A Scottish couple who owns a Tesla Model Y were extremely surprised when they received a battery replacement bill of 21,000 USD – nearly half the price of a new car.
Compared to petrol cars in the same segment, electric cars often have significantly higher prices. Moreover, repairing electric cars is more expensive and complicated than petrol cars, especially when it comes to battery-related issues.
Scottish couple Johnny Bacigalupo and Rob Hussey said they were extremely surprised when they received a battery replacement bill of 21,000 USD (equivalent to 523 million VND) for their Tesla Model Y – nearly half the price of a new car.
The issue occurred with their Model Y after the couple drove it to a restaurant in Edinburgh for a dinner in the rain. The car was still working fine when they arrived at the restaurant, but it failed to start when they returned home.
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Sharing with Edinburgh Live channel, the couple said they waited nearly 5 hours for a Tesla-assigned rescue vehicle. After inspection, the engineers informed them that the battery needed replacement due to water damage. Although the car was still under warranty, the customers were responsible for paying for this part replacement, as water damage fell under the excluded category.
The company announced that the cost of repairing the Tesla Model Y would be around 21,000 USD. The exorbitant amount left Mr. Johnny Bacigalupo feeling “devastated” upon learning the news.
Mr. Bacigalupo said he expected the repair cost to be around 500 – 1,000 pounds (approximately 15 – 30 million VND). Despite being shocked, the car owner still had a phone conversation with a dealership manager and was explained the reason why the repair bill was so high.
“They told me that rainwater had entered the battery. It wasn’t my fault, but Tesla won’t honor the warranty in this case,” Mr. Bacigalupo said.
The car owner mentioned that heavy rain is not uncommon in Edinburgh, and Tesla’s refusal to honor the warranty in this case made him think that the American electric car company’s customer service is extremely poor.
Thái Sơn (Tuoitrethudo)
Reference: Carscoops
