Watch: Tesla rented on Turo found dismantled for parts testing

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It’s not uncommon for people to treat rental cars with less care and consideration than they do their own vehicles. As a result of this truth of human nature, car-sharing companies like Turo, which allows car-owners to rent out their vehicles on days they’re not using them, come with detailed policies that prohibit certain behaviours. 

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Watch: Tesla rented on Turo found dismantled for parts testing Back to video

One of the things you’re not supposed to do when you rent somebody’s personal vehicle off the app is take it to a shop and make modifications to it, even if they’re just for “testing” reasons. 

But a Tesla Model 3 owner, real estate investor, and TikToker named Frank Valdez recently went viral when he filmed the recovery of his electric car from a body shop where it was being dismantled in the name of some alleged “testing.”

The video’s onscreen caption indicates Valdez thought the renter was attempting to make away with some of his Tesla’s parts, and indeed that’s what it looks like when the couple pulls up to find the red Model 3 with its front bumper removed and a grey bumper in its place. Valdez was notified of the irregular work being done on his car by Tesla’s onboard cameras and sensors, including those in the frunk and doors.

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According to Valdez, the renter also runs a website that sells exotic and Tesla parts. 

But the man doing the parts swap claims to simply be “testing” the front bumper, and apologizes for going against Turo’s rules and regulations, which prohibit the use of rented vehicles for “any commercial purposes.” 

The apology might’ve been enough to keep Valdez calm and collected while he waited for the police to arrive, but Turo is not about to tolerate the breach in protocol. Turo Public Affairs agent Catherine Mejia made the following statement, as reported by Tesla Oracle: “Turo is aware of a video appearing to show a host’s vehicle being used improperly during a trip. Our team is in contact with the host and have taken action to ban the guest from Turo for violating our terms of service, which explicitly prohibit guests from making any unapproved alterations to any vehicle.”

“Although these incidents are uncommon in our marketplace, we do offer hosts protection plans with varying levels of coverage for damage to vehicles. We are currently gathering facts about the incident and thank you for your patience as we work to resolve this active investigation.”