Rebuild wizard traded a VW Golf GTI for a dead Tesla Model S because he sees something in it
- American YouTuber Tavarish revived a dead Tesla Model S
- The YouTuber had traded in a Volkswagen Golf GTI for the EV
- The American was worried he had bitten off more than he could chew
Published on Mar 31, 2025 at 1:30 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Mar 31, 2025 at 8:52 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
An American car rebuilder has traded in his Volkswagen Golf GTI for a dead Tesla Model S, believing he could fix the electric car.
Freddy Hernandez, aka Tavarish, is a repair wizard, and the American saw the Tesla Model S P85 and wanted to get it back on the road.
Having traded in the Volkswagen Golf, Freddy then had to devise a plan to get the Tesla back on the road again.
Adding another curveball into the challenge is that Tavarish isn’t an EV expert, so there is some guesswork involved in the car’s renovation.
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The Model S was completely dead when Tavarish bought it
The Model S had no drive when Tavarish bought it, so he and his team had to hand-push the EV into their workshop.
Tesla said the EV couldn’t be fixed, but Tavarish wanted to prove them wrong.
The car had clearly had a hard life, as it was completely covered in dust and the front grille was missing.
Inspection of the Tesla revealed the dashboard lights up for a couple of seconds before dying.
The motor itself didn’t work, which could have led to a hefty $25,000 bill for a new battery.
The original owner had paid $112,000 for the Tesla.
So it would still seem like a bargain if Tavarish could get it running again.
Thankfully, he and his team were able to source a new motor for the EV.
A new motor solves the Tesla Model S’s issues
After getting a new motor, Tavarish and his team worked on the rest of the car.
That included a deep clean of the interior, as well as the exterior which was completely covered in dust.
A few hours after installing the motor, the Tesla went out for its first time and amazingly it did work.
The car loses a bolt from an underbody panel on its test however, leading to that scraping the ground.
One fixed, the final test to see if the Model S will work at a Supercharger.
If it doesn’t, the work will have been for nothing.
Amazingly, it does work!
Tavarish and his team can’t believe that the Tesla was recharging.
They believe it is now the best value Model S in the USA.
Not bad for a car that costs the equivalent of $18,000 and one Golf GTI.
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Henry is a content writer with nearly ten years experience, having written for various publications since 2017. Qualifying with a Sports Journalism degree from Staffordshire University, Henry loves all things automotive but has a particular soft spot for classic Japanese cars and anything Lancia. He also has a curious passion for steam locomotives.
