It is not a guarantee that an incident will be recorded or prevented.
Decide how the shop gets in, and who at the shop is accountable for the card.

How do I end the shop's access at pickup?

Ask for the card back, then delete it from the key list while you are standing at the car: Controls > Locks, and the trash icon next to that key. A card cannot be remotely wiped, so removal happens only at the vehicle's touchscreen. If you also authorized a third-party app, that is a second control in your Tesla account; a shop closing its own visit record does not establish that either was cleared.

A third-party app authorization through Tesla's own consent screen is the one option that is scoped and revocable from your phone; see how to give a shop access to your Tesla.