An expensive test drive
phaidenbauer • 3 Mar 2025 •
My brother is currently for a new vehicle to replace the one he currently drives. We have been test-driving a Hyundai Ioniq 5, a Tesla Model 3 (facelift), a BYD Seal and will test drive a Polestar soon.
So far, all of them are quite good cars, but all expect the Tesla don’t do good self-driving. When it comes to long distance drives (which, of course, only happen occasionally) I must admit that I really enjoy only watching the car do its thing. Sure, I still need to keep my eyes on the road, and we don’t have FSD yet, but it is still a huge benefit in my opinion.
Anyway, back to the topic. We were test-driving the BYD last Friday and my brother dented one of the wheels slightly. Today he got a first cost estimate at €800. I was quite shocked as those test drives cars are normally insured for such kinds of accidents.
Well, turns out the salesman talking to us forgot to mention a fee of a few bucks for such accidents. And because it wasn’t collected, my brother has to pay the full price (up to 1k€).
Although I really liked the BYD, especially the seats, and I would consider changing my Model 3 (lease is ending March 2026), the BYD Sealion (the larger version of the Seal) would definitely be an alternative. But not from that dealership.
Comments
I’m sure it was just missed on the salesmen side, but it bothers me that they didn’t come up with a less expensive solution. Definitely something I would not call “good customer service”, especially with the intention to maybe buying a car from them.
I don’t think Geely’s are sold here yet. My brother would upgrade from a 2007 diesel, so everything new would be a major jump.
This situation has a bad smell. My scam-sense is tingling.
Nah, the €800 seems to be correct according to my brother (he’s a mechanic).
Oh man that sucks! Whether it’s malice or incompetence, it’s still a bad outcome. I’m sorry your brother has to deal with this. ☹️
My brother was eyeing BYD, as well. I am personally leasing a Geely, which I find very comfortable, especially since the last time I upgraded my car was in 2013. 😬