- After the Tesla Turo rental incident, the car stopped functioning properly
- Did the body shop really mess up his Tesla, or is it a coincidence?
Recently, we brought you the story of an unfortunate Tesla owner who rented his personal car out on Turo. Though the premise of the rental was allegedly for a short trip, the owner noticed the car parked in a shop and not moving overnight. After deciding to pay the shop a visit the following day, he found that the company was dismantling his Tesla Model 3 for test fitting aftermarket parts. That sounds bad enough, but this Tesla Turo rental nightmare has only gotten worse since.
After the Tesla Turo rental incident, the car stopped functioning properly
Tesla Model 3 and Model S in a showroom | Sjoerd van der Wal, Getty Images
If you’ll recall, the owner of this Telsa Model 3, Frank Valdez, made this story quite public on his Tiktok account. According to Autoevolution, everything initially seemed like a big misunderstanding as Valdez assumed the body shop dismantled his car for parts. After the explanation of test fitting components came to light, Turo banned the renter from its platform.
Additionally, Autoevolution reports that Valdez called the police when he assumed parts were being stolen. However, police asked for proof that components had been stolen before interviewing anyone, which they hadn’t. So, California’s finest decided to leave this open-ended as it’s a civil matter.
In the end, the renters re-assembled Valdez’s car and returned it to him. So, it seems like a no harm, no foul type of situation. Unfortunately, though, there was a bit of harm.
Valdez reports that the vehicle has been having issues with the autopilot system since he got it back from the body shop that disassembled it. Many of the sensors for the autopilot system are within or behind the front bumper, so it’s possible that the body shop interfered with them during the teardown and reassembly. Additionally, Valdez reports that the car is unable to detect when the front doors are open or closed properly.
Worst of all, Valdez reports that this incident caused him to get in an accident. He claims that the malfunctioning autopilot system led to the fender bender. However, Valdez has yet to officially determine the cause of the accident.
Did the body shop really mess up his Tesla, or is it a coincidence?
Tesla Model 3 | Tesla
There’s no question that what the body shop did is wildly wrong on their part. Renting the car under false pretenses of a “short trip” and breaching the Turo contract by modifying the car is undoubtedly a stupid move. However, no official proof has come to light that the shop is responsible for the malfunctioning electrical system.
Let’s be real here, though. If the car was working fine beforehand, the shop disassembled it, and now it has issues, there’s not much benefit of the doubt to give.
After the accident, Valdez had Tesla themselves inspect his Model 3 to find out what the cause of the accident was. Additionally, Telsa inspected the components associated with the malfunctioning systems. Currently, he is still waiting for a report from the EV giant.
Ultimately, this Tesla Turo rental nightmare is an ever-developing story. If you rent your cars out on Turo, definitely keep this story in mind. Be careful who you’re renting to!
Keyword: Tesla Turo Rental Ends in Renter Dismantling Car; Now It Doesn’t Work