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

[variable]

After watching the whole video, the main things that I'm interested in are:

1. The likelihood of this particular issue occurring in another car, especially in SR+ vs. LR/P Model 3s that have the front motor (and for those who say the motor would deflect the road debris -- you're cool with your motor serving that particular function?)
2. Why no stress testing was done on the nipple if it's not a replaceable part (we all know the answer to this one, methinks)
3. Why the protective shield, isn't, well, protecting from road debris. It has one job to do, and it's not like roads in the United States are well maintained and free from debris. This is why fuel tanks in ICE cars are designed the way that they are, so you don't hit a chunk of gravel and then start leaking fuel all over the road.
4. Whether or not the NHTSA might consider this a recall defect, given it can curb the vehicle, or cause a loss of power during driving if the car decides to shut down due to a detected coolant issue.

Kudos to EG for the clever fix, though. I think Tesla needs to move beyond service-by-lowest-common-denominator, especially with the increase in competition from the big players who actually have a real service center network with their independent dealers. They can't say they don't have the money at this point.

 

[wooter]

big players who actually have a real service center network with their independent dealers

Big players won't let their service center network open their battery packs either. They'll only allow it by trained engineers, and you're lucky to find one trained engineer to work on high voltage BEV's at your current OEM dealership, let alone if he's allowed to open the battery pack (he isn't).

 

[CertLive]

Is it true that Tesla withdrew Rich’s free Roadster when he must have sold a lot of Tesla’s through his code? I find that rather childish. I really do not think putting together second hand cars and trying to get parts is any reason to deny someone a well earned prize.

 

[dmurphy]

This is one of the *infinite* reasons why no one should ever lease a car without ensuring their insurance is in proper order.

Fixed that for you. And is the entire crux of the issue here.

I’m sympathetic to the driver in the video; it was a simple paperwork mistake. But he’s got to own it. He done messed up A-A-Ron!

If I were in his shoes and made this mistake … I’d 1) get the same EG repair done. 2) start saving my pennies for possibly having to buy a battery at lease turn-in. and 3) Hope like hell it’s a non-issue when I turn the car back on and then I can blow my pennies from #2 on a kick-butt vacation.

 

[bjrosen]

Don't you think that if Tesla allowed more third party service into the fold, it would be better for the owner community overall? And prices would come down and service quality would improve?

That's a separate question from the issue here. Personally I think that Tesla's insistence on doing all service themselves is a huge mistake. Service is the one area where Tesla is far worse than the legacy brands. Start with access, or lack there of. They hardly have any service centers, in all of New England there are only two both on Route 128 in MA. Even for people who live in Eastern MA it's not convenient, I live on 495 and I'm an hour away from the nearest center. For people who live in Maine, Vermont, Western MA, Northern NH they are many hours away. By contrast I have three Chevy Dealers within 15 minutes of where I live, everybody has a Chevy Dealer (or any other major brand) within 15 minutes of where they live. Then there are wait times which are excessive with Tesla, in my experience if you have a good dealer and you have an emergency they'll find a way to fit you in the next day. The other thing about having multiple dealers and independent mechanics is that it one sucks you can take it to someone else until you find somebody who is competent.
The big problem with Tesla doing it all themselves is that they can't afford to build enough service centers. The legacy companies don't pay to set up dealerships, just the opposite dealers have to pay a franchise fee to them that's why there are a lot of them. If Tesla offered training and an authorized repair program they could have service available everywhere. An independent shop already has most of the equiptment that they need, that's money that Tesla doesn't have to spend. Their economic calculation is also different, a small two lift shop in Burlington VT (or someplace like that) would find Tesla service a worthwhile addition to there existing business and some of them would jump at the chance to take a Tesla training course so that they could become an authorized repair facility. For Service Centers Tesla has to determine if they sell enough cars in an particular area to justify the expense. This is a bit of a chicken and an egg problem, because of the lack of Service Centers they sell a lot fewer cars in Burlington VT or Portland ME, because they sell fewer cars there building a Service Center doesn't make sense. Opening up to third parties would fix the problem.

 

[Dolemite]

But they did, no? The problem was fixed by a 3rd party.

The issue here is that the unauthorised fix was done on a car that's not owned by the driver.

I imagine we'd face the same repercussions if we owned our cars outright, but were still under warranty. Having an expansive network of third-party shops that can make qualified repairs would bring costs down for everyone.

 

[sightman]

Is it true that Tesla withdrew Rich’s free Roadster when he must have sold a lot of Tesla’s through his code? I find that rather childish. I really do not think putting together second hand cars and trying to get parts is any reason to deny someone a well earned prize.

Yes. This happened a while back. He did a whole video on it. That’s how many ppl bought Tesla’s from his referral link. Actually his entire referral code was black listed.

 

[Dolemite]

Yes. This happened a while back. He did a whole video on it. That’s how many ppl bought Tesla’s from his referral link. Actually his entire referral code was black listed.

I, too, would exit the brand after something like that. He actually took it pretty well - I'd have gone on a crusade.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I, too, would exit the brand after something like that. He actually took it pretty well - I'd have gone on a crusade.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a legal battle brewing that he's unable to comment on until a settlement has been made.

 

[wooter]

I imagine we'd face the same repercussions if we owned our cars outright, but were still under warranty. Having an expansive network of third-party shops that can make qualified repairs would bring costs down for everyone.

Those things are called dealers with the OEMs, and generally to maintain warranty they will all charge similar rates and offer approved solutions like switching out the faulty component instead of offering a hack. You can only go freewheeling like threading plastic coolant nipples on a car without warranty; no OEM dealer wants to be caught with a hack like that by another OEM dealer.

 

[RobDickinson]

So a post on r/BoltEV how someone ran over a rock and now has a $20k bill for repair, will this make the news?

will it ****.

 

[bjrosen]

So a post on r/BoltEV how someone ran over a rock and now has a $20k bill for repair, will this make the news?

will it ****.

Yes it will make news. The two Bolt fires last week made news. Corvette dealers marking up the C8 by $40,000 made news. The Bolt fires made the general interest news, the Rich Rebuild story only made the EV news sites.

 

[RobDickinson]

Yes it will make news. The two Bolt fires last week made news. Corvette dealers marking up the C8 by $40,000 made news. The Bolt fires made the general interest news, the Rich Rebuild story only made the EV news sites.

Its on CNBC thats not an ev news site, and no this repair wont make the news. The fires have but not to anywhere near the extent a tesla fire would even though GM is dodging their responsibilities like mad and treating their customers like crap.

 

[CertLive]

Yes. This happened a while back. He did a whole video on it. That’s how many ppl bought Tesla’s from his referral link. Actually his entire referral code was black listed.

I am a little shocked at how childish Tesla have been. I have now watched the other video and didn't realise Tesla would treat a customer this way. But then if they manage the customers like the quality of my model 3 build what else does one now expect. Time to sell my shares and good luck to Rich some really interesting content and glad he made a business out of it too. Keep this debate going it speaks volumes. I mean black list someone bringing in business because they expose the true cost of out of warranty ownership…. next someone will get banned from supercharging because they used the non tesla spec washing fluid.

 

[jjrandorin]

(moderator note)

I will remind people that posting both positive and negative opinions on any specific topic is allowed, however any and all discussion needs to be focused on the TOPIC and not toward an individual poster, whether you agree with them or not.

Feel free to debate, as long as it stays respectful.

 

[Watts_Up]

Why the protective shield, isn't, well, protecting from road debris. It has one job to do, and it's not like roads in the United States are well maintained and free from debris. This is why fuel tanks in ICE cars are designed the way that they are, so you don't hit a chunk of gravel and then start leaking fuel all over the road.

This seems to be a design flaw which should be fixed: An essential part, such as the propulsion battery should be protected from damages, especially when there is a risk of fire.

A very simple and inexpensive fix could be provided by adding an extra bracket, or to beef up the existing cover, to protect the plastic conduit.
This seems needed especially in the case of a RWD version.

I remember an issue with the very first Model S where a piece of metal on the road punctured the battery, and I think a fire get triggered.
Tesla added an extra layer shield (may be made of Kevlar) to mitigate similar problem.
There was even a tweet from Elon Musk mentionning the fix.

Tesla Model S catches fire after battery puncture, Musk responds

A Tesla Model S caught fire on the highway recently after its bottom-mounted battery compartment was struck by a piece of metal. That piece of metal punched a three-inch hole through quarter-inch armor plating, impaling the car with a "peak force on the order of 25 tons" according to company CEO...

www.engadget.com

 

[Dolemite]

Those things are called dealers with the OEMs, and generally to maintain warranty they will all charge similar rates and offer approved solutions like switching out the faulty component instead of offering a hack. You can only go freewheeling like threading plastic coolant nipples on a car without warranty; no OEM dealer wants to be caught with a hack like that by another OEM dealer.

Plenty of those in sight with Tesla.

 

[solar3]

The area where the road debris hit is covered (skip to 13:50). How did whatever debris get through it?

Think we should be thankful here that his insurance didn't have pay a $16K claim, could've jacked up the premium for everyone. Also, Tesla should've verified that his policy meets minimum coverage at delivery.

 

[sightman]

This seems to be a design flaw which should be fixed: An essential part, such as the propulsion battery should be protected from damages, especially when there is a risk of fire.

A very simple and inexpensive fix could be provided by adding an extra bracket, or to beef up the existing cover, to protect the plastic conduit.
This seems needed especially in the case of a RWD version.

I remember an issue with the very first Model S where a piece of metal on the road punctured the battery, and I think a fire get triggered.
Tesla added an extra layer shield (may be made of Kevlar) to mitigate similar problem.
There was even a tweet from Elon Musk mentionning the fix.

Tesla Model S catches fire after battery puncture, Musk responds

A Tesla Model S caught fire on the highway recently after its bottom-mounted battery compartment was struck by a piece of metal. That piece of metal punched a three-inch hole through quarter-inch armor plating, impaling the car with a "peak force on the order of 25 tons" according to company CEO...

www.engadget.com

May be a design issue. However that shield in the 3 is purely for aero. It is not a skid plate or meant to offer protection.

 

[bjrosen]

Mountain Pass Performance sells a skid plate for the 3/Y, the i1Tesla guy has a video where he claims that his Y survived some serious off roading without damage, he also had their lift kit so there was a lot more ground clearance.