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    Tesla owners horrified to receive 'obscene' $20,000 repair bill after ‘driving in the rain’

    Home> Technology> News

    Published 16:47 21 Oct 2024 GMT+1

    Tesla owners horrified to receive 'obscene' $20,000 repair bill after ‘driving in the rain’

    After spending more than $75,000 on their dream car, Johnny Bacigalupo and Rob Hussey were shocked to find it didn't start after rain

    Joe Yates

    Joe Yates

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    Featured Image Credit: Edinburgh Live/NCJ Media/Getty/Smith Collection

    Topics: Tesla, Electric Cars, Money, Elon Musk, Scotland, Weather

    Joe Yates
    Joe Yates

    Joe is a journalist for UNILAD, who particularly enjoys writing about crime. He has worked in journalism for five years, and has covered everything from murder trials to celeb news.

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    @JMYjourno

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    The whole idea of buying a Tesla is that you're forking out big at the start, but over time you save a small fortune.

    Okay, there is the environmental aspect where you're helping save the planet by opting for a fully electric vehicle - but really, it's an investment, as you don't need to splash out big on gas each week or month.

    According to AAA Gas Prices, across the US, the national average price of gas per gallon is $3.175 - and if you're driving a 14 gallon car, that would mean you're spending roughly $45 at the pumps.

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    Instead, with an electic car like a Tesla, you're spending around $14 for a full charge from the safety of your own home, and that will take you anywhere between 303 to 405 miles away.

    To put that into comparison, New York City to Ontario, the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, is 395 miles by car.

    So, when you're billed with a $20,000 charge to fix your vehicle created by Elon Musk - who's also behind SpaceX, which just caught a rocket returning from space with 'chopsticks' - after it rained, you're going to be peeved.

    Unfortunately for Johnny Bacigalupo and Rob Hussey, their $78,000 Tesla packed in on them when their home city of Edinburgh, Scotland, was hit by a heavy downpour of rain last year.

    Johnny Bacigalupo and Rob Hussey (Edinburgh Live/NCJ Media)
    Johnny Bacigalupo and Rob Hussey (Edinburgh Live/NCJ Media)

    Following a lengthy discussion with the electric car company, they were still forced to pay $22,627 to fix their motor.

    Speaking to Edinburgh Live at the time, Bacigalupo said: "I honestly can’t believe that this has happened. When I first got the call I thought we would get a bill for £500 or £1000 [$650 to $1,300]. When they said over 17 grand – it’s absolutely obscene. My heart missed a beat, honestly.

    “We went out for dinner and drove our car to Frederick Street. Obviously, it was wet with the weather last week, but I honestly can’t remember any huge puddles or anything like that. It’s not like I was driving my car through the Cairngorms [a Scottish mountain range]."

    The Scotsman was told he would have to fork out more than $20,000 to fix his Tesla (Edinburgh Live/NCJ Media)
    The Scotsman was told he would have to fork out more than $20,000 to fix his Tesla (Edinburgh Live/NCJ Media)

    He explained that after dinner they couldn't get the car to start, and after five hours of waiting for Tesla Roadside Assistance, their car was recovered at 1am.

    “They said that the battery is effectively submerged in water. How can that be our fault?

    “After finally getting to speak to a manager, he told me it 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."

    UNILAD has contacted Tesla for comment.

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