Scottish couple facing $33k repair bill after driving Tesla in heavy rain(carexpert.com.au)

71 pointsby kklisura3 tahun yang lalu63 comments

carexpert.com.au

Scottish couple facing $33k repair bill after driving Tesla in heavy rain

https://www.carexpert.com.au/car-news/scottish-couple-facing-33k-repair-bill-after-driving-tesla-in-heavy-rain

67 comments

Happened to my friend in a 2017 or 2018 model S earlier this year. Drove through a large puddle, not like deep standing water, and after the stopped the car it wouldn’t start back. Water had gotten into the motor case and tripped a sensor. Whole thing shut down. Only fix was replacing the assembly.

Essentially this issue, https://insideevs.com/news/534878/tesla-models-motor-fail-ra...

culi3 tahun yang lalu

> Only fix was replacing the assembly.

This is nuts. And tbqh hard to believe. Part of me thinks the lack of mechanic knowledge around Teslas make it really easy to exploit owners. With most other vehicles, you can usually cross check with other mechanics

alex_lav3 tahun yang lalu

> Part of me thinks the lack of mechanic knowledge around Teslas make it really easy to exploit owners.

This has nothing to do with Tesla or mechanic knowledge, as actual mechanics working on non-Teslas routinely scam owners. Scumbags are just always going to exploit people without knowledge.

culi3 tahun yang lalu

Again,

> With most other vehicles, you can usually cross check with other mechanics

This is simply harder to do with Teslas given the specialized knowledge needed

alex_lav3 tahun yang lalu

If your assertion is that increased competition would reduce exploitation, I’ve got some really incredible snake oil to sell you…

cehuwjud3 tahun yang lalu

wongarsu3 tahun yang lalu

I know ICEs don't take well to being flooded either, but still I feel like "water ingress damaged the battery" should fall under warranty in basically all cases. Driving in rain and through puddles is in the normal operating conditions of a car, and having the battery water tight and with good self-protection sounds very doable (as opposed to making a combustion engine watertight, or corrosion, or wear-and-tear).

expazl3 tahun yang lalu

Believe it or not, but if you manage to damage your engine by driving through deep water that snot under warrenty either, unless you own an ambitious vehicle. There is this incredibly odd and incridibly forced mentality in drivers of "Well I was on the road and I need to get from point A to point B, so nomatter the conditions I can't be faulted for driving through them". But if you drive through deep water and damage your car that's very much your own wrong doing and your own bill at the end of the day. And if it happens that there is no way from point A to point B that doesn't have the potential of damaging your car then you need to just not go at all.

heavyset_go3 tahun yang lalu

Even Tesla said it wasn't the drivers fault and there's no evidence that the drivers drove through "deep water":

> “After finally getting to speak to a manager, he told me [the battery] had water in it due to the fact the weather in Scotland has been so bad. That was the issue. They said it’s not necessarily my fault but it’s not Tesla’s to pay under warranty. He reminded me there was a yellow weather warning in some parts of Scotland,” one of the owners told Edinburgh Live.

Besides, Tesla's CEO disagrees that "deep water" is a problem[2]:

> A Tesla works as a boat for short periods of time, as an electric car has no air intake or exhaust to block & battery/motor/electronics are water-sealed. Submarines are just underwater EVs.

[2] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1221176639339425792

stetrain3 tahun yang lalu

That doesn't actually say that the owner didn't drive it through deep water. The articles I have seen on this incident seem to very carefully tiptoe around what actually happened to the car.

gustavus3 tahun yang lalu

"Now you listen here mister insurance man, I'd been out drinking and had to get to work in 20 minutes, the car should've been able to handle that."

"There was an overturned oil tanker and the road was on fire and it was a blizzard sir."

"While no one said the car couldn't not do that. In fact I seen it before once on the Dukes o' Hazards show and so if you don't cover it that's false advertisin'."

"...."

throw3108223 tahun yang lalu

Seems the distinction is basically "water coming from above" vs "water flooding from below". "Damage due to heavy rain" makes one think of the former, while the latter case can be more nuanced (did you drive into a very deep puddle?)

crookedview3 tahun yang lalu

I've never once taken my car's ambition into account. Now I feel bad

mozman3 tahun yang lalu

If you drive your ICE in a puddle and hydro lock the motor it’s classified as an accident. Insurance will pay.

heavyset_go3 tahun yang lalu

From here[1] in 2016:

> We *def* don't recommended this, but Model S floats well enough to turn it into a boat for short periods of time. Thrust via wheel rotation.

And here[2] in 2020:

> A Tesla works as a boat for short periods of time, as an electric car has no air intake or exhaust to block & battery/motor/electronics are water-sealed. Submarines are just underwater EVs.

[1] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/744551674082136066

[2] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1221176639339425792

fredoliveira3 tahun yang lalu

Don't worry, the next one (if you happen to be living in 2018) is going to have rocket jets anyway [1].

[1] https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1005577738332172289

piersj2253 tahun yang lalu

Unless this is a different couple, I think this has been discussed here

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37907519

justinclift3 tahun yang lalu

That's one's been flagged for some unknown reason. :(

gorkish3 tahun yang lalu

Yeah probably because the whole situation is sus as hell.

If the moisture ingress is defective manufacturing, Tesla warranty would cover it. If the cause is the external environment then auto insurance should cover it. That's not to say that this would happen without someone having to argue with someone, but the fact that this obvious information is missing is a little bit too uncomfortably familiar in this style of journalism.

Without additional information, my Occam's razor says the owner of this car probably did something irresponsible. So long as this report keeps growing like a tall tale, I'm going to keep flagging it.

wredue3 tahun yang lalu

Yeah. Water could definitely not find a way in through teslas known to be extremely shoddy QA.

Dodge has an issue with the caravan where the rear ac lines and evaporator are completely unprotected. It’s a known bad design in the product that has costed drivers millions. Dodge refuses to acknowledge it to the point that mechanics offer a “rear evaporator delete”, which dodge will also refuse is possible if you ask them.

Does your Occam’s razor wonder why dodge refuses to cover the AC lines?

It’s not like the auto industry as a whole is know for their outstanding honour of warranty, let alone Tesla who’s known for treating customers terribly and having uniquely terrible QA.

chemmail3 tahun yang lalu

I have a model 3 and found a few things wrong (some my own fault even) and Tesla fixed everything without charging me. They are just like any other company, depends who you get and how nice you are to them. At least they are not insurance which will fight tooth and nail to rip you off.

deely33 tahun yang lalu

Does it happened recently or few years ago?

justinclift3 tahun yang lalu

> If the moisture ingress is defective manufacturing, Tesla warranty would cover it.

People have reported problems with Apple for the same kind of thing though. Water sensors being tripped without their devices having gone into water.

From the article, it sounds like Tesla's might not be designed or manufactured well enough to withstand Scottish weather.

Lendal3 tahun yang lalu

I was told the battery is supposed to be fully water sealed. According to Elon, "it can serve briefly as a boat." Are such statements completely worthless? Consumers are buying these cars based on these kind of statements, and Elon knows it.

KevinMS3 tahun yang lalu

https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1615397502798409729?ref_...

aaomidi3 tahun yang lalu

> Are such statements completely worthless?

Yes.

And no there is no enforcement on ensuring these statements are true.

ChrisArchitect3 tahun yang lalu

[dupe]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37907519

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=37918373

justinclift3 tahun yang lalu

The first one there has been flagged, but the 2nd one seems ok still. :)

bowmessage3 tahun yang lalu

It’s the only Tesla in the country that died due to the rain? Something else must have happened, no?

stetrain3 tahun yang lalu

Well it probably did rain, and the rain caused flooding, and then they drove through a couple of feet of flood water or it got submerged where it was parked.

“What happened to it?”

“Oh just a bit of rain…”

ForkMeOnTinder3 tahun yang lalu

Is it just me or does the number keep going up every time this story is reposted?

gustavus3 tahun yang lalu

So it's $33k in AUD but notes in parentheses it is 17k in British Pounds. I thought the same thing to though.

WestCoastJustin3 tahun yang lalu

Indexed and adjusted for inflation :)

xenospn3 tahun yang lalu

Tesla is extremely popular in Norway. Norway gets ungodly amounts of rain every year. I think this would’ve happened many times to many owners by now?

gumballindie3 tahun yang lalu

Why do people keep buying low quality products such as teslas? Is it a status symbol or something? They feel like buckets on wheels. I dont get it.

starfleet_bop3 tahun yang lalu

Surely insurance would cover something like this?

t0mas883 tahun yang lalu

If some kind of disaster happend to the car, like it being flooded, yes. But if it was normal rain that all other cars survived, I think the insurance is going to point at Tesla.

This being Europe, and the car less than a year old, it's on Tesla to prove this wasn't a defect in their car. Otherwise it's reasonable for the consumer to expect it to keep working if it rains, and Tesla is going to be on the hook for warranty. Unlike some other jurisdictions you can't really get out of warranty if you sell consumer products in Europe.

starfleet_bop3 tahun yang lalu

Wouldn’t it still be the case of the consumer claims from the insurance then the insurance claims from the manufacturer?

t0mas883 tahun yang lalu

Probably not. A car defect isn't covered by the insurance. But this may depend a bit on the country and specific insurance policy.

codeulike3 tahun yang lalu

Tesla has sold 5 million cars. I think a good proportion of those will have been driven in heavy rain at some point. If this was a common problem someone would have some stats.

Speculation: I suspect somewhere inside the car they have markers that let the engineers know whether the car has been submerged. If those markers have tripped then you're out of warranty.

pyrale3 tahun yang lalu

If this is an extremely rare problem, why don't they pay for the repair?

Zero_Koool3 tahun yang lalu

If it is an extremely rare problem, it is likely not a design or build defect. Why would they have to pay for it?

pyrale3 tahun yang lalu

Because they claim the battery is waterproof, and surely, if driver actions were reckless enough to pierce the battery seal, they can show how it happened.

After all, the CEO advertises the car as almost-a-boat.

chemmail3 tahun yang lalu

Never buy a Tesla. I will buy BMW and flood that car and yell at them instead.

wilg3 tahun yang lalu

Interesting that there is no mention of car insurance!

AdamJacobMuller3 tahun yang lalu

What % of ICE cars would be covered by warranty if there was moisture ingress causing electronics failures?

jppope3 tahun yang lalu

I'm so confused why this is news, and why this is news worthy of hacker news? am I missing something?

jddj3 tahun yang lalu

> The thing is, Elon Musk could buy everyone in the world a Tesla if he wanted to.

I don't think this checks out, carexpert.com.au

mhandley3 tahun yang lalu

Despite how rediculous Tesla's repair bill is, when someone comes out with a quote like that, suddenly I find my sympathy draining away.

culi3 tahun yang lalu

why does your sympathy for a couple facing a massive bill drain due to an article being written about them containing a silly line

wongarsu3 tahun yang lalu

The line is supposedly a quote from the couple. Or at least this is strongly implied by the article.

davidw3 tahun yang lalu

People are bad at big numbers, episode #29292. They understand the numbers around the repair bill for driving around in the rain very well, though.

gustavus3 tahun yang lalu

Mostly because it was the couple themselves who said that according to the article.

harry83 tahun yang lalu

You have to read it in a normal literate fashion taking into account the very common technique of hyperbole to make the point. This kind of thing is much more common in Scotland than some other places and is well understood.

Try reading it as:

"Elon musk is very rich and can surely very easily afford to make good on this faulty product resulting in what is for us a very, very expensive unexpected bill."

Then see how you feel about it.

tasuki3 tahun yang lalu

It was a quote, not their own claim. Perhaps they included it to show the claimant was not very smart.

But, ok, Wikipedia says Musk is worth around $250 billion, and let's say Tesla 3 costs $35 thousand. Elon could buy a little over 7 million Teslas. There's 8 billion people on Earth, so you have a little under one in a thousand chance to get a Tesla. Not bad!

If Elon is not a fan of a lottery, he could also buy a Tesla for each person living in Kyrgyzstan...

AdamJacobMuller3 tahun yang lalu

If Musk actually placed an order for 7m Teslas, how much would that increase the valuation of Tesla and how much would it increase Musk's wealth.

Tesla sold 85,000 model Y in 2022. This would be an 8200% increase in Model Y sales. That must merit a significant bump (let's say 10x) in Tesla valuation. Let's ballpark and say this quadruple's Musks wealth. Now Musk can afford to buy 28m Tesla Model Ys which would be an 32,000% increase in Tesla sales!

Did I invent infinite money? My logic is at least as sound as the quote from that article.

wilg3 tahun yang lalu

He could buy 6 million people a Tesla if he sold everything and this had no side effects on the company etc. Not sure why he would do this though because of a $30k repair bill.

saalweachter3 tahun yang lalu

Oddly, only 5 million Teslas have been sold as of Q3 2023.

[deleted]3 tahun yang lalu

gustavus3 tahun yang lalu

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