Slate Wants You To Do Warranty Work On Your Own Truck

Jay Leno's Garage/YouTube

It's difficult to cognize what to deliberation of Slate Auto, since it doesn't really waste thing existent yet. Will it present a existent $25,000 electrical motortruck that's everything nan astir hardcore fans judge it will be? Maybe. But also, possibly not. Building cars is hard, and only clip will tell. That said, Slate's committedness to right-to-repair is decidedly a activity of caller air. Would you do your ain warranty work, though? Apparently, Slate thinks you might, pinch its Chief Commercial Officer Jeremy Snyder precocious telling Jay Leno that's nan company's plan. 

If you want to watch nan full 35-minute episode, it's embedded beneath and besides timestamped to make judge you drawback nan portion we're focusing connected here. Right earlier nan 18-minute mark, Snyder says, "First of all, we want our customers to DIY repairs. They tin DIY warranty repairs even, which is simply a first successful nan industry." From nan beginning, Slate's been beautiful vocal astir wanting its owners to beryllium capable to activity connected and customize their ain vehicles, truthful nan "DIY repairs" portion is acold from new. 

What I don't deliberation we've heard before, though, is that Slate wants to let customers to execute their ain warranty repairs. Unfortunately for anyone who wants a fewer much details, Leno appears to beryllium acold much focused connected Slate's business pinch RepairPal allowing you to shop astir for nan champion woody erstwhile your motortruck needs a repair. That's astir apt beautiful cool, too, arsenic is Snyder's committedness that nan Slate app will see a codification reader, but travel on, Jay. Ask a follow-up mobility erstwhile personification tells you they scheme to do thing nary different automaker presently does. 

Of course, Leno is (allegedly) a comedian, not a journalist, truthful I reached retired to Slate for a small much accusation connected really this full point would really work. Unfortunately, they weren't capable to get a consequence to maine earlier publication, truthful whenever that shows up, I'll beryllium judge to update this post.

For now, though, I consciousness torn. It's beautiful clear that doing your ain warranty repairs will beryllium optional, not mandatory, truthful you shouldn't person immoderate issues if you'd alternatively person an existent shop do nan work. And assuming it's thing reasonably speedy and easy, having Slate nonstop nan portion straight to you alternatively of dealing pinch a shop could beryllium a awesome measurement to prevention clip and debar nan hassle of waiting connected personification other to hole immoderate needs fixing. 

On nan different hand, unless Slate plans to salary its customers to do their ain warranty repairs, it feels incorrect connected principle. I do nan work, prevention your institution money, and each I get is nan convenience of not having to spell to a shop? I'm besides funny really this would activity from a ineligible liability perspective, since warranty activity tends to beryllium safety-related. I'm judge you could beryllium trusted to do that work, but we some cognize location are plentifulness of morons retired location who someway negociate to screw up moreover nan simplest of tasks. 

If 1 of those morons causes a clang aft doing shoddy warranty repair work, could Slate beryllium held liable? Even assuming Slate makes you motion a waiver absolving nan institution of immoderate work successful nan arena you screw up your ain warranty work, will that clasp up successful tribunal erstwhile nan different driver sues? I can't say. But what I can opportunity is that I'm perfectly fascinated by nan thought of having nan action to do your ain warranty repairs, whether it ends successful disaster aliases not.