Blog Layout

“Should I be worried? Should I be calling the cops?”

Bumper Flip

A Tesla Model 3 owner made a rather odd discovery: after renting his vehicle out on Turo, a popular peer-to-peer car rental app, he discovered that borrowers were were taking it apart and replacing parts.

While we aren’t 100 percent clear on the borrowers’ true intentions, it’s not a stretch to assume they were trying to get away with a bunch of official Tesla parts.

A TikTok video by Tesla owner Frank Valdez, spotted by  fan site Tesla Oracle , shows Valdez confronting a man at an autobody shop who appears to be replacing parts on his vehicle.

“It seems like you’re replacing some stuff,” Valdez says. “Should I be worried? Should I be calling the cops?”

“I’m just testing some parts,” a man at the garage responds, unconvincingly, claiming he only replaced the front bumper.

Replacing Parts

It’s a reminder that renting out your vehicle to strangers comes with some inherent risks, especially if it’s a buzzy brand like Tesla. Just last month, a driver made a rented Tesla Model S fly by sending it up — and then down — the crest of a steep hill in Los Angeles.

As it turns out, the shop where Valdez’s Tesla was taken runs an online shop that sells aftermarket Tesla car parts. It seems likely, then, that they were swapping out cheaper parts so they could sell Valdez’s.

And vehicles rented out through Turo are only covered under the vehicle owner’s and borrower’s “own automobile policies,” according to the company’s terms of service.

The borrower also isn’t allowed to use vehicles “for any commercial purposes” without “express permission” — so even if the body shop were simply “testing some parts,” it would still be breaking Turo’s rules.

The story fortunately has a happy ending, with Valdez being a returned a largely unscathed vehicle.

In his video’s caption, Valdez claims that “yes cops were called, and they didn’t want to show up.” According to him, law enforcement “called it a civil matter.”

Share This Article

Slush’s startup pitch competition transformed into a political nightmare

By Laurence • November 21, 2022
Usually, the winners of a pitching competition are bathed with accolades, media attention, and applause. After it’s done and dusted, all they have to think about is what to spend

Behind the Lawsuit Against Celebs Who Shilled FTX Before Its Spectacular Meltdown

By Laurence • November 19, 2022
Above all else, FTX advertisements wanted you to know two things: that cryptocurrency is a force for good, and that you don’t need to be an expert to buy and

The best coworking spaces and cafés in Barcelona to code

By Laurence • November 19, 2022
This article was originally published on .cult by Luis Minvielle. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps

Experts Baffled by Why NASA’s “Red Crew” Wear Blue Shirts

By Laurence • November 18, 2022
Okay, that’s a good question. Red Crew, Blue Crew Had it not been for the heroics of three members of NASA’s specialized “Red Crew,” NASA’s absolutely massive — and incredibly

3D-printed personalized meds are almost here, thanks to this Finnish startup

By Laurence • November 18, 2022
Pharmaceutical manufacturing is closely linked to mass production. In order for medicines to be sold cheaply, they often have to be made in huge amounts. But what happens if you

Telsa Superfan Dismayed When He Pays for Checkmark and It Doesn’t Even Appear on His Profile

By Laurence • November 17, 2022
“I’m in checkmark purgatory.” Checkmate They say “don’t meet your heroes,” but what’s even worse? When your hero buys Twitter, forces you and others to start paying eight dollars per
More Posts
Share by: