The essence of the matter is as follows: the author of the eponymous YouTube channel Rich Rebuilds and owner of the Electrified Garage workshop posted on his Twitter that a Model 3 with only 2,000 miles (3,200 km) on the odometer hit a mechanical obstacle on the road, which caused the battery coolant pipe to break. At the Tesla service center, the problem was estimated at $16,000 – allegedly requiring a full battery replacement. In turn, the insurance company decided to write off the car.
However, Rich's workshop offered a different path – to restore the car with minimal costs. Naturally, without compromising safety. The YouTuber did not disclose the details, but colleagues from Autoevolution suggested that Electrified Garage would either repair the broken coolant pipe or replace it. In any case, there is no need to replace the entire battery.
In this context, foreign colleagues have several questions for Tesla. First, the presence of debris on the road, which in this case was the culprit of the accident, if it can be called that, is a common occurrence. That is, it is unclear why the coolant pipe turned out to be so poorly protected. Second, why does a broken coolant pipe require such a complex and expensive procedure as battery replacement? Moreover, if the pipe itself breaks, it can indeed be replaced with a new one. Well, even if it cannot be replaced (in any way), then the manufacturer should have thought better about protecting this part.
Overall, Autoevolution's rhetoric boils down to the fact that this case is a clear example of how difficult it is to maintain electric vehicles in working condition with such an approach. And this applies not only to Tesla.
