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Tesla Is Convicted to Buy Back Model 3 in Spain Due to Poor Welding

Tesla has a history of delivering some vehicles without brake pads and with several other quality and safety issues, but we never thought it would let a customer have a car without proper welding. Sadly, that’s precisely what happened with Ángel Gaitán, a technician and shop owner from Madrid. On March 18, he shared on Instagram that he won his lawsuit against Tesla for that defect.
Tesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in Spain 7 photos
Photo: Angel Gaitan/YouTube
Tesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in SpainTesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in SpainTesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in SpainTesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in SpainTesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in SpainTesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in Spain
Gaitán ordered his Model 3 Long Range Dual Power on August 14, 2020, and only received it on September 14, 2020. In a YouTube video series, he told his whole story (in Spanish) and revealed that he was supposed to get his car on September 11. Tesla told him it had transportation problems and lent him a Model S loaner. When he finally got his car, he noticed it had panel gap problems, paint issues (the car was polished to try to conceal them), squeaky seats, and some missing trim components.

As Gaitán stated, he was so in love with the company and the car that he did not want to refuse delivery. He just wanted to drive his €62,330 ($65,609 at the current exchange rate) around Madrid and have the savings electric vehicles promised he would have. The Spanish technician invested money in preparing his home and shop with solar panels and even painted the Tesla logo on the floor in these parking spaces.

On October 14, he and his Model 3 made their first visit to a Tesla Service Center to replace the windshield wiper blades, which were already not good. On November 30, Gaitán took his car there again after noticing a creaking sound often coming from the luggage compartment. Two or three days later, he got his Model 3 back, and the creaks were still there. Gaitán returned to ask about that, and Tesla technicians stated they would have to investigate more.

Tesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in Spain
Photo: Angel Gaitan/YouTube
The car's interior was completely disassembled for Tesla to discover why the body squeaked. On December 4, Gaitán visited the Tesla Service Center and learned what was wrong: Tesla would have to remove a body component on the left rear side of the structure, at the base of the C-pillar, to weld it again. In some situations, the bad welding made the steel parts bend and rub against each other. Gaitán made pictures of the defective part and also of other parts of the body that lacked proper welding and sealing.

On December 11, Gaitán took two court appraisers to check his EV. That was when things went sour with Tesla and when he decided to sue the company. He did not want his brand-new vehicle to have to go through welding procedures as if it had crashed. Tesla proposed to buy back his car with a discount of €11,000 ($11,579). Gaitán refused.

After spending €9,000 with lawyers, inspections, and all legal procedures necessary to show he had purchased a defective vehicle, Gaitán was granted all his money back, including the court expenses. He is now curious if the money he spent on the Tesla Homelink will also be reimbursed.

Tesla will have to give Angel Gaitan his money back for selling him a defective Model 3 in Spain
Photo: Angel Gaitan/YouTube
Tesla recently asked for more time to present its appeal to the decision. Gaitán does not seem to be worried in the least. If Tesla manages to win the lawsuit and he has to stay with the defective vehicle, the Spanish technician said he would crush it. A company already offered him a road roller to do the job, which would obviously be filmed and put on his YouTube channel.

As sad as it is to see an EV die, that would prevent Tesla from trying to sell it with the current issue. Known as lemon laundering (selling a chronically-defective car as if it had no problems), this is something the company has been accused of doing in the U.S. and abroad more than once.

The reason is that fixing it would make the EV price drop, and Tesla would lose money on both ends: repairing it and selling it for a fair price. Unfortunately, the Norwegian customers Ola Spakmo, Jens Petter Lund Sommerlade, and Marius Andrè Langø know that pretty well. In China, Tesla was convicted of fraud when it sold Han Chao a repaired vehicle as if it was spotless. If only Tesla’s quality control could avoid these issues, rights?




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About the author: Gustavo Henrique Ruffo
Gustavo Henrique Ruffo profile photo

Motoring writer since 1998, Gustavo wants to write relevant stories about cars and their shift to a sustainable future.
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