There is a hairy, hairy mess down in San Diego. Thanks to Agent001, we're hearing about one man's plight with a Tesla Model S he bought at auction.
To be more specific, he bought the car with a salvage title.
Normally you can do this and it, frankly, isn't a problem. Of course it's a risky move and, personally, I'd NEVER buy a vehicle with a salvage title. Some people do it all the time though and have zero issue driving salvaged cars.
There's just one problem for Peter Rutman, the new owner of the salvage titled Model S: Tesla will NOT work with him in ANY capacity unless he signs a waiver. According to Rutman, the language in the waiver would put him a position where Tesla can do whatever it wishes with the car and determine if it's ultimately roadworthy.
If you just plunked down $50,000 on a Tesla, this is not a position you'd want to be in. AND, if you were Tesla that's been dealing with controversy since day one, this is not a car you'd want on the road. Who knows what could happen and this would be blowing up CNBC's and Bloomberg's airwaves as the equity takes a 20 percent hit.
In a written statement to San Diego 6, this is what Tesla's VP of Communications, Simon Sproule, had to say:
"Safety is Tesla’s top priority and it is a principle on which we refuse to compromise under any circumstance. Mr. Rutman purchased a vehicle on the salvage market that had been substantially damaged in a serious accident. We have strong concerns about this car being safe for the road, but we have been prevented from inspecting the vehicle because Mr. Rutman refused to sign an inspection authorization form. That form clearly states that in order for us to support the vehicle on an ongoing basis, we need to ensure the repairs meet minimum safety standards.
Regardless of whether or not the car passed inspection, Mr. Rutman would have been free to decide where to conduct any additional repairs and to leave with his vehicle. There was never any threat to take away his vehicle at the inspection or any time thereafter and there is nothing in the authorization form that states or implies that we would do so.
Additionally, Mr. Rutman opted to have his vehicle repaired by a non-Tesla affiliated facility. We work with a network of authorized independent repair facilities to ensure our safety standards are met. It is also worth noting that Mr. Rutman is not on any “blacklist” for purchasing Tesla parts. While we do sell certain parts over the counter, we do not sell any parts that require specific training to install. This is a policy that is common among automakers and it is in place to protect customers from the risk of repairs not meeting our safety standards."
So, who's RIGHT and who's WRONG? Is this guy a nut OR is Tesla strong arming its way in this situation where it has the POWER to do so with a direct sales model?
Weigh in, below!
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