Are five Chinese automakers suspected of monopolizing after-sales services in Australia and likely to face heavy fines?
Some time ago, Australian media reported that automakers such as BYD and Zeekr failed to disclose information such as diagnostic software and maintenance parameters in accordance with the local Motor Vehicle Service and Repair Information System (MVIS). As a result, external repair shops are unable to repair these vehicles.

Therefore, these automakers may face a fine of up to 10 million Australian dollars, approximately 47 million Chinese yuan.
Although this incident occurred in Australia, the situation seems similar in China. Electric vehicle owners don’t know where else to go for repairs besides 4S stores. However, the problem is that repairs at 4S stores are extremely expensive. A single visit can easily cost several thousand yuan.
So why are new energy vehicles so expensive to repair? To figure this out, we talked to after-sales personnel from automakers and battery manufacturers, as well as the owners of repair shops. Today, we’ll share what we learned with you.

Before we start, let’s clarify that we’re discussing the after-sales service of private cars. The after-sales system for ride-hailing vehicles is completely different, so we won’t cover it here.
First of all, just how expensive is it to repair new energy vehicles?
A J.D. Power survey of new car owners with vehicles aged between 2 and 12 months found that in the case of minor scratches, the repair cost of new energy vehicles ranges from 5,000 yuan to 15,000 yuan, while that of fuel-powered vehicles is only between 2,000 yuan and 8,000 yuan. In the event of a serious collision, the repair cost of a new energy vehicle may be higher than the price of a new car, so it’s often more cost-effective to scrap the vehicle. In contrast, a fuel-powered vehicle can still be repaired with a cost of 50,000 yuan to 150,000 yuan.
Previously, a Tesla Model Y hit a wall while reversing, and the repair cost was 200,000 yuan. Considering that the price of this car is only 280,000 yuan, it would be more economical to buy a new one… In comparison, a Toyota Camry with a severely damaged engine compartment only cost 70,000 yuan to repair.

The high cost of repairing electric vehicles is primarily due to the high price of parts. In the same price range, electric vehicles generally have more functions and higher configurations than fuel-powered vehicles. Coupled with many new technologies, these factors drive up the repair cost.
For example, in the case of the XPeng P5, a minor scratch on the bumper and the left front headlight cost a car owner 19,000 yuan for repairs. This is because there is a lidar installed in that area, and replacing it costs more than 8,000 yuan. Additionally, calibration is required after replacement, which incurs an additional cost.

Moreover, Tesla uses a large die-cast part for the rear floor. If it’s damaged even slightly, the entire part needs to be replaced.
Of course, the most expensive component is the battery pack. A typical example is the sky-high battery cost incident of Polestar a few years ago. For a Polestar 2 worth 300,000 yuan, the cost of replacing the battery pack reached 540,000 yuan.
Last year, the China Insurance Automotive Safety Index (C-IASI) counted 59 mainstream pure electric vehicle models on the market. The average price of the power battery pack accounts for 50.96% of the total vehicle price. In some models, this proportion even reaches 88.93%. In other words, the cost of replacing the battery is almost equivalent to buying a new car.

However, there is an even more important reason: owners can only have their cars repaired at official 4S stores.
Most automakers offer a warranty policy for the three-electric system (battery, electric drive, and electric control) for at least 8 years or 120,000 kilometers. Some brands even provide lifetime warranty for the first – owner.
However, to enjoy the original factory warranty, you must have your car maintained and repaired at the official store throughout. Otherwise, the warranty will be void. For example, Tesla’s warranty terms state that if you don’t take your car to a Tesla service center or an authorized repair enterprise, or if you don’t follow its recommended repair methods, it may affect the warranty. BYD’s lifetime warranty for the three – electric system has a similar description.

Those who have had their cars repaired at 4S stores definitely know that 4S stores almost always replace parts instead of repairing them.
Firstly, this method improves repair efficiency. Replacing parts is much faster than repairing them. This allows 4S stores to turn over their workstations more quickly and avoid making customers wait too long.
The after – sales supervisor of a 4S store of a traditional brand told me that they only replace parts for all electronic control problems in their store. “Actually, in some cases, it might just be a blown fuse. You can solve the problem by replacing the fuse, which only costs a few yuan. But replacing an electronic control unit costs tens of thousands of yuan.”

Secondly, many stores actually lack the technology and conditions for disassembly and repair.
Take the battery pack as an example. An after – sales personnel from a battery manufacturer told me that stores basically only deal with the first – layer components of the battery pack, such as replacing modules or the battery management system (BMS). They won’t handle more detailed work at the cell level.
Some cars use the Cell – to – Pack (CTP) design without modules, which makes repairs even more difficult.
Xiao Zhang, a repair technician at a store of a new – energy vehicle brand told me that when they encounter a scratched battery of this type, they first remove the lower protective plate of the battery pack and then measure the depth of the depression on the metal surface of the battery pack body. If the depth is below a certain value, it means the damage is not serious and no repair is needed. If it’s above this value, the entire battery pack needs to be replaced. In other words, it’s either no repair or a full replacement.

Since electric vehicles have a high degree of integration, various sensors and controllers need to be connected to the in – vehicle system for networked control. Automakers also restrict third – party repairs at the technical level.
Xiao Zhang gave an example. If you need to remove and replace the motor, you have to refill the coolant. After refilling, you need to expel the air mixed in the coolant. This air – expelling operation can only be completed by using a special diagnostic computer connected to the internal network of the automaker’s service center.
Moreover, for many problems in electric vehicles, more detailed data can only be obtained by connecting to the internal network. For example, the message is the communication information between different modules in the vehicle. Maintenance personnel usually use messages to find problem points. Xiao Zhang said that without connecting to the internal network, you can only read messages at the second – level in the car. But after connecting, you can obtain millisecond – level messages. So sometimes, the manufacturer can detect problems in the car earlier than the store and directly contact the owner to come to the store for inspection.

Another veteran repairman with ten years of experience told me that for some cars, if you want to obtain more advanced repair permissions, not only do you need to verify the equipment, but there is also an electronic fence in the system. The car’s location must be within the vicinity of the service center to gain access.
However, there are differences among automakers in terms of restrictions on third – party repairs.
Brother Bing, who owns three repair shops in a first – tier city, has been involved in electric vehicle repairs since four years ago. In his opinion, the biggest obstacle to electric vehicle repair is that automakers do not disclose detailed repair data. As a result, repair shops cannot establish standardized repair processes.
For example, if there are 10 screws on the upper cover of a part, in what order should these 10 screws be disassembled and assembled, and what torque should be applied? For some key fasteners, double – torque is required. How many Newton – meters should be applied for the first and second torques? In the past, established automakers would write this information in the repair manual, and Brother Bing’s shop could buy these manuals. Moreover, automakers would also compile common problems into repair cases and update them in the database.

Brother Bing said, “With this information, even if I hire a vocational school graduate, as long as he can read the text and schematic diagrams, he can do the job. So car repair is actually quite simple.”
However, for many models of new – energy vehicle brands, he has no way to obtain this information, so it’s difficult to repair these cars.
Not only do they not teach you how to repair, but more trouble is that if a repair shop repairs new energy vehicles without authorization, it may even face criminal charges.

In 2024, two repairmen in Shanghai were sued in court for “unlocking” two locked new – energy vehicle battery packs and were finally convicted of “damaging computer information systems.” This incident has made new – energy vehicle repairmen a “high – risk occupation.”
Currently, Brother Bing only repairs Tesla electric vehicles in his shop. On the one hand, he can obtain Tesla’s repair data. On the other hand, Tesla has a large number of vehicles on the road and doesn’t care much about third – party repairs.

A few years ago, he could buy an account for Tesla’s back – end system, which was equivalent to obtaining authorization from the manufacturer. However, since the end of last year, Tesla has adjusted its policy, and this system is no longer available to them. Fortunately, Brother Bing can still enter the vehicle’s repair mode through other means.
If it involves more complicated problems related to the three – electric system, they also have their own methods to match the original vehicle data.

Brother Bing told me that electric vehicles are more like electronic products, and what they do is similar to jailbreaking a mobile phone. As for the automakers, they turn a
该文观点仅代表作者本人，36氪平台仅提供信息存储空间服务。
36kr Europe (eu.36kr.com) delivers global business and markets news, data, analysis, and video to the world, dedicated to building value and providing business service for companies’ global expansion.
© 2024 36kr.com. All rights reserved.

source