We Bought A Faulty Electric Car To See If It Can Be Fixed!
This is a 2,000lb full electric car, but this is not what this video is about. It’s actually about that car there, which is a non-runner. It’s got a significant fault, and its last MOT was October 2022. Aha. Yes, it’s another Rena Zoe. It’s either a Leaf or a Zoe at this age. So, we’ll just have to skip past that one. But 2017, which tells us 40 kWh battery and bargain because fully battery owned and it cost less than that one. Yes. How much do you think? I don’t know why I’m asking you cuz you can’t obviously put in the comments. Yes. Don’t fast forward me. No, no, no. Pause it. Put in the comment what you think. This cost with the known fault £1,450. Oh, that that was in sync. was that 1,450 quid which the fault is the motor. It’s quite substantial. Yeah, we don’t know what it is. It could be something simple. It could be an entire entire new motor. There’s a story we’ll tell you about in terms of what the original owner had the issue with and why he couldn’t get it repaired. It’s 40 kWh 2017 Zoey with what nearly 80,000 one owner full Renault service history. One owner from new Renault service history. So I reckon this would be a 5 to5,000 car if it was fully working but it was sight unseen because of the distance IPS switch to north didn’t make sense. Yeah. So we got it we got it transported up here because the traveling was just well it was a gamble. Now we can reduce that risk that gamble just a little bit even with a car with a known fault by checking its history. And this is something I’ve done with every single used purchase I’ve ever made. About six, seven months ago. I nearly bought a content car, an EV, which looked fine. Everything looked good. I spoke to the person, the advert, it all ticked the boxes. I then run a report on that car and it told me that for two of its seven years, it was stationary. It had done zero miles. I then asked some questions which they after pushing uh answered and ended up walking away because the answers I got just it didn’t make sense. There wasn’t something that just it was red flags. The reporting question is car vertical. I have genuinely used this for years. Every single content car in fact if I look at my history on my account here’s the original Zoey I bought nearly two years ago. Remember the black Tesla Model S that had done nearly 180 90,000 miles? That’s the report from it. I can genuinely say this is good value and it makes sense. The Zoe that we’re talking about in this video, everything on the report here, it’s all green ticks. It’s all good and it matches what the advert and the person who we spoke to over the phone told us about the car. But what if you get a report and the car has something wrong with it, a damage? So, I’ve picked one of these reports as an example. It’s a Mercedes-Benz EQS. As you can see here, we’ve got some yellow attention flags. Something has happened to this car. It’s been damaged. And if I scroll down, you’ve got photographs. And I can see what the car was like after. Whoopsie. It was crashed. Imagine if you were buying that and you didn’t know that it was crash damaged or you just wanted to see what it looked like beforehand. Has it been used as a taxi as we can see here. That’s another big thing for me, especially with EVs because it affects the warranty on some manufacturers cars. Has it ever been stolen? Driving vehicle school. That’s quite unusual, but the checks are always there. You’ve got over 30 countries and if nothing comes back from a report that you get done, then you get your reports back. And you know what else? We’ve got a 20% discount code. EVM is the discount code. It’s not just the big boys. I’ve got my own one as well. 20% off and for a report of this tiny fraction of the cost of whatever car you’re buying. It’s it’s worth every single penny just for that peace of mind. And it is again something I have genuinely done for years before I started working with Car Vertical. So, here’s the code, EVM, and I’ve put a link in the description and as a pinned comment. All you have to do is click on that. It injects the code for you. So, you don’t even have to type that in. You just click on that link and then go and get your reports. And again, if it doesn’t come back with anything, you get your reports back. So, thanks to Carver Vertical for basically giving us the opportunity to take a gamble. So, now we’re going to go through the car to find out what’s wrong with it. Other than the fault we already know about, which is the motors making a very loud extensive knowledge of cars. Yes. A tire. I got some man tools. Have you Look. Oh, brilliant. This a thingy, a screwdriver, and some silicon spray. We’re not trying to repair this ourselves. We’re not Matt Armstrong, are we? No, we don’t got the tools or the time. We don’t have the tools, the time, or the skill. Quite frankly, we’re doing something that’s recreatable by anyone. This was bought from an advert on Auto Trader. Not through the auctions, not through a Motor Trader. That’s cheating. Wasn’t this the cheapest EV on Auto Trader? It was the cheapest electric car and auto trader at its time. Yes. And we even got a bit off it. Yeah. So, this is something that we’re going to use independent garages to repair and we haven’t found one yet. So, that’s the first challenge. Uh we’re not doing it ourselves. So, we’re not using main dealers for reasons we’ll come to again in in the video. So, this is something that if you really wanted to, you could recreate yourself. There’s no I can see with the amount of risk. This is why I’ve bought this. Yeah, I am. I am bought this because genuinely though this could be a paper weight that’s a monumental cost to the channel or could be a bargain. Well, for me the battery itself is going to be worth more than we’ve paid for it. Yeah, I think so. Assuming that of course is also okay because it’s been sat summer 23ish. Yeah, it’s been sat a while, hasn’t it? Yeah. Although the previous owner uh we had a long chat with, he said that he did kind of turn it on, move it backwards and forwards and, you know, charge it occasionally. So that sort of that story. Should we have a look around it and see what our basic knowledge can at least tell whatever garage we find what’s wrong with it and see if we can fix anything. I think we should give ourselves five points for everything we fix. Right. Can’t get in. That’s the first problem. Button’s not doing anything. Oh, hang on. I’m in. But I’ve noticed one thing. That’s five points. Yeah. But do lock it again. That works. Yeah, but that don’t Yeah, that’s not. Should I try the main bead? Yeah, try the main be. Oh, that that could be a bulb. That could be 10. That could be If it’s a bulb, that’s what 50p. Oh, no. Oh, so that entire cluster ain’t working. The whole cluster? Yeah. This I can do. Oh god, look at this. Oh, hello. There’s a cigarette butt on this one. There’s no I mean what I’m going to look for if he’s been stood for two years is any sign that Oh. Wait a minute. Is that as simple as that? Plug it in. Do we dare full beam? It’s working. We fixed something. That’s 10 points to us. Just this bit was loose. It was loose. Yeah. What I was looking for though is was like rodent damage. It’s been stood for a while. Sometimes mice can get in. It’s not too bad. And it was under a carport. No, it just needs a good clean, doesn’t it? Just to clean out the drains. We could put a cannon air induction kit on this. Induction kit. Yeah. Well, yeah, we’ll modify that there. You need the oil change in that. It does. It does. Oh. Oh. What’s What’s the battery on in terms of the percentage? I don’t I don’t mean the state of health I’m talking about cuz he said that he’d give it a charge before we he got picked up. Oh, look. It’s full. Yeah, it’s full. It is full. Right. All right. So, if the battery is full, that means it charges fine. You would think so. Okay. Do you know? Look at this as well. The silver bezel hasn’t worn. Yeah. What’s that? That tire looks very long. Oh, it does, doesn’t it? Yeah. But have you also spotted something else? Premium brand tires. Michelon tire. All round. All round. That for me is somebody that hasn’t cheaped out on keeping his car maintained and the full Renault service history. I suggest that too. Pigs. That’s quite a bit. I think they we’re going to get them replaced, aren’t we? Is there? And new discs. Yeah, new discs, new pads. Maybe the calipers need refurbished. Okay. Yeah. And the tires aren’t that old either. 2021. And to be honest, they’ve got decent tread on. Yeah. Wow. That’s a saber. So far, it’s not looking as terrible as I thought. Right. So, we fixed what could have been, let’s face it, that’s a 500 quid job at a dealer. Oh, yeah. Plugging that in, that’s 500. They’ have replaced the whole light. They would have done. Yeah. Right. So, um, it definitely charges because it’s 100%. Yeah, there’s no way it’d be 100% if it didn’t charge. Everything at least looks like it’s okay. The 12 volts fine because the car unlocks and locks. Now, the uh Oh, hang on. Has it got decent wipers? Wipers? Yeah, you also always look at wipers. I can’t see any Bosch logo. No, I wouldn’t say it’s mint, but it’s very, very close to it. A little bit there, isn’t there? No, that’s a mark. Tiny little scratch there. It’s done 80,000 mi. one owner from new which it tells me it’s been looked after. I mean the tires again tell us it it hasn’t been a wrecking ball for anybody. There’s no cor. Look, what’s that? What’s that? I can see something here. There’s a mark there. I don’t want to touch it unless it’s like bird poo. Bird poo. It’s bird poo. This is This is almost mint in terms of the body. It is. Wow. For 1450 quid. Wow. We’ve got a boot. Hey, cables. Couple hundred quid there. Yeah, look at that. What’s that? Some LED lighting. Think that would bought trying to fix the headlights. Could have been. Could have been. And we we just plugged it back in again. Not never been open. Never been open. Oh, wow. It’s got a smell of Oh, well, like been left. Not damp, but you know, if you ever walked in a house that knows for a while. It’s not wet anywhere, is it? It has rained recently, so check any leaks. Yeah. Is the boot dry? Check under here. Wow. I’ve been tossed it. No. No. Well, it would be wet in here, wouldn’t it? If it was settling anyway, it be the bottom of there. To be honest, the boot doesn’t smell of any dampness. Does it really? No. And look how clean that boot is. There’s no Usually it’s full of rubbish in it. Bits of sand and all. 8-y old car that’s done 80,000 miles nearly. You’d expect way worse. And I’ve seen way worse. I’ve seen way worse. Anything It feels It’s not damp. It just I think it’s just cold. It just feels a bit different. Yeah, there’s no water under there. It’s born dry. Is that dry? Absolutely born dry. No. No. And just a bit of a Yeah, a bit of a smudge. I don’t know what that is. Something’s been spilt there. Is it? It’s sticky. Is it? Oh. Oh. So, we got sticky sticky sticky fingers in the rear. And oh, look what I found. Presents. What’s that? Ooh, bolts. We’ve got a locking wheel nut. Who would nick these wheels? An old LBT two thingy. Okay. Uh, right. Ready. Any error messages? Uh, there’s a spanner. Span a carry out service. That must be a service light, which I’m sure you could probably cancel via some combination of adjust tire pressure. Ah, that that hasn’t come up with anything else other than service and tire. So, that’s a good thing. Um, it’s not caught fire. No, that’s a good thing. This is a a nonweak spot, I think, isn’t it? We always should we go for heat or air conditioning? It’s 15° outside. Let’s go for heat. Oh, a bit of a smell. I think the uh I can go in neutral, drive, and reverse. That’s fine. We’ve got a camera and camera works. But yeah, cabin filter. Oh, that that’s a bit of a pawn. Yeah, that might be the smell that was in the car. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that’s just outside air, is that? Yeah. I don’t think this is working, is it? No. Try that. Just blowing cold air out us. Right. So, climate control not working. Should we say that then? I think that’s that’s I’m thinking it’s been stood still for 2 years. There’s a chance it could just need a reg. Look at that. No squeaks. And rear as well. Oh, wow. That’s posh. All right. That’s definitely not worth it. Let’s turn that off just Yeah. Don’t need that now, do we? Now, is it worth just moving it forwards or backwards? Just on the drive. Well, it’s got an engine fault. Motor fault. According to him, we’ll either hear something like or not. Let’s see. It did drive off the trailer. So, I’m on the bridge. That sounds perfect to me. There’s a wine. The parking sensors work. Yeah. Yeah. Right. So, the motor works. It’s just noisy. Cuz you’ve got the motor and then you’ve got the like a transfer box of a gear reduction box. Yeah. Could be that. Well, should we tell them the story of the car? how we came across. So, so effectively the guy had had it from new his I think it was his wife’s. Yeah. Um she was driving it and then he got in it and noticed a noise. She Oh, yeah. She just put the music up apparently. So, that’s what he said anyway. So, he’s like, “How long has he been doing that for?” He didn’t know. Not long, but ultimately it was something wrong. He took it to Renault, a main dealer. Yeah. Who said, “You need a new motor.” Now, we all know that main dealers don’t bother trying to fix anything. They just replace entire units. So that doesn’t mean we need new motor. It could be that the bearings. It could be some simple induction. It could be bearings are known I think on the Zoey or it could be a new motor. Worst case, isn’t it? Yeah, that’s the worst case scenario. So that’s he said yes to that which I believe is4 to5,000. He lovely. He didn’t give us a which is what ironically the car’s probably worth only about. Yeah. Then they had it another in total something like 10 months waiting for a a new motor. Didn’t he spot it parked in their local supermarket car park? They ditched it in a supermarket car park next door. Yeah. Instead of their own shopping. Yeah. And saw his own car there. Yeah. So anyway, dealers aside, they were waiting for a part for 9 10 11 months and he just My guess is he just thought, I’ve had enough of this. Give me the damn thing back. So 15, 16 months later, he basically obviously got sick of it. Stuck at an Auto Trader. Couldn’t find anyone local to him. Yeah. Uh to fix it in terms of independent dealers. And obviously the main dealer said, “Oh, we just can’t get parts.” And by this point, they’d already bought her another car. I guess it just became a problem in the corner. I I don’t think that’ll be the major issue, finding somebody. And before anybody says, “Oh, take it to Cleveland. They’re an 8hour round trip and things like this cannot be fixed on your driveway.” What we want is, oh, it’s just a gear reduction problem. Yep. Nice and easy. You don’t have to take the motor out. I think uh you’re missing some air con gas. Yeah. We’ve fixed the headlights. That’s it. fix the uh key fob. Yeah. Pump the tire up. Put a battery in it. Yeah. Hopefully there’s nothing wrong with the tire in terms of a puncher, but it’s just been sat. I think probably discs and pads and then Mot. Is it drums on the back? Yeah, I think so. Yeah. Yeah. So, they might worst case scenario, they might just strip. So, it needs a full service. Yeah. I mean, we’ll we’ll be getting it serviced fixing the thing, won’t we? So, and what would you service on this? I just think you could just Do you know what? Given what we’re doing to the motor, I don’t think there’s anything left. I think moving on from this, I’m I’m I wouldn’t think of servicing a car of this age, electric car, apart from brakes and discs. Well, take MOT time. I’d say, can you give the brake fluid in? Yeah. Do that. But in terms of having a service, I just do the cabin filter myself. There’s no warning lights on here now, apart from the tire pressure. Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. What’s here? Light work. Oh, that. Right. Well, um I think that’s the next job then to find a garage. Yeah. Which I think is going to be harder than what we’ve fixed. I think. Yeah. So, what we’ve done is we’ve done this the wrong way around, haven’t we? We’ve bought a car without finding somebody to fix it. So, you can recreate this if we do it right. Yeah. Or we will just prove to people that you can fix one. And it’s Yeah. And at the end of Yeah. I guess if you get a problem like this with a car this old, it is just time to say goodbye. Scrap it. See what someone gives you for it. Which is a shame. It just shows as well that the weak points with electric vehicles aren’t the batteries. No. No. I don’t know. It’s 80,000 mi. The battery’s got tons of life left in it. It’s French electrics. It’s French electric. Yeah. But it’s always the battery that people worry about. It is. Yeah. To put this into some sort of context in combustion. You’re the Mini. I wiring them fault. Yeah. Yeah. That well intermittent. Yeah. And the Mini specialist said it what? Uh he said it’s not worth me fixing it cuz it’ll take far too long and I can’t book you in cuz there’s only two of us. And he didn’t want to do it. No. Get rid of it. And that was a specialist of the car. Yeah. And the car was worth more a lot more than the the that car for about five years. I probably still have it now. So this happens in petrol world. So that was younger and yeah, I won’t say got written off but it was it was worth way less than it should have been because of that and no one willing to repair it. Yeah. Otherwise you’d get you willing to pay but BMW didn’t want to either. So So this is nothing unique to EVs, is it? No. And BMW changed the design from 2018 onwards. Yeah. Because they realized there’s a fault. Yeah. So there you go. It’s no different than it always has been. No, it’s always been. Yes. You take a chance. Some cars are good, some cars are bad. Yeah. Right. Uh, next job is mine then to find a garage. It is.
We’ve bought a faulty electric car to see if we can repair it and get it back on the road without using the main dealer network.
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