Remember those Teslas that Hertz was blowing out?

[thewayne]

Perhaps they weren't such a good deal after all....

A "data worker" in Texas bought one for his wife. It looked like a great deal - a 2022 Long Range Model 3 with 70,000 miles on it that cost about $25,000 after a $4,000 tax rebate? So he bought it.

Except... there was something wrong with the charging voltages.

He takes it in to a Tesla dealership and is told "“The high-voltage battery pack is damaged and could cause extreme safety concerns,” a Tesla technician texted him. Because the hole was “exterior damage,” it wasn’t covered by the warranty, which meant a $13,078.58 repair bill. Hertz said that it would swap the car for Pandey, but for about two months he waited — making $500 payments on his auto loan — before getting a replacement." I would have been very paranoid after being informed that the battery was damaged and would have either wanted the dealer to keep the car or kept it parked on the street, just in case that battery decided to spontaneously combust!

Ouch! $13 grand for a new battery?! Nice that Hertz stepped in - albeit slowly - to handle it.

But this is a problem with rental cars period, not just with Teslas. Rental cars are horribly abused because a lot of people who rent cars DGAF, and a lot of damage can get overlooked, as seen above. This guy got lucky and Hertz made good, but I wouldn't bet on that happening for everybody.

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/who-wants-to-buy-30-000-used-teslas-from-hertz.html

Comments

[disneydream06]

WOWZA... He was beyond lucky that Hertz stepped up. :o
Hugs Jon

[silveradept]

Ooof. Those cars have definitely been driven hard, and probably will have a lot of wear and repair costs to make up for their cheaper price. I would have hoped it would have made an EV more affordable for some people, but if keeping the thing maintained is that expensive, oof.

[kaishin108]

The last time we rented a car - in Minnesota, we almost got an electric car by mistake. I guess they are getting pretty popular as rentals.

[thewayne]

I enjoy hybrids, but I don't have much of an interest in electrics at this time.  A little too much uncertainty in my short-term future currently.

[kaishin108]

I hear that.