A Cybertruck owner was left disappointed when they discovered their vehicle didn’t withstand an unexpected hailstorm in Austin, Texas, and they were even more gobsmacked when they were hit with the repair bill.
While other cars parked next to the truck had no windshield damage, the Cybertruck would need repairs, with the owner saying on Reddit: “Pretty disappointing, will let y’all know how much it costs to fix.”
The owner then followed up to reveal the damage would cost an estimated $2,326.75 (£1,860) to repair via an app service request.
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Shocked by the price, one commenter said: “You might want to try and fight that. The armoured glass is supposed to be resistant to this sort of thing.”
It wasn’t all bad though – compared with other cars parked next to the truck, the Cybertruck had no damage to its body while other vehicles had “lots of dings”.
A less discouraged commenter added: “Could have gotten hit with a bigger chunk of hail than any of the surrounding cars too. All it takes is the right size and right spot to strike the windshield to break it. Plus at least you don’t have any body damage unlike the surrounding cars most likely. Hopefully your insurance can easily cover this.”
Still, it’s a hefty bill considering the trucks themselves will see you out of pocket by $79,990 (£66,000) for a dual-motor car, and a whopping $99,000 (£82,000) if you want the tri-motor Cyberbeast.
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This isn’t the first time Elon Musk’s Cybertruck has faced ridicule over its “Armor Glass” windows – when the truck was first unveiled in 2019, Tesla claimed that they were virtually unbreakable, but two windows were shattered during a failed demonstration when a metal ball was thrown at them.
After the embarrassing blunder, Musk was able to save face during a reattempt with a baseball last year which this time didn’t break the windows.
Musk revealed that his inspiration for the unusual vehicle came from Blade Runner and “Wet Nellie”, which was the Lotus Esprit driven by James Bond in The Spy Who Loved Me.
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The concept Cybertruck was revealed at the Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles on November 21, 2019 – the exact same month, year and location that the movie Blade Runner was set.
The strange looking trucks have an exterior of stainless steel sheet metal and have been released as three different models, with price estimates for them rising by around $20,000 (£16,000) since being first announced five years ago.
Despite Musk’s sci-fi inspiration, the reality is that some Cybertruck owners seem less than impressed by the damage and repair costs of these futuristic vehicles.