Tesla owner seeks answers after discovering their vehicle had been maliciously damaged: 'It made me very upset'

A Tesla owner whose Model 3 was vandalized documented the experience on Reddit, sharing their frustration, disbelief, and ultimate triumph.

The incident happened at a Sam's Club last year, and the poster was initially downtrodden because of what their spouse had put into it.

"It made me very upset to see this. Technically it's my wife's car," they wrote in a comment. "She's been working so hard since 16. She helped her parents purchased a home and drove an Nissan for such a long time. Just for someone to do this to her vehicle."

In an update, however, the poster showed paint protection film had canceled out one of the two scratches. They said it cost $1,400 to take care of the remaining scratch and replace the PPF.

"I'm actually very happy with the results," they wrote. "Yes it didn't fully protect the vehicle, but still protected and made the damages much less."

For those asking about Tesla's famous all-seeing cameras, the poster said the electric vehicle was not charged enough to record. In other instances, though, "sentry mode" has indeed helped Tesla owners catch criminals and miscreants, including one bonehead who tried to unplug a charging EV while the driver was inside.

This misdirected anger is common, though it's certainly unwarranted and baffling. Drivers of internal combustion engine vehicles may feel threatened by electric-powered vehicles for … reasons, but Teslas and other EVs are only making the world a healthier, safer place.

Electric vehicles don't emit tailpipe pollution while on the road, helping us reduce the production of heat-trapping gases that congest our atmosphere and exacerbate extreme weather. Some critics argue that the manufacturing of EV batteries is even worse than consuming dirty energy and wipes out other gains. But this claim has been thoroughly debunked, as TikToker Rosh detailed.

You won't end the climate crisis by switching to an EV, but it will help ensure a more sustainable future.

"You can repair that damage much sooner than the culprit may repair their own," one Redditor said. "Hopefully it's not personal."

Someone else wrote: "I went for a test drive yesterday before buying a new black model 3 and was thinking exactly this. Some jealous mf is going to key it one day.

"I'm sorry this happened to you."

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