Earlier this year, Madeleine Solheim Johnsen and her fiance, Nikolai Aunbakk, bought a brand new Tesla Model Y. Two months later, when Aunbakk was about to wash the car for the second time, he discovered a crack in the glass of the taillight. This carving was discovered by Nikolai Aunbakk. Photo: Private – It was on the inside of the lantern, and I thought it must be a manufacturing defect. I didn’t understand how it could have happened, and I certainly didn’t think it was something we’d managed to do. But now the Tesla service center in Moss believes that it is incorrect washing that is the cause of the crack. Mixed to the right pH value In the car’s owner’s manual, consumers are warned against using soaps and chemicals that have a pH value above 13. According to the couple, the soap they used has a pH value of between 12.5 and 13.5. – We mixed the soap with water, so that if the pH value had been 13.5, we would have watered it down to 12.2, says Aunbakk. Nevertheless, Tesla replies that the soap may have damaged the lamp, as the pH value was “right at the limit”. If there have been residues in e.g. folds and edges that have not been rinsed away immediately, this can cause these cracks as the PH value you have used is completely at the limit of what is recommended. Washing a car is a process that can require a lot of patience with today’s technology and materials used to keep prices and the environment / production down. This applies to most newer cars. If there are alkaline agents in the detergents, the glasses cannot withstand this being on them. This is not something that is covered by warranty. – We think it is completely strange that they can claim that the damage could have been caused by a car wash. We washed the car once before this happened. We have also washed the car within the limits that an owner’s manual instructs about, says Solheim Johnsen. Do you check the pH value of the soap you wash the car with? news has sent several requests to Tesla’s European press e-mail account. The same applies to the press e-mail to Tesla Norway and the Tesla service center in Moss. None of the three inquiries have been answered. Have to calculate the correct pH value The couple paid a total of NOK 3,772 to replace the rear light, which they expected to get back under the warranty or a claim on the car. The couple responds to Tesla by pointing out that they have followed the recommendations according to the user manual. They believe that the limit should be changed if the car cannot be washed with a pH that is on the limit of what is recommended. To this, Tesla responds as follows: Hi Nicolai, We have assessed your case based on the available documentation. We stand by previous decisions, as the damage to the plastic is of a kind that can only occur from external influences in the form of chemicals from car washes or the like. Tesla has carried out thorough testing of our lights and cannot see that these are affected by means that are within the stated limit values. And the couple gets nothing covered. Nikolai Aunbakk believes they have submitted documentation that shows they have done things correctly. – This seems very unreasonable. We have complied with the guidelines. And in fact, it shouldn’t be that difficult for a consumer to have to calculate the pH of a product in order to be able to wash the car, as long as you use a product that is made for car washing. – Must be able to wash the car in a normal way. They have a three-year-old son and a six-month-old daughter. The couple tells news that they bought a new car to have warranty and complaint rights. – We wanted a safe and secure car, which we would not have to repair, as we often had to with the old car. As a family with small children, we wanted to avoid those worries, says Solheim Johnsen. The couple has complained. The case is now with the Conciliation Council. – For us, it is very sad to spend many thousands of Swedish kroner on a brand new car with warranty and right of complaint. Then we still have to fork out money because of mistakes we believe are their responsibility. The Consumer Council: – Cars must withstand washing Thomas Iversen is senior adviser and consumer lawyer at the Consumer Council. He tells news that several car customers experience that new cars are damaged in the wash. Thomas Iversen is a senior adviser and consumer lawyer at the Norwegian Consumer Council. Photo: Emma-Marie B. Whittaker – The car must definitely withstand being washed. If special precautions must be taken, this must be stated in the user manual. If the car cannot withstand regular washing, and the consumer has done nothing wrong, the consumer has the right to have the lamp fixed or to have the expenses refunded, he says. Iversen believes it seems unlikely that the pair have made a mistake. – They have taken the step of mixing out the soap so that it has the correct pH value, and we must assume that they have read the rest of the instructions for use which deal with rinsing and drying. This suggests that they should have removed so much soap that it could not damage the car.
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Tesla blames the wrong car wash – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
