Rich Rebuilds Electrified Garage repairs Model 3 at $15K+ discount

[Dolemite]

I wonder if this guy will get shafted for an "unauthorized repair," especially on a lease. Coming from a 20 year-old BMW that I kept on the road at minimal expense, this is the kind of thing that scares the hell out of me with this car. Mechanically, Teslae are insanely simple and should be stupid easy to work on. But if Tesla continues down the path of making it intentionally difficult for DIY/right-to-repair, it'll be my last one.

 

[kpeng]

I'm very happy to have an Electrified Garage just down the road from me here in Gainesville.

 

[Brando]

I wonder if this guy will get shafted for an "unauthorized repair," especially on a lease. Coming from a 20 year-old BMW that I kept on the road at minimal expense, this is the kind of thing that scares the hell out of me with this car. Mechanically, Teslae are insanely simple and should be stupid easy to work on. But if Tesla continues down the path of making it intentionally difficult for DIY/right-to-repair, it'll be my last one.

Will be interesting to see what Tesla does.
Sadly, what Lawyers do will probably matter more. Sue for the deepest pockets.
example: 16 year old kid NOT buckling/wearing seat belt - parents suing Tesla for his death.

 

[TM3blu]

Saw the video and thought. It's the owners fault. Accident and no insurance. BUT its a new car, and the repair was simple.
COME ON TESLA! This actually points to a flaw in the design. Shouldn't that area be better protected???
What scars me is, I've just passed 50K. What could go wrong?

 

[jjrandorin]

Im not watching the video (as I am not into watching most videos) but.....

The opening statement of this thread is:

I wonder if this guy will get shafted for an "unauthorized repair," especially on a lease.

Leasing a vehicle REQUIRES carrying a specific level of insurance, by the owner of the vehicle (who is not the person leasing it, but the company they are making the payments to). Is this video about someone driving a leased vehicle without the specific coverage that is required on a leased vehicle, then wrecking it, and somehow this is made out to be a tesla issue?

if so, yeah they probably will get hit with "unauthorized repair" if tesla finds out and puts 2 and 2 together (and making a youtube video about it is one of the dumbest things I can think of in this instance, because you run the risk of it getting popular and then them actually putting that 2 and 2 together).

Requiring authorized repairs on a lease is no different that someone renting a home wanting to add in a charger, and the owner of the home requiring that it be done by an electrician of the owners choosing, and permitted etc, vs the person renting the home saying "I know a guy who will give me a deal".

If you own the home (including making payments to the bank) then you are free to use "i know a guy". When YOU dont own it, and someone else does, THEY have the right to choose how THEIR property is repaired.

Repairing a leased vehicle doesnt have much to do with repairing a vehicle that someone owns, so if this is about a leased vehicle its a poor example to put forth for the topic of vehicle repairs.

 

[outdoors]

Many moving parts. I think the issue is many fold.

1. Most leases do require comprehensive and or collision to some degree. Not trying to get bogged down, but this guy I guess didn't check the box.
2. Concern it might not be an authorized repair, and be battery related thus loss of capabilities. Could hurt this owner or next owner via a retro story look up. A great Tesla quality.
3. Could Tesla maybe make it so the repair vs toss it mentality be better for consumer? Seems like in this case, it is either not of knowledge, or no master mechanic. Someone that knows how it works and can work on it. That may be against policy for numerous reasons. Legal being one.

Forums ebb and flow. I can say if I was stuck in this individuals situation, which would never happen. I would look for alternatives, and then finding out the repair(if valid) is this cheap would make me want to look to help others in similar situations. So yes it comes back on Tesla, as it is a Tesla product.

Kind of like throwing out an engine because a thread was stripped, then charging the customer for a new engine. Wouldn't fly for very long. Yet it still does in some strange cases.

 

[jjrandorin]

There is no ambiguity on what the insurance requirements are when leasing, either this vehicle or any other one. The manufacturer will make it very clear. For example here it is specifically in teslas website about leasing:

Tesla Leasing | Tesla Support

Tesla leasing offers affordable terms and convenient, monthly payment options to qualifying customers. When ordering your Tesla vehicle, select ‘Lease’ as your payment method.

www.tesla.com

No ambiguity at all, so if this person was leasing and somehow "didnt have coverage" that is a WILLFUL disregard for what they were supposed to be doing, and should be separated from any and all discussions about "right to repair" or anything like that, because the person leasing the car does not own it, so there is no "right to repair" on their part. They are not the owner.

The owner has specified what the repair stipulations are, etc. IF this is a lease, it is a very poor example to bring up for right to repair, because the "right" is the company that owns it.

Not having insurance on a leased vehicle is deliberate neglect, not an accident, or anything of the sort.

 

[Timbo2]

Im not watching the video (as I am not into watching most videos) but.....

The opening statement of this thread is:




Leasing a vehicle REQUIRES carrying a specific level of insurance, by the owner of the vehicle (who is not the person leasing it, but the company they are making the payments to). Is this video about someone driving a leased vehicle without the specific coverage that is required on a leased vehicle, then wrecking it, and somehow this is made out to be a tesla issue?

if so, yeah they probably will get hit with "unauthorized repair" if tesla finds out and puts 2 and 2 together (and making a youtube video about it is one of the dumbest things I can think of in this instance, because you run the risk of it getting popular and then them actually putting that 2 and 2 together).

Requiring authorized repairs on a lease is no different that someone renting a home wanting to add in a charger, and the owner of the home requiring that it be done by an electrician of the owners choosing, and permitted etc, vs the person renting the home saying "I know a guy who will give me a deal".

If you own the home (including making payments to the bank) then you are free to use "i know a guy". When YOU dont own it, and someone else does, THEY have the right to choose how THEIR property is repaired.

Repairing a leased vehicle doesnt have much to do with repairing a vehicle that someone owns, so if this is about a leased vehicle its a poor example to put forth for the topic of vehicle repairs.

From the video he switched carriers and dropped the comprehensive accidentally.

I’d just buy it out at the end of the lease. If he hadn’t made the YouTube video my guess is that Tesla and whoever it outsources its leasing returns processing would never have closed the loop if an authorized repair was completed.

Tesla seems vindictive when YouTube shamed so I doubt that he will get a pass now.

 

[Darmie]

I think there's some bad blood between Rich and Tesla. Tesla forgets that Rich is on their side. Let's face it though, there needs to be more people like Chris.
Tesla repair like this is a huge void. I think this is a great business opportunity for EG to step up to the plate and start pushing out a franchised business model. The knowledge that they already know can be shared with other garages along the way. There's got to be money in it. Heck, that's a lot to screw in a nipple but I guess he mentioned something about the towing fee.

As far as your question, did they state this was an "unauthorized repair?" Tesla's approach and Chris's approach was just different.
Let's go EG! Let's get this thing going. I need one in Houston so I can have them install the ghost.

 

[Darmie]

There is no ambiguity on what the insurance requirements are when leasing, either this vehicle or any other one. The manufacturer will make it very clear. For example here it is specifically in teslas website about leasing:

Tesla Leasing | Tesla Support

Tesla leasing offers affordable terms and convenient, monthly payment options to qualifying customers. When ordering your Tesla vehicle, select ‘Lease’ as your payment method.

www.tesla.com

View attachment 683864

No ambiguity at all, so if this person was leasing and somehow "didnt have coverage" that is a WILLFUL disregard for what they were supposed to be doing, and should be separated from any and all discussions about "right to repair" or anything like that, because the person leasing the car does not own it, so there is no "right to repair" on their part. They are not the owner.

The owner has specified what the repair stipulations are, etc. IF this is a lease, it is a very poor example to bring up for right to repair, because the "right" is the company that owns it.

Not having insurance on a leased vehicle is deliberate neglect, not an accident, or anything of the sort.

Yea, he did screw up on that.

 

[jjrandorin]

I’d just buy it out at the end of the lease. If he hadn’t made the YouTube video my guess is that Tesla and whoever it outsources its leasing returns processing would never have closed the loop if an authorized repair was completed.

Tesla seems vindictive when YouTube shamed so I doubt that he will get a pass now.

Problem with that is, this is a model 3, at least at this point, its not possible to buy it out at the end of the lease. I happen to agree 100% about making a youtube video about this being EXTREMELY stupid, unless this person is already a super popular youtuber and can absorb the cost of the vehicle as part of their brand / doing business, etc.

Back to the renting a house example, if someone jury rigged a wall connector in the garage of a home they were renting, its possible the owner of the home would never know it wasnt done by a licensed electrician, with permits, etc if they didnt pay attention. They could just see a wall connector, and assume everything "was done correctly".

If, however the renter made a youtube video about how much money they saved on this install, and detailed the fact they did it themselves... then someone saw that and forwarded it to the person who owned the home, NOW you have a situation. Same deal here. The dumb thing was posting about it.

 

[bjrosen]

From the video he switched carriers and dropped the comprehensive accidentally.

I’d just buy it out at the end of the lease. If he hadn’t made the YouTube video my guess is that Tesla and whoever it outsources its leasing returns processing would never have closed the loop if an authorized repair was completed.

Tesla seems vindictive when YouTube shamed so I doubt that he will get a pass now.

He can't buy it out, Tesla doesn't have that option in the lease agreement. Tesla is alone in this, every other lease agreement in the world has a buyout clause but not Tesla.

 

[bjrosen]

Saw the video and thought. It's the owners fault. Accident and no insurance. BUT its a new car, and the repair was simple.
COME ON TESLA! This actually points to a flaw in the design. Shouldn't that area be better protected???
What scars me is, I've just passed 50K. What could go wrong?

I agree it's a worrying design flaw. Running over something in the street shouldn't be enough to total a car. It's one thing if you are off roading it or abusing it in someway but this was caused by a perfectly normal obstruction in the street. Roads are full of potholes, you expect them to damage a wheel but not to wreak a $16000 battery pack, it should be better protected.

 

[Timbo2]

He can't buy it out, Tesla doesn't have that option in the lease agreement. Tesla is alone in this, every other lease agreement in the world has a buyout clause but not Tesla.

Yeah as you and @jjrandorin mentioned that’s not an option. I forgot that as it’s so unique here.

 

[roywo]

Main thing I learned from this video is that I need to go install my aluminum skid plate ASAP

 

[Dolemite]

Yeah I didn't intend for the lease thing to turn into the core focus. It's pretty clear something got hosed-up there between everyone involved.

The repair in question is what concerns me. The only "authorized" way to fix this is to replace the entire goddamn battery? iight. They took care of it in no time for like $2 in generic parts and $4 in tools. Granted, I'm not sure what flushing the coolant involves, but it can't be that complicated. Dumbass design.

Are any third parties even "authorized" to swap out a battery? Can't imagine that's rocket science, either. Just a PITA because it's half a ton.

 

[outdoors]

There is no ambiguity on what the insurance requirements are when leasing, either this vehicle or any other one. The manufacturer will make it very clear. For example here it is specifically in teslas website about leasing:

Tesla Leasing | Tesla Support

Tesla leasing offers affordable terms and convenient, monthly payment options to qualifying customers. When ordering your Tesla vehicle, select ‘Lease’ as your payment method.

www.tesla.com

View attachment 683864

No ambiguity at all, so if this person was leasing and somehow "didnt have coverage" that is a WILLFUL disregard for what they were supposed to be doing, and should be separated from any and all discussions about "right to repair" or anything like that, because the person leasing the car does not own it, so there is no "right to repair" on their part. They are not the owner.

The owner has specified what the repair stipulations are, etc. IF this is a lease, it is a very poor example to bring up for right to repair, because the "right" is the company that owns it.

Not having insurance on a leased vehicle is deliberate neglect, not an accident, or anything of the sort.

So lets say its not a lease. Are the points not valid? Simple fix, yet Tesla decides not to do this simple fix either by lack of knowledge of tech or some other reason. There is more than one point to the video that the guy didn't get the insurance. Asked and answered. On to the repair aspect.

 

[jjrandorin]

So lets say its not a lease. Are the points not valid? Simple fix, yet Tesla decides not to do this in many cases. There is more than one point to the video that the guy didn't get the insurance. Asked and answered. On to the repair aspect.

I have no idea what the points are in the video, as I didnt watch it. As I said, at the root, its a bad situation to hold up for "right to repair" because this video producer has no right to repair, because they dont own it.

If this was an owner without insurance, well then they took it someplace and got it repaired for less than tesla wanted to charge for it, end of story.

 

[jjrandorin]

Are any third parties even "authorized" to swap out a battery? Can't imagine that's rocket science, either. Just a PITA because it's half a ton.

I think that would be a question for an authorized body shop. I would imagine authorized body shops are able to do such a repair.

Ignoring the person in the video (because their situation is self made), one of the issues that tesla has with this is, electricity is VERY dangerous. It would only take 1 person to die working on their tesla, for it to be all over basically everywhere. "Whose fault it is" would not even matter. "The person did it to themselves" wouldnt matter.

Taking the tesla statement that they didnt want their service centers to be profit centers at face value (which I dont know if we can actually do, actually), they would have policies like this in place as much to protect the company as anything.

Now, if we dont want to take that statement ("we dont want service centers to be profit centers") at face value which is frankly where most people would likely fall on this, it would be similar to every other car manufacturer.

At some point, tesla is likely going to have to have some sort of certification for places like Electrified garage or other businesses, if they dont already have such a thing.

 

[bjrosen]

Yeah I didn't intend for the lease thing to turn into the core focus. It's pretty clear something got hosed-up there between everyone involved.

The repair in question is what concerns me. The only "authorized" way to fix this is to replace the entire goddamn battery? iight. They took care of it in no time for like $2 in generic parts and $4 in tools. Granted, I'm not sure what flushing the coolant involves, but it can't be that complicated. Dumbass design.

Are any third parties even "authorized" to swap out a battery? Can't imagine that's rocket science, either. Just a PITA because it's half a ton.

No such thing as an authorized repair shop only body shops. Replacing a battery is not body work and Tesla doesn't sell any parts aside from body panels.

This guy is going to get royally screwed when he turns the car in at the end of the lease. Even though this fix is likely to work just fine, because this is a lease car with no buyout he is going to have to buy a $16,000 battery when he gives the car back to Tesla. Tesla didn't authorize this repair, they said it needed a new battery and so when he turns the car back in they can demand the $16,000 to fix it. With any leased car you have to turn it in with no damage, you are responsible for any problems and any miles beyond the miles specified on the lease. Leasing from Tesla is a stupid idea, I don't know why anyone would do it. Because there is no buyout clause you can't just buy the car at the end, if you could then you could get away with this fix as long as you kept the car beyond the warranty period, in this case it's the battery warranty which is 8 years and 120,000 miles. Selling a car with this fix means that you will have to sell it without a warranty because Tesla is not likely to honor the warranty on a car with an unauthorized fix.