Why your car Insurance is Ripping you off by Throwing Your Brand New EV Away After a Scratch

Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video & for the free product! Head to keeps.com/richr... to get a special offer. Individual results may vary.
and the wonderful mlmdiagnostics....
Rivian for sale here - www.argocycles...
Today we find out how your insurance company is throwing away perfectly good EV Cars due to a mere scratch
buy the book here! - found.ee/Going...
Please support us on Patreon
/ richrebuilds
Paypal Link: www.paypal.com...
E-mail: [e-mail]
Instagram: / richiebkidd
Mailbox:
P.O. Box 1041
Salem, MA 01970

[@RichRebuilds]

Thanks to Keeps for sponsoring this video & for the free product! Head to keeps.com/richrebuilds to get a special offer. Individual results may vary.

[@aldozilli1293]

Same in the UK, I've bought two EVs and they're fine. One had slightest scratches underneath the other had some minor flood damage that didn't affect the battery or motor. Easily fixed with some cleaning and new modules. Bargains to be had buying salvage EVs.

[@tensecondtwoii4182]

Is that "John" or fkn Tom Segura?

[@positrack99]

This is Rivian's fault for building such trash and now we all get to pay higher insurance rates to supplement the morons who buy them.

[@xtradany5398]

@@tensecondtwoii4182 If John is 32, I haven't been born yet.

[@Riv_Tech]

First of all Big fan of RichRebuilds, and Rivian Tech here. I just wanted to correct somethings on videos so general public has the right information and doesn't get scare to repair their own vehicles. Rivian does comes with fireman loop (High Voltage disable), and it's under the trim in between windshield and hood in left side. But there is no need to cut the harness or harness replacement, there is a connector which can be just unplug to disable high voltage. Rivian has two generation of vehicle out so far, 1st Gen comes with 2 12Volt battery whereas 2nd Gen comes with only one. battery. They both share same vehicle architecture and harness The one that showed in video is 2023/24.

[@ojobee]

Give that man his own KZbin channel. He is awesome to listen to.

[@mychannelforfun5523]

He does need his own channel. He should share his knowledge.

[@THEJDMDC2]

Agree.

[@jesseleesamples]

Yes I thought the same thing. I’d love to learn more from this guy

[@_IMNNO]

He really understands the gritty technical aspects and the macro economics of the industry. 🫡

[@xrismanessa3993]

He can do it on his own.

[@SljemeFrende]

Rich and Chris are the type of people that keep this world from falling apart. Thank you and I hope you both get rich.

[@brianherman6144]

Rich is already named rich oh that rich oops

[@johnsmith7676]

If you only knew... Oh, if you only knew. NOTHING could be further from the truth.

[@DPinWheel]

Who is Chris

[@moshoeshoemokaloba9613]

And they also helping save the environment. Mining raw materials does alot of damage but I guess capitalism doesn't care.

[@Righttorepair880]

He is Chris why he should be Rich?😅

[@holdenhodgdon3756]

This kid meeting and talking shop with his idol / inspiration must be such a huge day for him.

[@transformerstuff7029]

yea this Rich kid is lucky to meet a man with such knowledge.

[@Z501]

​@@transformerstuff7029 😂😂

[@Shaun_X]

Especially when your idol lives up to expectations.

[@enterlematrix]

You can tell he loves his job. Great to see.

[@fallinginthed33p]

The guy would've been an awesome phone phreak back in the day or a software hacker. Now he's a car hacker dealing with high voltage, diagnostic systems and comm buses, and the world could be a better place for it.

[@busydadscooking001]

Hi Uncle Rich, work for a big insurance carrier .. one reason for the totals is that the manufacturers sometimes require full pack replacement after any kind of minimal damage - they won't permit any kind of repairs attempted. Carriers are upset too. The automakers need to design cars for repair not just initial sale ..

[@roji556]

Insurance Carriers are annoyed because they're having to pay out money instead of just farming it.

[@Jypsywednesday7833]

This happened to us on a 10mph collision. My brand new Bolt, paid in full (44k), only got 25k back. Out 20k because of a 16yr old inexperienced driver.

[@Izzytakamono]

I came to say this! I work for a major carrier as well and the list of parts the manufacturer requires us to replace, combined with the lack of aftermarket support means the manufacturer can charge whatever they want. Those whole pack replacements at highway robbery prices causes most things to total after minimal damage. In the vast majority of cases we do not ‘decide’ to total your vehicle. Your state sets a damage to value threshold (approx 70%) and we follow that. I’m not going to pretend all insurance companies are doing the right thing but we’ve got to be mad about the correct stuff.

[@daxtonbrown]

This is why I own a 67 Camaro, a 57 Bel Air and a 49 Chevy truck. All easily repaired.

[@mattr8128]

Okay Liberty Mutual. We get you shit out money on commericals instead of customer service so your comment makes 10000% sense 😂

[@jctai100]

This remarkable young man gives me hope for the next generation. Articulate, well spoken and thoughtful in his discourse. Excellent video Rich!

[@aplsauce3896]

Yeah, he speaks so well🙄😑. You may actually mean well, but your comment can come across as underhanded towards certain individuals... just saying 👌🏾

[@jctai100]

@@aplsauce3896 Was talkin' bout the white guy, pls don't project internal insecurities on my comment.

[@CJ-uu3lk]

I’m located in Tampa Area and I’m opening my Tesla repair shop currently and it all started with watching u taking apart Tesla’s with harbor freight tools (and few kitchen knives) I absolutely like this content!

[@mikelemoine4267]

Do you have a website or social media page yet? I live in Orlando so I'd be interested to see what you can do if I end up buying an EV. It's not looking good so far as I just checked insurance and adding any EV appears to double my current rate, and that's for two vehicles with full coverage. I'm planning to shop around some more and find out the details.

[@aussie2uGA]

What the name - I’m in Tampa and Tallahassee.

[@DeSmith-o4b]

​@@mikelemoine4267Electrified Garage (Rich Rebuilds) is in Ocala and right next to Orlando.

[@DeSmith-o4b]

​@@mikelemoine4267There is an Electrified Garage (Rich Rebuilds) in Ocala, which is near Orlando.

[@Neberheim]

Well, hopefully it started with training and experience, not watching a YT video and thinking “I can do that” 😅

[@jeany545]

This is what I wanna see more, I wanna see more technicians not being afraid to tackle this fairly new tech. I wanna see that knowledge spread, love to see it!

[@johnsmith7676]

This "new tech" is a grift. Figure it out folks.

[@tboneforreal]

All people need is access to the dialogistic tools, diagrams, and most importantly parts. People are smart enough to figure it out. This is why right to repair needs to be a universal thing.

[@AlineaEuros]

Normally they can do this job just fine if they dont hide the repair information

[@gaiustacitus4242]

Automotive technicians who are not properly trained and qualified to work on a specific manufacturer's EV models should be barred by law from working on them due to the risks to the lives and property of others resulting from gross negligence.

[@steak5599]

Is not that people are too afraid of New Technology, is that industry is not financially rewarding enough to encourage the Smarter one to pursuit that career. You always know that is not just EV technicians, a good Car Mechanic has always been a shortage. Skill Trades are back breaking work, a lot of people wants to pursue a career sitting in an Office with A/C.

[@Saint_Vincent1735]

What a fantastic engineer. He speaks very intelligently about this subject

[@gooooblaster1800]

Engineer? You mean technician

[@bestman7776]

@@gooooblaster1800I’m a biomedical engineer and I know “techs” that can go full circles around fellow“Engineers”

[@johnwalters2605]

That guy is sharp. We need more mechanics trained like him.

[@chrisb9445]

You can tell the guy really enjoys his profession. Likes problem solving and enjoys explaining how he went about figuring things out. I want a job like that

[@toothy]

exactly what @bikes0420 said, If you want it, that's step one brother. your first problem to solve:)

[@hairymoobs]

I can’t believe this is what Sean O’Malley does as a side gig.

[@cocoabiscuits]

Well Dana doesn't pay well so....gotta do something 😂

[@P.a.r.a.d.o.x]

loool

[@kaim4535]

Same thought here ! 😂😂🤣

[@wideglide2153]

Winner! Well done!

[@jayk7781]

@@cocoabiscuits I'm gonna drink a Coors Light. That's a Coors Light. because Bud Light won't pay me nothing.

[@satchmosanzabar9023]

Rich you need to poach him, he's a bright young lad.

[@SD-oi9gr]

This is the type of dude who doesn’t need help, he’s going places no matter what.

[@JJSmith1100]

He needs to employ Rich and the electrified garage

[@FodgatherOfFootballNFantasyz]

Haha. No Poaching needed. They should definitely colab on some things that would interest Rich & that *Sean O'Malley's lil bro* maybe hasn't done before or just has a good project.

[@SpamMouse]

The other way round.

[@270eman]

@@FodgatherOfFootballNFantasyz Thats what this is. A meeting of the minds.

[@Hazdazos]

Right to repair. A lot of the software tools and knowledge should be available to consumers to allow more repairs. It is going to take consumers and the government to pressure insurance companies to pressure the EV makers to open up as much of these closed systems as possible. People will stop buying EVs when they see insuring them will cost dramatically more than an ICE car.

[@AlphaFlight]

How would manufacturers make money then

[@SarinEA]

​@@AlphaFlight You dropped this -> /s

[@jmanlinc]

The insurance companies are quick to write off ICE vehicles too. Insurance rates are getting ridiculous on them too.

[@JJSmith1100]

@@AlphaFlight They are not making any money if the vehicle gets totaled. Maybe a little if a new one gets sold to the owner. They will make money if they sell the parts and the ability to repair them, because now the totaled car gets broken up for parts and the manufacturer sells even less parts.

[@AlphaFlight]

@@JJSmith1100 lol that's cute you think that kid. They could care less if they lose cars. As long as new cars get made.

[@evilutionltd]

This has to be the longest time that Rich hasn't talked for!

[@JordanGmt]

He's learning I would be silent to listening to dude

[@dweglarz15]

Glad Orlando Bloom has found his passion fixing EVs

[@Descaradoo]

😂

[@MilesHolt]

Dude absolutely met his idol today.

[@randomname4726]

Pity he couldn't meet Stevon. Bet he also wonders wtf happened to him.

[@ethanking4954]

​@@randomname4726 he's posted a bunch of videos on on his channel

[@che9357]

For sure, Rich will def remember meeting up with his idol the rest of his life. Lucky guy, hope he signed your Rivian too!

[@AllSpeed]

these EV repair guys are like the smartphone repair people a decade ago. This service is going to grow.

[@chimpana]

There's an irony to this company being called MLM when they're dealing with insurance companies and EV manufacturers.

[@sethdunlap9868]

It's really amazing seeing someone who truly enjoys their work and the company they work for. Kudos to MLM for creating that sort of environment, Kudos to Chris for being so dedicated to the customer.

[@matthewspaccarelli5007]

0:29 this truck was written off because it is missing the flashlight that goes into the door panel on the driver side door.

[@taterkaze9428]

Go figure insurance totaled a $90k truck over $1 studs and $45k of ignorance.

[@TakuroSpirit77]

Find those studs in the Rivian parts catalog. Go ahead, I'll wait..... Insurance isn't going to pay for what's going to be a hack repair (opening a pack and welding in new studs bought at Fastenal) on an $80k truck and hand it back to their customer. They want it fixed RIGHT , per OEM specs, back to OEM standards. Safely. It needs a new battery pack, plain and simple. Otherwise let someone like Rich or Scamhack fix it dubiously and put it back on the road in the hands of an unsuspecting new owner.

[@tazeat]

@@TakuroSpirit77 Yep and where those studs are held is totally compromised and may have creating a new opening in to the battery pack. A repair must be done to OEM standards.

[@Lipi19821]

AFAIK you can not sell totaled car and not disclose that information to a new owner....​@@TakuroSpirit77

[@Angry-Lynx]

​Then why insurance just won't pay for new battery pack replacement​@@TakuroSpirit77

[@jkmsaturn]

Insurance companies ultimately decide what we do & don’t drive. Manufacturers have got to develop relationships with these entities prior to when the claims start rolling in. Once an adjuster locates concerning build techniques, it may be too late.

[@lllukiosas59]

This guy is AWESOME. Start a EV diagnostic KZbin Channel...NOW!

[@MaxSpeedMike]

Love the enthusiasm he has behind learning and mastering his craft, then educating others. Truly great to see, hope he starts a channel of his own!

[@Mr5Stars]

Hi Rich. My car insurance company is charging crazy money to insure Teslas , very likely due to these issues you are mentioning in this video. Thank you for bringing this to light.

[@steak5599]

I thought Tesla sells their own insurance in North America. Well, I don't know where you live, but does Tesla not offer their insurance service there?

[@vernongomes]

Tesla insurance is only in a handful of states. They’re also a grift too though, because of heavily penalizing night driving, overly aggressive (and not well programmed) frontal crash prevention.

[@johnhaller5851]

I'm sure the uninsured/underinsured coverage is insane when a driver with state minimum liability hits an EV, the safe driver discount doesn't really matter. No fault states like Michigan are equally problematic.

[@bondobilly9369]

Audi is 5k for headlights. We need to go back to about 20 years ago and just stop when I comes to cars

[@aussie2uGA]

@@bondobilly9369The goal appears to be to discourage the next generation from being able to afford to drive. The future according to the WEF is autonomous pods. Driving will be for the ultra wealthy only.

[@pauliewalnuts240]

I work with automotive metal recycling. Weve bought tens of thousands of catalytic converters in the past 6 yrs, but weve bought less then 10 ev batteries in that time. Dealers dont change many and when they do, the core charge is so high that theyre rarely sold to 3rd party recycling companies.

[@BabyJesus66]

So you buy stolen property? Cool. 👍

[@u-know-this]

I hope you have bought legally acquired Catalytic Converters and not those been stolen in the parking lots. Hopefully there is a way to identify those by now

[@xtnuser5338]

@@u-know-this Yeah, all catalytic converters have an integrated RFID tag that reports the vehicle VIN they belong to, and they're all in a giant database run by the government, and all recycling centers scan every one they take in and run a check on it. LOL. A side benefit is that when yours goes bad and you have it replaced, the new one has to be programmed to match your vehicle, or else your car won't start.

[@paddydoo]

@@xtnuser5338lol I almost believed you for a second there

[@xtnuser5338]

@@paddydoo Good thing I included the LOL. I like being sarcastic, but I wouldn't want anybody to actually believe it. Easier when your speaking out loud, but you've got to be careful with text.

[@NemoBlank]

The problem is if you fix it you own any problems that follow. If that energy dense chemical battery brews up and burns down anything or anyone then you get the liability prize no matter who is actually to blame.

[@Menon9767]

Unfortunately very true

[@David-fj5lz]

No insurance company will touch a written off one, total scrap! How long can the insurance industry continue, these cars are now like the knee/arm bandit gambling machines in a casino but the insurance company ix now the loser. 90,000 dollars versus the premium, they cannot continue but this is what the Biden mafia want, thru are screeinv you as in China now the EV clllects all you data. .Billing you now by the actual mile even charging you for gojbvvgo the store, to thd doctor, dentist L

[@triforcelink]

God forbid someone has to actually take responsibility for something. We live in such a weak society.

[@DonziGT230]

I recently bought my first EV, it was broken and cheap so it was a great way to be able to experiment. The dealer said it needed an $8,000 repair, I spent $8 on the parts and about 3 hours on the diagnosis and repair, not counting time online learning about the car.

[@FunctionFIVE]

This needs some legislation for sure. Like the manufacturer needs to make diagnostics tools available to the public. Basically right to repair for for electric cars.

[@steak5599]

They are available to the public for a very affordable price. You can buy and online repair manual for 1 specific vehicle from All data for like $20. Scanner to read most data on vehicles cost like $120-500. Is good enough to do most works. Now, skills to interpret those Data and actually doing the repair yourself can't be learned overnight. If you think you can fix cars like Rich here just because you have access to diagnostic data，you will be in for a big surprise.

[@FunctionFIVE]

@@steak5599 kinda more what I'm after, it is quite obvious they don't want people to have the knowledge to repair their own stuff. That or they also lack the knowledge cause it's poorly engineered and they are after a replace rather than repair.

[@steak5599]

@@FunctionFIVE I wouldn't say they are poorly engineered. If you talk it or look up contents from creators who interviewed people who actually design and built these cars, you will see why things are built the way they are. If you want to see a Easy to repair vehicle, look up KZbinrs who imported $3000 Chinese pick up trucks. The trucks are literally put together with off the shelf standardized parts, even the control center look like a modified android tablet. The question is, how is the ride quality, road noise, and styling? Would anyone actually buy it? You tell me. Sometimes these complicated machines are actually consumer demands. For example, most people who buys a new car don't like stripe down base models despite it being thousands of dollar less expensive.

[@positrack99]

Agreed. This needs legislative oversight. The company builds a poor modular design or with-hold parts so the EV becomes disposable which should be the exact opposite of saving the environment through electricity. These EV companies are putting no R&D into repair design, the car gets totaled and cannot be fixed filling landfills, creating garbage, wasting the cobalt that children died for and the lithium the heavy equipment already used 100 oil barrels to mine. Person then buys another one $$$ with their insurance settlement and we all pay higher insurance rates while Tesla adds another sale to the books while firing the employee that got them there in the first place.

[@FunctionFIVE]

@@positrack99 you kinda went off on a rant but yeah, all relevant and I agree man. EV companies want all the profits + tax incentives but none of the liabilities. They just recently got Biden to cut out the Chinese EV market.

[@HONDACARGUY]

Super happy to see a well spoken young man in the automotive industry and very knowledgeable and educated. We in this trade are watching the amount of real technicians shrink daily and it’s so good to see someone excited and genuine about it. We need more techs people teach your kids working on cars is cool… I guess even EV’s too Also note this kid needs a KZbin to add to his income and add to our enjoyment, great work!

[@wpherigo1]

One of your best episodes, Rich! If the Us could get an EV repair pipeline going with education, certifications, plenty of shops with the correct equipment - that would be awesome.

[@pmkstudios]

Flashback to when multiple airbags were starting out and a body shop dude told me they been told per policy they had to replace them all for like $10 k even though only one or two had deployed. Some companies/people just want to see the world burn.

[@ycnexu]

I refurbished 2 deployed airbags in my '19 Mustang for $200 here in Russia. Good as new.

[@robformica5394]

In the US, consumer protection enforcement is essentially outsourced to liability lawsuits. This makes risk extremely hard to predict.

[@justcommenting4981]

​@@robformica5394 what liability? Lmao. It is all the same fundamental problem. Why do we still mint pennies and have to do our own taxes?

[@thisscootinglife2360]

john is a good sport doing the adverts

[@ZacharyRay-l8q]

Are we supposed to believe that guy is only 32? He looks 40+

[@AB-wf8ek]

Oh man, locking the storage unit from the outside at the end was hilarious

[@jimmace6148]

This kid is going places. Super professional. Super informative and puts off a positive vibe that honestly puts him above others. Great video

[@KingJerbear]

Cool dude, nice to see young people hyped about this type of stuff. I think a lot of the "anti-EV" crew forgets that you can be super passionate about ICE engines, loud exhausts, and bangin gears... and still also love and appreciate all of the technology and innovation electric vehicles are introducing.

[@beerdedwanderer]

What are the technologies and innovations?

[@aussie2uGA]

@@beerdedwandererIf you haven’t explored the insane instant torque of an a/c motor yet, you need to. Game changer.

[@beerdedwanderer]

@@aussie2uGA yea I'm sure they're fun, not really an answer to my question though.

[@aussie2uGA]

@@beerdedwanderer Haven't you been at least curious to explore the pros? Besides instant torque, the a/c motor turns into a generator when you release the throttle. In addition to making power, it helps in spirited driving with trail braking, makes for shorter stops, and in city driving allows one peddle driving without ever using the friction brakes. In the case of a Rivian, having one a/c motor controlling each wheel provides far more precise traction control. With a single gas motor up front, a vehicle has to send that power through a myriad of linkages, then control the excess by either reducing engine power altogether or trying to clamp down on friction brakes. With that a/c motor controlling each wheel, the ability to apply or reduce torque happens instantly, and only to that wheel with limited traction. It repeats this at a far greater speed than the single ICE engine and friction brakes can manage. The low center of gravity of the battery pack also means you can have a perfect 50/50 balance with a low polar moment of inertia. The vehicle turns and transitions with more immediacy, has mush less roll, and becomes much safer during a crash as the weight is now centered below you. There are numerous innovations in the technical aspects too (like the heat pump, the octovalve, 48v base architecture, steer by wire, bi-directional charging, etc.). If you're a performance junkie, it's worth forgetting about lack of exhaust noise and looking into the tech.

[@beerdedwanderer]

@@aussie2uGA yes I understand the advantages electric motors have, I like them, in my power tools. No, I'm not particularly interested in driving an ev. All the electronic intervention are disadvantages, a commonality with all very modern cars, in my opinion, not advantages. It seems to me that all the innovations people imagine evs possess are simply repackaged technologies. Not that they cannot be appreciated, I just don't know what innovation is directly appreciable to evs.

[@McGruff2008]

Hoovie needs help with his Fisker. Luxurious junk!

[@daakrolb]

goofy hoofy needs a lot of help. Not just about cars.

[@Rojasdrums]

@@daakrolbidk, looks like he got the wife part figured out just fine 😂

[@Z32andCG6]

I've been saying it since Rivian lent vehicles on The Long Way Up series where they broke an accumulator that it shouldn't be attached at the bottom of the suspension ever but especially so on a truck. Even McLaren with their questionable build quality has them mounted safely out of the way.

[@ohioxboxcollection4838]

This was truly captivating, watching the two of you bounce your ideas and what one noticed that the other hadn’t is invigorating, you guys truly enjoy troubleshooting and repairing these EV’s. This is why I watch you Rich, keep it up man!

[@ferfromla]

This is why the right-to-repair movement is so important. It seems that it is in the interests of some of these car companies to have the insurance companies write them off, even if they can be fixed, and have the customer go out and buy a replacement car. They don´t care about increased insurance costs as long as they can sell more cars. EVs are technically challenging for the average mechanic, and the EV companies surely want to control parts and repair, which are quite profitable. So, in addition to range anxiety and concerns about charging infrastructure, car buyers now have to worry about astronomical repair bills, if they can get them repaired, and huge insurance costs. When you factor all these in, keeping the gas guzzler might become less expensive. No wonder Hertz is dumping its Teslas.

[@Vamanos46]

9:57 these secondary bolt damage likely happened when the initial shop started exploring for damage . ie ; was caused by them and they just kept silent

[@Cheepchipsable]

Possibly even being loaded on the tow truck. Some of those guys don't GAF.

[@justice4g]

cars were getting unnecessarily complicated before EVs

[@Zion-Bear]

Over engineered with unnecessary sensors everywhere and Plastic components instead of hard metals. Crazy how we couldn’t master combustion vehicles to now making shoddy electric vehicles

[@aussie2uGA]

The goal before was designing the car for dealer service center profits

[@gregbailey45]

​@Zion-Bear The vehicles arent shoddy, just complex.

[@Cheepchipsable]

@@aussie2uGA No, designing a car that snapped together in seconds and was too expensive to repair after 100k miles. Plenty of ICE cars are written off due to parts unavailability and the fact insurers have to pay for rental vehicles over extended periods. They just look at the overall cost and write the car off, even if the cat might only cost a few $k to repair. This is how Vehcor gets his cars.

[@P2B_JC]

​@aussie2uGA manufacturers don't make money off service repair bills completed at dealerships. Actually, it could cost them money, and loyal customers. Stfu

[@JamesRockefeller45]

The world could use as many guys like this young man as we can get. You can tell he has the brains,work ethic, and enthusiasm to be great at what ever he chooses to do

[@nomercymayhem]

Rich, didn't realize you had your own Wizard. Give this man more screen time in the future, he's great.

[@325xitgrocgetter]

As I approach being an out of warranty Chevy Volt owner, I kind of understand this...because it seems if the traction battery starts having issues, I read that owners are getting "go way" prices from dealers when estimating repairs. It would be great to find independent EV and PHEV mechanics that can help keep these cars on the road.

[@babyboie20]

I'm a Software Engineer and was a Military Police Investigator and how I relate the two is showing how the ability and passion to track down problems understand them to either reverse engineer them to come up with a picture of what happen or what right looks like is can be transferred between the two jobs, listening to this guy break it down and his enthusiasm 1. makes me want to try to learn about this using his mentality as the framework but 2. realize you can find amazing and passionate people everywhere in all fields and all trades and not to push people into fields where they might loose that passion but show them how to grow that passion in the field/area they show interest in and love for. I don't know ish about anything electric car repair but the way this dude uses plan speak I feel like all I need is a few months and I would be able to actually be useful and help out in the shop. Nice work! Good video!

[@IggyBiggy]

Super cool to see a local EV shop. Love the local content you do. The Tesla at the 4x4 proving grounds was another favorite.

[@jhoesing]

I had a 2021 Model Y Performance. Was rear ended, low speed, no airbags in early Sept 2023. Took 6+ months before a shop could look at it. Drove fine during that time, no error codes or anything, just needed a bit of tape to keep the rain out of a hand sized gap in the hatch/body interface. Back right quarter panel, rear bumper, and hatch (metal only, not glass) needed replacement. ~$6k in parts. Insurance totaled it and sent me a check for $55k. All I could figure was the 95% good parts + good battery + repair cost exceeded the check they handed me. I'm glad to be out of Tesla though, and am loving my EV9.

[@bubba99009]

The main problem is the manufacturers don't want their vehicles repaired. If the insurance company totals out your model 3 you'll probably just buy a new one and maybe even move up to a better model. If you want to repair it and buy their overpriced parts they also win there. Making vehicles easy to repair with affordable parts is a losing proposition for them because only a tiny subset of people care about repairability and most of those that do are not buying EVs.

[@Ihavebeenwatchingyou]

It's all part of the plan to consume more to save the planet.

[@joelv4495]

Very much true. Most EV owners I've met always have to have the absolute latest iPhone as soon as it comes out.

[@pierrex3226]

I don't think that's true at scale and long term. People are hurting and if insurance doesn't become cheaper it's going to hurt ev sales for sure. The EU also has right to repair regulation so shit will have to get better. Mechanics just aren't qualified for ev work, the nature of the work is totally different. It's software and electrician work much more than mechanic work, and garages aren't electricians.

[@bubba99009]

@@pierrex3226 I think the vast majority of people just blame the insurance company and don't even realize their premiums are high because the car can easily be totalled out if they drive over an object that fell onto the roadway or over a curb. They'd have to make that connection AND change their buying habits to change things which isn't happening right now. One of the major downsides of ubiquitous insurance is people don't care what it costs to repair things or even if they can be repaired.

[@aussie2uGA]

No, this is just the Microwave oven scenario in the 1970’s. When they stopped working, nobody dared explore repairs due to potential radiation. As time goes on, people learn and acquire the knowledge. Imagine the horse and buggy guys learning about the Model T

[@lilguilty]

Funny how ev are supposed to fix the worlds pollution problems but they are just directed to other problems like a whole car being wasted because of that

[@-----------------------------]

Funny how companies would total any car today without finding someone who actually fixes things. This goes for both EVs and ICE.

[@captainLoknar]

not funny! it's maddening obviously the powers that be found that there's tons of money to be made with green technology - with total disregard from pollution of course. they have entire comitees taxing cars and phasing out ICE but they can't tell an EV manufacturer: sorry you can't sell this thing because it's gonna break in a year and you can't fix it. Yet the let cybertrucks rool on the street. government is worse than useless!

[@Helluscus]

@@----------------------------- That goes for anything now, Fix a phone? Car? Tractor?? sorry pay us more than the cost of the item to repair it

[@gurgleblaster2282]

​@----------------------------- they take ownership of the sale. So it's just a math equation. Cost of the repair chain i.e. whatever the insurance provides - the auction of the vehicle.

[@DaVe-iSnOtHoMe.MaN.LemmingsWeB]

Engineered tested and test test test tested till failure. Making sure it will wear out minutes after the warranty is up an EVs are even worse . Iff a software engineer wrote in a single line of code . Ordering the main brains of the ev to self destruct @ a set mileage ​@@-----------------------------or set time ,day ,place , or a mobile network mandatory vehicle system update. Bam nxt day or. week later an CLICK. Ev shot itself in its batteries

[@survidmt]

Always cool to see someone so knowledgeable of some many different systems and manufacturers variants, at a young age, and be able to communicate it all really well.

[@BCNeil]

As long as people are willing to pay insurance premiums high enough to write these off. No other solutions will be used.

[@nathanm8921]

Like there is a choice. I have 1 lease and 1 finance drive almost no mules for either car. No tickets no @fault crashes. And my insurance has gone up like 300% in the past 2 years. I live in FL and I dont have a choice on coverage. There is a minimum that I need to cary to satisfy the lenders. I had 1 POS beater truck that I just had the state min on and even that was almost 1000/year.

[@SuperMixedd]

@@nathanm8921 damn man $80 a month is insane for an old truck... I pay 29 euros per month for a 14y.o. econobox in France. But even then... I used to pay 21 euros per month up until recently. But since a year ago approx the rates started to climb.

[@steak5599]

@@nathanm8921 Floods damage total a lot of Vehicles and destroyed many homes in Florida, and those money will come out from Florida residents, I am sure you know that already though.

[@u-know-this]

​@@steak5599in texas their is also now Hail that's become normal my home insurance has almost tripled since 2016

[@shamanosarcasm9800]

I have USAA and 2 yrs ago I had my truck totaled in a hit and run. My insurance has increased over 500% every 6 months since for a Not-at-Fault accident and there's not a thing that can be done about it. You have to have insurance or you cannot finance a car or own a paid off car and drive it without insurance. Auto insurance relies on Lexis Nexis and that influences other insurances you have and your APR % rates without your knowing it. It's all a scam to separate you from your money

[@davidlampe4153]

Clean clear and easy to understand. Insurance company running away from your problem burying their heads in the sand and hoping the problem will go away? Say it ain’t so!? Thank you Rich Rebuilds for showing why crashed Tesla car’s are being written off by insurance companies and no effort is being made to educate or build critical infrastructure in the repair industry.

[@jetnavigator]

Owners of normal cars are paying for this through higher premiums.

[@segredosdotiosam9989]

Normal cars?

[@ryanoverlay4592]

Today you learned what insurance is for...

[@billw5189]

Probably not. And here is why. if they can charge you more, they will charge you more regardless. Your theory is they charge you more because somebody else drives an electric car but what’s the connection? Just charge you more regardless. A better reason to charge you more is to make more profit from you

[@dus10dnd]

Owners of EVs are as well

[@user-ek5nl1jc4b]

​@billw5189 That's how insurance works. When the company pays out more insurance claims, they up the price on everyone to recover the costs. Hence why people stealing and vandalizing that say "who cares, they have insurance" is very uneducated because it is affecting ALL OF US.

[@evrevo2593]

Thank you Rich for introducing us to people/company who are help to advance EV repair and reduce cost of owning and maintaining an EV. This is a very value service you are providing and I hope you do more in the future.

[@my2fenders]

Where did find this guy! So smart , you're in NewbHampshire give him your business for sure! wish I had someone like that around here

[@jhoncho4x4]

Lack of a dealer support option may be part of the problem. My parents bought a new 1978 Honda Civic CVCC from a Cincinnati Honda dealer over an hour away. They had to use a local "foreign auto" repair shop for major repairs and maintenance parts. It was the mid 80's before support for Japanese cars became common in Indiana. It was odd getting parts from the same place as Jaguars, Mercedes, and BMW. Since EV's makers don't want to use dealers for sales and support, a nationwide repair chain that specializes in EV Repair needs to be created. It would be in the ev makers best interest to support an ev repair shop chain. If even one ev repair shop was located in each capital city, that serviced all brands, it would help insurance rates and ev acceptance.

[@captainLoknar]

If governments really cared about the environment they would NOT give you a tax credit and rebate for buying an EV. They would force EVs and everything else to give the owner the RIGHT TO REPAIR. and support local repairmen formation and financing instead

[@Cyrribrae]

Repairs just cost a lot. Even when built for repair, they cost a lot. And if the government has to step in to support the private industry of repair, that just shows how difficult it is to make that economic proposition work. Besides, what you're suggesting is higher prices, which means fewer cars, which means less work for the people who do work on these cars. I support right to repair and general simplification and standardization of design, but there isn't a silver bullet. And it's a separate matter from the EV incentives. The amount of money being spent there wouldn't be anywhere near enough to change anything like what you want.

[@captainLoknar]

@@Cyrribrae they cost a lot in america because few people make it their calling. mostly because of how cars are less modular and harder to diagnose ON PURPOSE - with proprietary software, locked out and secret, encryption, and parts that are forbidden to be sold or intentionally overpriced. My point was the cost to own and maintain the EV should be on the sticker price. Give it a rating on how to fix it, maintain it, fuel it, and recover from an accident. Right now this rating doesn't exist except with the resale value - and it goes down 30,000$ for a tesla after a year.

[@32BitJunkie]

For the 5 people who would actually use that? Lol no

[@vassyakun01]

Thanks Rich)) PS. 10:22 I’ll whistle blow about “Carbon Fiber” price tag. To cut down on cost / production makers switched to a look-a-like plastic composite and still call CF (with the same price tag).

[@MichaelSuperbacker]

Omg I am totally coming to meet you 👍!!!

[@hardykornfeld1733]

A friend of mine totaled his Model Y by backing into a utility pole at 5 mph. Dented battery box. He used the insurance payout to buy a new Ioniq 5 for $8,000 below MSRP.

[@ProlificInvention]

When I went into insurance at the age of 19; I still remember what one of the trainers said: In insurance you need no college degree, no aptitude for anything really, but you can make 6 figures easily if you learn this industry.

[@Madvizion]

Well then how do I get started? Any suggestions?

[@CrankyOldNerd]

Happy to see people like this still exist. When I was a kid, the big scary thing was the Apple IIe and the IBM PC, and i turned it into a great career because I figured out how they worked and no one else wanted too.

[@NerdyMeathead]

For forcing everyone to get an EV in the next couple of years, it's mind boggling how much pollution these cars are going to cause by tossing them to the side for the sake of being green.

[@stacymoore4785]

Good point

[@LarsDennert]

Originally the Rivian came with two 18ah batteries and last year they eliminated one. The other is supposed to have a capacitor but maybe there's just an isolator to run the right side fuse block of the car. Vampire drain has improved but having a motorcycle/ generator sized battery means the car has to wake up to charge it pretty often. The inefficiency uses 1% per day, 400kw per year.

[@jandraelune1]

Absolutely nothing wrong with the Rivian, just the insurance adjuster and first mechanic got spoked and totaled it. There NEEDS more education into these, less totaling.

[@Carboneye7]

I’ve also gone down the path of repairs to nice machines that on one else can or will do. It’s made me extremely valuable in a lot of ways. Rich you have steered slot of us to fix the I fixable or to take on projects that yield super results

[@Sizukun1]

Your insurance company was sued too many times and was robbed by too many body shops to continue the battle. Thats why it was written off after a scratch. Now you get to pay way higher premiums because they're no longer fighting for reasonable repairs. Great vid with an expert illustrating the exact problem.

[@ryanfraley7113]

So the insurance companies with all their resources can’t fight back against small time body shops?

[@lucasokeefe7935]

Don't you ever take the side of an insurance company again. Go to your room.

[@mrsmith6532]

​@@ryanfraley7113to be honest, yeah. In most states the laws protect shops so much that there's absolutely nothing insurance companies can do. And consumers themselves, very reasonably, trust the shops way more than the insurance companies so a lot of times the insurance company just has to wipe their hands of the whole thing.

[@nathanm8921]

The insurance company always want to use used parts and non oem replacements to save money. And they also never ever ever want to pay the labor to do a full inspection to actually find all of the damage. They want to get the initial quote for damage without even taking a bumper off. Not to mention they just automatically deny the first damage quote and say that multiple things aren't covered.

[@RipliWitani]

I've seen it both ways. For a stolen vehicle you will get used parts. But I've also seen insurance pay for brand new engines and transmissions.

[@pwang33ece]

This is some pretty in-depth debug and root cause analysis happening here. We need more repair shops and techs like this, ICE or EV. The more complicated the car gets, the more sophisticated the techs need to get and it’s great to see this guy embody that.

[@zaarkeru3391]

Honestly, this is surface level stuff. Which makes it more insane that hardly anyone wants to touch them EVs. Electric stuff is easy to work on. Just like RC cars, computers etc, its nothing complicated

[@rafaeltorovip]

A car, a vehicle should never be so complicated to work on. We are going backwards. 😔

[@aussie2uGA]

Dealers make the majority of profit from service. For the past couple decades, the goal has been to engineer cars requiring specialized tools, specialized diagnostics, and high levels of training. Everything switched so the dealer sees the majority of issues that arise. That’s a hard profit motive to disrupt.

[@peterad1529]

No it’s absolutely how they want it. It’s a full on assault on right to repair . It has been for years.

[@jackyou3145]

Its always great to see someone so knowledgeable and enthusiastic about what they do. Props to this man!

[@blvckskull7954]

That keeps ad is pure madness 💀

[@theniceneighbor]

Lol dude is 32 years old

[@bullithedjames937]

You should see the ones donut does

[@FJB2020]

This whole video was an ad....

[@blvckskull7954]

@@bullithedjames937 those are also funny but this one takes the prize

[@Julesybabes70]

Thanks for bringing this problem to light Richard. Definitely work needs to be done to bring EV repair and insurance closer to ICE vehicles to make the move to EV easier, fairer and more successful.

[@jasonoutman420]

Even ICE repair costs are getting out of control

[@bradleyborno71]

Hey that kid is cool!!👍🏾💯

[@z33tanner]

Awesome video. Im a diag tech for an auction and trying to get special service tools and dealership info is the bane of my existance haha, i would love to do mobile EV diagnostics with this guys selection of tools/info!

[@Jypsywednesday7833]

Is that why they totaled my Bolt after a 10mph collision?!!! Scardy Cats

[@jamesphillips2285]

What gets me is not even the OEMs are willing to crack a battery. Hyundai has quoted multiple people $56,000 CAD for a replacement battery on the Hyundia Ioniq after relatively minor damage to the battery casing (and cooling system in one case). The Ioniq does not cost that much NEW!

[@johnsmith7676]

You were fool enough to buy it. You reap what you sow.

[@vblic]

Because you didn't buy the nuts.

[@deth3021]

​@jamesphillips2285 the problem isn't cracking the battery. The problem is missing something and leading to a house burning down.

[@jamesp5301]

Live Free or Die. Hudson NH. The first place I lived out of college. Its really amazing how much fear there is but knowledge is the way to combat fear. Nice video

[@davidbell4626]

Keep the education videos coming Rich!

[@dgurevich1]

These cars that are written off are bought by foreigners and exported to countries like Ukraine. Where actual engineers restore them. The name of the game in insurance is liability. They are writing off that car because they are not confident the repair will make the car safe because there is no record of repairing EVs for long enough time. That's why Tesla insurance is a thing. You can buy it for 45000$ but you accept the risk.

[@dnpo]

The government should hold the manufacturers responsible for this bullish! t. If the manufacturer can't fix their appliances then we shouldn't be forced to buy them

[@BIGDeZeL6]

My dad would take me to school when I thought I knew it all too Rich. Keep inspiring this young man and all of yourube

[@taylorfrederick-os9dl]

we want steevaaaannnnnn!

[@aldozilli1293]

Same in the UK, I've bought two EVs and they're fine. One had slightest scratches underneath the other had some minor flood damage that didn't affect the battery or motor. Easily fixed with some cleaning and new modules. Bargains to be had buying salvage EVs.

[@jamesonpace726]

Yeah, he's young & also smart as a whip. Maybe there's hope for us afterall....

[@jamesonpace726]

That's right. Welcome to capitolism, ya commie pinko....

[@lisashiela9137]

The problem is not so much saving the vehicle as it is changing the perspective of liability to an insurer. If a damaged vehicle (e.v) is repaired and deemed safe but electrocutes a person or burns down property, then it is less expensive to sell it for salvage with zero liability. Recently, an e.v. was hard to recover from a pond, just because no one wanted to get in the water to attach the winch cable out of fear of electrocution.

[@jeoboden]

what are they trading for at auction totalled like this?

[@randalljames1]

I spent a lifetime as a mechanic and shop owner..This guy has it exactly right .. Understand what you are working on and fixing it is easy. This is identical to the period when computers became a common occurrence in new cars.. The old timers did not want to take the time to learn them and so went by the wayside..

[@BAYBAY_316]

What an awesome guy. I love his passion

[@paulchenard]

Love to see shops like this so close to me here in NH. Builds confidence with long term EV ownership this is great!

[@DaveWithMS]

This was an excellent video! Thank you for putting it together.

[@BernardSamson-hf6fc]

I am IMI accredited to Level 4 for EV's. The biggest issue is Manufacturer's will not share information. I work and teach EV at a College.

[@rcguygarage]

This episode was PERFECT for info that's needed to be made known👍💯👊 I'm in MA and thrilled MLM is right next door 😜

[@micahedwards1188]

That accumulator is like the top strut mounted version on my 1995 Citroen Xantia estate ! LOVE the channel !

[@wrxsubaru02]

2:49 He felt all that cocoa butter on Rich's hand and had to spread it around. 🤣🤣🤣

[@MesGuided]

😂😂

[@ChristianWagner888]

EVs are made to be disposable, just like smartphones with non-removable batteries. Even if you don’t have any accidents for 8 years, a new battery will cost as much as the remaining value of the car once it is out of warranty. Even within the warranty period, the car company may just refuse a repair as we have seen from Tesla and others. This trend of non-repairability is spreading to ICE vehicles as well, due to sensitive electronics dominating the functions. After 10 years or so any car depending on electronics may become unrepairable. We urgently need right to repair and open standards implemented across many different products, including cars.

[@SalemTechsperts]

June 11th I can finally collect the money you owe me...

[@FJB2020]

For what?

[@909tylor]

Looking at that pack, it’s an early production truck. We used to use ALOT of glue around the batteries to protect them. I understand why the insurance totaled out the truck, and I mainly believe it’s just due to the cost of a replacement battery pack + labor. Cracks around those studs were introduce a point of water/moisture entry and over time can cause damage inside of the pack or even be extremely dangerous. I have first hand seen what happens when these packs get wet inside…. Not fun.

[@SirAJentz]

Younger version of SteveON.

[@Officialgoodscompany]

Doug, never discourage people from doing a shoulder check when changing lanes. The camera tech is a good addition for awareness, and not a replacement. The split second it takes for that display to come on could be just long enough for a person to miss something that would cause an accident.

[@MacGyver-1]

Yeah neat they can actually be fixed,........Still not buying one, I run my battle tested 4runner forever