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

[Gauss Guzzler]

The YouTube video isn't the problem. The Tesla salesperson isn't going to remember this guy from YouTube 3 years later and decide to hassle him.

The problem is that he brought it to the dealer for an estimate. Every estimate goes down on your permanent record but this one will be flagged as "$16K Repair Declined" and will be the first thing they see when he returns the lease. This isn't a Tesla specific thing, if you leased a Buick and brought it in with a blown engine, declined the repair and then just showed up a few years later acting like nothing happened they would take the same issue.

This is one of the *infinite* reasons why no one should ever lease a car.

 

[outdoors]

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.

I guess I was just going with the title of the thread. Not an insurance discussion or a lease vs. buy discussion.

Coming from somebody that was told that I needed a whole steering rack replacement on my Model S to the tune of close to $3800ish which I bought the part in hand from Tesla for $285 and fixed it with another $300 worth of labor(some mine), and no steering rack was required to be replaced. Lazy Tesla.

And I mean come on if you're going to comment watch the video, as much as I hate watching YouTube videos about Tesla.

 

[jjrandorin]

The YouTube video isn't the problem. The Tesla salesperson isn't going to remember this guy from YouTube 3 years later and decide to hassle him.

The problem is that he brought it to the dealer for an estimate. Every estimate goes down on your permanent record but this one will be flagged as "$16K Repair Declined" and will be the first thing they see when he returns the lease. This isn't a Tesla specific thing, if you leased a Buick and brought it in with a blown engine, declined the repair and then just showed up a few years later acting like nothing happened they would take the same issue.

This is one of the *infinite* reasons why no one should ever lease a car.

You are right that no one has to flag them for the video, my thought was that someone from tesla would see the video and note it in the account for the person. They dont even have to do that, its already there, as you mention.

The only part I disagree with (which is rare, because I normally agree with almost everything you post), is that this is evidence of a reason to not lease a car. Normally, a person would have proper insurance for the leased vehicle, would take it to wherever the manufacturer says, pay their deductible, and turn the car in at the end of the lease (all brands, not just tesla).

People would hold up major repair damage and not having to worry about keeping the vehicle long term as a positive in most of those discussions, actually.

There are all sorts of reasons that people take sides on for lease vs buy (and that isnt this thread, I am well aware), but repairs due to insurance or lack thereof usually isnt a consideration.

I think the original point of "this is too expensive of a quoted repair, look how cheap someone else fixed it for" is lost in THIS specific instance, because of the particulars around this specific instance.

 

[jjrandorin]

I guess I was just going with the title of the thread. Not an insurance discussion or a lease vs. buy discussion.

Coming from somebody that was told that I needed a whole steering rack replacement on my Model S to the tune of close to $3800ish which I bought the part in hand from Tesla for $285 and fixed it with another $300 worth of labor(some mine), and no steering rack was required to be replaced. Lazy Tesla.

And I mean come on if you're going to comment watch the video, as much as I hate watching YouTube videos about Tesla.

I got the cliff notes on the video from this thread:

• Guy leases tesla, somehow "makes a mistake" in transferring insurance and doesnt have comprehensive coverage on vehicle
• Guy runs over "something" damages battery.
• Guy takes it to tesla, tesla quotes 16k to fix. Guy would have to pay out of pocket because leased vehicle is noot covered
• Guy takes car to rich rebuilds and gets car repaired for much less.. going by the thread title, somewhere around 1k.

And yeah I see what you mean about going from the thread title. I got hung up on the description in the first post, regarding the quote about "I wonder if he is going to get slammed on lease return" with my mind saying "yes, he is, of course he is, and thats his fault" and I lost sight of the other discussion.

 

[freeAgent]

I got the cliff notes on the video from this thread:

• Guy leases tesla, somehow "makes a mistake" in transferring insurance and doesnt have comprehensive coverage on vehicle
• Guy runs over "something" damages battery.
• Guy takes it to tesla, tesla quotes 16k to fix. Guy would have to pay out of pocket because leased vehicle is noot covered
• Guy takes car to rich rebuilds and gets car repaired for much less.. going by the thread title, somewhere around 1k.

And yeah I see what you mean about going from the thread title. I got hung up on the description in the first post, regarding the quote about "I wonder if he is going to get slammed on lease return" with my mind saying "yes, he is, of course he is, and thats his fault" and I lost sight of the other discussion.

He didn't damage the battery. He damaged a plastic piece that's part of the battery's coolant system. The battery itself was completely fine. They wanted to replace the battery pack because the particular piece he damaged is integrated into the pack. The fix was to essentially split the part in two where it cracked, thread them, and use a little brass piece between them (along with thread sealant/lock) to connect the pieces back together. They say this won't cause a problem (and have done it before for cars that have since driven for years and tens of thousands of miles without issue) because the coolant is very low pressure in the Model 3, so there's not much concern about pressure causing problems down the road. Based on what I saw of the repair and how they did it, I'm inclined to believe them. This should be a non-issue going forward.

 

[jjrandorin]

He didn't damage the battery. He damaged a plastic piece that's part of the battery's coolant system. The battery itself was completely fine. They wanted to replace the battery pack because the particular piece he damaged is integrated into the pack. The fix was to essentially split the part in two where it cracked, thread them, and use a little brass piece between them (along with thread sealant/lock) to connect the pieces back together. They say this won't cause a problem (and have done it before for cars that have since driven for years and tens of thousands of miles without issue) because the coolant is very low pressure in the Model 3, so there's not much concern about pressure causing problems down the road. Based on what I saw of the repair and how they did it, I'm inclined to believe them. This should be a non-issue going forward.

No, it will absolutely 100% be an issue when he goes to turn this car in, and as @Gauss Guzzler noted, they see "16k battery pack replacement declined" in the notes for the car. If I was that person, I would try to sell that car to carvana, vroom, etc.. quickly. Problem with that might be that there might a document one signs there talking about damage, etc.

The only way they can avoid paying for it at some point, is if tesla reverses course on this and allows people to buy their own model 3s coming off lease.

 

[Brando]

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

some Teslas already have titanium protection (maybe a bar?) Check with Tesla.

 

[DaveRZ]

Everyone relax a bit

I'm sure even Tesla will ultimately find it ridiculous that a 16K battery pack is "junked" because a small plastic coolant nipple has cracked. Eventually, someone will write the official procedure for fixing such a simple problem and it'll be a permissible fix - for now, the pack is only serviceable as an entire unit.

These types of videos are a GOOD THING! People need to see this, no matter how you feel about Tesla (I'm a fan!). This type of thing will force better engineering of the cooling passages (and better protection around the pack). I'm pretty sure Elon would find it incredibly wasteful to change a battery pack to fix a coolant jacket.

Seriously though the issue here isn't about insurance and leased cars, that's just an unfortunate circumstance. The real issue here is that this damage could happen to any of us, and Tesla is telling you that you have to pay for a whole new battery pack. Oh, and BTW: you aren't allowed to keep the old pack either, even though you're paying for a new pack (according to the video). I'm pretty sure MOST people would be 100% fine with a simple and effective fix like the one in the video. Their fix is likely as strong as the original plastic part that broke. Refill the coolant and you're on your way again.

Seriously, imagine if the water neck on your ICE car cracked and GM/Toyota/Ford is telling you the only way to fix it is to replace the entire engine! (sorry, we only sell complete engines!). Instead, there should be a serviceable part for stuff that is prone to breaking, and/or a procedure to do simple repairs when it is reasonable to do so.

 

[hpartsch]

some Teslas already have titanium protection (maybe a bar?) Check with Tesla.

Sounds like his car is really new...

 

[Young_0z]

Very interesting video and situation. So my question is, now that the car is repaired, can he now add the insurance that he accidentally removed? Can and will that help the situation?

 

[Saabstory88]

At this current point, Tesla performing this kind of repair in the field is a huge liability. Sure, this part shouldn't brick a pack for good., there is no good technical reason why it can not in principle be fixed. Back at the factory, it probably will and be returned to service as a warranty replacement pack. That being said, as fast as the company changes their product they probably see it as impractical train all of their employees across all service centers to handle these HV devices. As stressed as the SC's are, when are they going to give their 1000's of techs time for the in depth training which will be obsoleted in a month? Additionally, even if the repair is technically feasible, there is still a small chance that the random repair tech on site makes a mistake, botches the cooling system, and the pack burns to the ground wiping out billions of dollars from the market cap. This is probably the real reason they want to do all of the battery / drivetrain repair in the controlled environment of the factory. It's a modification to the pack, not a straight part swap.

In terms of a core charge, I'm sure that the company doesn't have anything against that in principle, but simply lacks an internal mechanism to make that happen, and has assigned no one to thinking about it. Never attribute to malice what can better be explained by startup mentality disorganization.

 

[smatthew]

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).

And we know Tesla watches Rich Rebuilds.........

Plus Tesla wrote out a quote to repair the vehicle. They literally have evidence of the damage listed in their computer system.

 

[GPinzone]

There needs to be a sticky: NO MANUFACTURER CAN VOID THEIR WARRANTY IF YOU REPAIR THE PRODUCT YOURSELF. This has been the law since the 70s. The Manufacturer has to PROVE the repair or modification you did caused the failure. You do NOT have to prove your innocence.

 

[stopcrazypp]

There needs to be a sticky: NO MANUFACTURER CAN VOID THEIR WARRANTY IF YOU REPAIR THE PRODUCT YOURSELF. This has been the law since the 70s. The Manufacturer has to PROVE the repair or modification you did caused the failure. You do NOT have to prove your innocence.

They can't void their whole warranty (although plenty attempt to do so, the law is one thing, what they do in practical terms is another), but they certainly can void the part that was repaired using unauthorized methods (basically if something goes wrong with that part, they will blame the repair being done improperly). But the warranty is not really the issue here. People are discussing when the car is returned after the lease, the driver may run into trouble.

 

[sightman]

Everyone relax a bit

I'm sure even Tesla will ultimately find it ridiculous that a 16K battery pack is "junked" because a small plastic coolant nipple has cracked. Eventually, someone will write the official procedure for fixing such a simple problem and it'll be a permissible fix - for now, the pack is only serviceable as an entire unit.

These types of videos are a GOOD THING! People need to see this, no matter how you feel about Tesla (I'm a fan!). This type of thing will force better engineering of the cooling passages (and better protection around the pack). I'm pretty sure Elon would find it incredibly wasteful to change a battery pack to fix a coolant jacket.

Seriously though the issue here isn't about insurance and leased cars, that's just an unfortunate circumstance. The real issue here is that this damage could happen to any of us, and Tesla is telling you that you have to pay for a whole new battery pack. Oh, and BTW: you aren't allowed to keep the old pack either, even though you're paying for a new pack (according to the video). I'm pretty sure MOST people would be 100% fine with a simple and effective fix like the one in the video. Their fix is likely as strong as the original plastic part that broke. Refill the coolant and you're on your way again.

Seriously, imagine if the water neck on your ICE car cracked and GM/Toyota/Ford is telling you the only way to fix it is to replace the entire engine! (sorry, we only sell complete engines!). Instead, there should be a serviceable part for stuff that is prone to breaking, and/or a procedure to do simple repairs when it is reasonable to do so.

I second your rational thoughts and points! Ridiculous to brick the battery because a $20 hose broke.

 

[Darmie]

If Tesla can do this, then there should be no problem with how Chris did the repair. I think it was very professional. More so then below.

 

[bjrosen]

No, it will absolutely 100% be an issue when he goes to turn this car in, and as @Gauss Guzzler noted, they see "16k battery pack replacement declined" in the notes for the car. If I was that person, I would try to sell that car to carvana, vroom, etc.. quickly. Problem with that might be that there might a document one signs there talking about damage, etc.

The only way they can avoid paying for it at some point, is if tesla reverses course on this and allows people to buy their own model 3s coming off lease.

He can't sell the car, it's not his it's Tesla's. He doesn't have and never will have title to the car.

Very interesting video and situation. So my question is, now that the car is repaired, can he now add the insurance that he accidentally removed? Can and will that help the situation?

He can and must add comprehensive insurance coverage, it's required by the lease. However no insurance company is going to cover a preexisting condition so he's still stuck having to cover the cost of the battery when he turns the car in. Tesla isn't going to cover any battery failure that occurs in the future, the 8 year battery warranty is void because of the unauthorized repair. He's basically screwed because he messed up when he switched policies and there is no unscrewing possible.

 

[wooter]

Yeah, on a "is it fixed" level, it's fixed.

On a lease level, the guy is risking a problem, but at least he can now budget for it, instead of having to emergency sell his race car to get his daily driver running again.

What I wonder are 2 things:

• how did the nipple fix still cost $700? Or are we talking the total price of shipping the car a few states over? Or are we talking about the fix is $5 in parts and $695 in expertise?
• Would the $16000 price be for a replaced battery, while Tesla holds to the faulty battery pack? And is a new battery pack and keeping the old one more expensive? Or did Tesla go wrong here with quoting $16000 as cost for a new battery pack, and keeping the old pack for free?

 

[krishna3812]

He can't sell the car, it's not his it's Tesla's. He doesn't have and never will have title to the car.

He can and must add comprehensive insurance coverage, it's required by the lease. However no insurance company is going to cover a preexisting condition so he's still stuck having to cover the cost of the battery when he turns the car in. Tesla isn't going to cover any battery failure that occurs in the future, the 8 year battery warranty is void because of the unauthorized repair. He's basically screwed because he messed up when he switched policies and there is no unscrewing possible.

If there is any battery issue in future tesla have to prove that it's due to this repair to void warranty or else it's just like any warranty repair.

 

[ThomasD]

In a lease or finance if you don't have the proper insurance to cover a loss the finance company will add insurance to your car and force you to pay for it with higher car payment. I don't understand how this person got away with not having the correct insurance on a leased car