Oldenburg district: Tesla ban in car washes

For the time being, anyone who owns a Tesla electric car in the Oldenburg district will have to do it themselves when it comes to washing the car. The reason for this is that more and more operators of local car washes feel compelled to deny access to models of the US car manufacturer. Too often, they say, damage occurs, resulting in costly claims for compensation.

Loss of warranty due to incorrect car wash?

If any electric car stands for foolproof handling, it is undoubtedly Tesla’s models. The company under CEO Elon Musk has always stood for intuitive operation without many buttons. Now it has become known that it is precisely an everyday thing that can be the undoing of the vehicles of the carmaker. What is meant is a visit to a car wash. More and more owners of electric cars are stating in forums that they have suffered expensive damage to their cars. Tesla has now issued a real warning against visiting car washes. The US company refers in particular to its most affordable vehicle, the Model 3.

Owners of a corresponding electric car should definitely reconsider the choice of the appropriate car wash. Thus, the cleaning should be contactless without brushes. Otherwise, the risk of damage is too high. The other consequences are also anything but rosy. Sometimes even the warranty can be voided. To prevent Tesla drivers from being exposed to this risk in the first place, service station operators in the Oldenburg district have reacted. They simply prohibit owners of the electric car from using their car wash. In doing so, they not only want to protect their customers’ warranty, but also protect themselves from high claims for damages.

Tesla sensors go crazy during car wash

It’s the electric car’s sensors in particular that don’t get along well with many car washes. For example, too much contact is said to frequently cause the cover of the charging port or even the trunk to open unintentionally. This is what service station operator Wilfried Knipper told the regional newspaper NWZ. If the flaps are once opened, the penetrating water can cause highly expensive damage to the vehicle. So it is hardly surprising that Knipper, like many others, has decided to ban cars from the U.S. car company. They simply wanted to “pre-empt trouble and possible damage claims” says Knipper.

Closing is not enough

Furthermore, Knipper told the county newspaper that even locking up the subsequently damaged vehicles did nothing. Although it was pointed out to the owners and they properly locked their Tesla, the sensors reacted. This clearly has nothing to do with the modern technology of electric cars per se. After all, the service station operator stated that it was a problem that only affected Tesla. E-cars of other makes would be able to drive through the car wash without any problems and survive the cleaning without any damage. According to Knippers, the ban on Teslas will not last forever, of course. However, he would like to keep it in place until there is a guarantee that the vehicle can pass through the car wash without damage.

Expensive models at increased risk

Tesla has since responded to the problem and rolled out a corresponding software update. However, the so-called “car wash mode” is so far only available for the two cheapest vehicles Model 3 and Model Y. The sensors on the car are deactivated without further ado. Conversely, this also means that Model S and Model X owners still have to fear damage when visiting a car wash. Since the e-sports car and e-SUV are expensive vehicles, the corresponding damages could be all the higher. Hopefully, the premium Teslas will also get a corresponding update soon in order to lift the generally applicable “Tesla ban” in the Oldenburg district again.