A Finnish Man Billed 78,000 Euros For The Repairs Of A Mercedes-Benz EQC

Finn Jani Kesala, the owner of the electric Mercedes EQC from 2021, was shocked when he received a bill of as much as 78,000 euros for the repair of the car. The problem arose after he caught a stone in the lower part of the car on a slightly uneven forest road, not realizing how much damage he had caused.

A few weeks later, during routine service, it was discovered that the battery case had a thumbtip-sized indentation, one to two centimeters deep. Although the mechanic determined that neither the cooling ducts nor the battery cells were damaged, according to current standards, the car could no longer be approved for traffic with that battery.

The problem was further complicated by the fact that the outer protective layer could not be easily repaired until a suitable used battery was available. The estimate for the new battery and installation was an incredible 78,000 euros.

Kesala bought the car used just eight months earlier, and its current value is around 30,000 euros. Fortunately, the car was insured, so the insurance company decided to declare it a total loss and pay him approximately 30,000 euros.

Although the car is technically functional, the dent would no longer pass the MOT in Finland and other Nordic countries. Therefore, it could end up as waste or be sold for export.

Kesala considers the situation absurd because he just bought the SUV so that he could drive on unpaved roads. Still, he says he’ll buy an electric car again, but this time he’ll look for a model with higher ground clearance.

An additional paradox is that, under the new European rules, the battery from such a car cannot simply be used as a source of spare modules for repairing other vehicles. After being declared a total loss, it can be classified as waste and must be recycled.

Finnish mechanic Jesse Haapala previously warned that such rules could make battery repairs unprofitable or impossible, exposing electric vehicle owners to huge costs and driving up insurance prices in the long run.

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