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Comment by ethbr0 | Hacker News Reader

I think some of the outrage is Tesla owning the car, but essentially demanding the renter keep it in like-new condition.

Legally subject to the terms of the lease, of course. But it feels unfair not to accept normal wear and tear and reasonable repair.

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Lease monthly payments are charges for depreciation plus profit, so they do expect you to keep it in like-new condition. Tesla's screw-up was giving the customer the car and not verifying that they have comprehensive insurance, which is what Tesla relies on for keeping it like-new.

I bet they do have comprehensive insurance, but their insurance company told them that this is a collision loss. Just read my policy, which is written by a very large insurer -- and this would, in fact, be a collision loss under mine.

They didn't have comprehensive insurance but Tesla didn't verify it's mentioned in the video.

Collision with an object in the road should be a collision claim anywhere in the US that I’m aware of. Maybe he’s confusing the two.

Depreciation is variable though, and dependent on fair market value at lease termination.

If Tesla designed the car with a part and sold said part, everyone would be better off: Tesla (less risk of catastrophic repair expenses), insurance companies (lower repair costs, less variability), and the customer (cheaper repairs and insurance).

I get that's not a trivial request, but other car manufacturers manage the task.

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