YouTuber revives 2015 Tesla Model S with $70 Mercedes part after $5,500 Tesla quote

A YouTube creator says he cut more than $5,000 off Tesla’s repair estimate by pinpointing a failed sensor on a 2015 Model S. Sam, who paid $10,300 for a fully equipped Model S, reported a dashboard warning that disabled the front drive motor and reduced performance. Tesla reviewed the car’s error codes remotely and recommended replacing the entire front drive unit for a little over $5,500—without ever seeing the vehicle. After Alex from the Out of Spec Renew channel remotely accessed the Tesla and identified a sensor shared with the Mercedes-Benz B-Class Electric Drive, Sam bought the part for about $70 from Mercedes, installed it, and got the system working. The overall parts bill was about $140, versus Tesla’s $5,500 quote.