YouTube salvage vehicle "repairs"

[JC220]

I watch a fair number of you tube automotive related channels. As some of you may have noticed there are alot of salvage Lamborghini and Ferrari builds.

I myself would never touch a salvage car with a barge pole- why bother? The chassis may be compromised and the effort + expenditure to repair the car correctly will not make sense to me in most all cases since the cars resale value will always be impacted.

Seeing some of the "repairs" on these salvage builds is entertaining but horrible too! Makes you wonder what sort of bodged salvage cars are being offered for sale and fueled by these you tube videos that make it all appear so easy to do as a DIY concept which to me it most certainly is not in the case of chassis repairs!

Take this Ferrari underbody repair have any members seen this

 

[2phast]

I just watched this. Keep in mind this guy is trying to get this car back into running condition on a budget. His repair may not look too pretty, but it gets the job done. He does a nice job of finding economical repairs and replacement parts without paying Ferrari prices as well. The F1 shifter solenoid from a Audi was interesting as well.

If he is going this route to have his own Ferrari on a budget, great, but if he is going to flip it, then that's another issue.

I see Eastern Europeans rebuilding salvage cars and offering them up for sale and many of these are no where close to being "safe" or "properly" repaired. Best just to avoid a salvage title vehicle when looking for your next purchase.

 

[195910]

Why are these junk cars being sold in the first place ?!
These cars don't end up in the scrapyard because the damage is repairable nor do Insurance companies scrap cars for the fun of it.

Everyone knows that they are going to be "cheaply repaired" and sold on the market. Why would the authorities allow it.

 

[2phast]

Good question. I think that all states should require extensive checks of any repaired vehicle before a title/registration is issued (at the cost of the vehicle owner) this would help in ensuring that these vehicles are properly repaired and are safe.

 

[JC220]

His repair may not look too pretty, but it gets the job done.

I couldn't disagree more! A supercar with cracked chassis sheet metal and a panel bonded / pop riveted over the top - disgraceful. Such a repair is not legal here in the UK and that Ferrari would fail the MOT test. And for good reason.

Total bodge - budget or not this is a Ferrari at the end of the day. The repair should have been professionally welded which he might have got done for free in exchange for a welder to show his skills on you tube. (Like the Welding Jedi on Tavarish videos)

At least he was daft enough to video his rubbish "repair" for all to see. I suspect the next video will be this having to be re-done when he sees all the negative comments.....

But I do fully agree that the actual ECU repairs and parts substitutions are a smart way to bring the car back to running condition. But any bodywork should always be in capable hands or with a professional shop IMHO.

 

[JC220]

In contrast there are some very smart guys on you tube. Such as South Main Auto Repair. I highly recommend his videos. He has a very systematic approach to properly diagnosing a host of vehicle problems -mostly electrical related.

 

[195910]

Salvage cars are a big issue in the gulf and car crashes are very common, whats even more common is negligence and misuse.
Some naive buyers (Mostly Europeans) head to the gulf to buy rare and exotic cars from "Royalty who would sell the car cheaper to a foreigner to show generosity". Not imagining what lies beneath

 

[2phast]

I couldn't disagree more! A supercar with cracked chassis sheet metal and a panel bonded / pop riveted over the top - disgraceful. Such a repair is not legal here in the UK and that Ferrari would fail the MOT test. And for good reason.

Total bodge - budget or not this is a Ferrari at the end of the day. The repair should have been professionally welded which he might have got done for free in exchange for a welder to show his skills on you tube. (Like the Welding Jedi on Tavarish videos)

At least he was daft enough to video his rubbish "repair" for all to see. I suspect the next video will be this having to be re-done when he sees all the negative comments.....

But I do fully agree that the actual ECU repairs and parts substitutions are a smart way to bring the car back to running condition. But any bodywork should always be in capable hands or with a professional shop IMHO.

At the end of the day, this is a POS Ferrari, what most would refer to as a "money pit", especially this model. He bought it cheap and he is bringing it back to running condition, on the cheap. I can appreciate the route he is taking with this car. If he were to go the route of getting all the parts at a dealer and paying everyone for repair work, he probably end up upside down on this project.

In previous videos, the area that was damaged was pushed back into shape, this recent video shows him sealing up a hole and that is exactly what it is, a hole. The floor pan in this car is aluminum and the replacement part is as well, welding aluminum isn't a easy task. I agree that if it were me, I would of found someone who could weld that panel in place in lieu of using pop rivets. I would of cut out the damaged area, cut a similar sized aluminum piece as a exact fit, then had it professionally welded, then undercoated. It would be hard to spot once finished.

 

[alibo70]

Entertainment value is there. Otherwise, it makes zero sense. The exotics go for good money at the insurance auctions. The main issue I see is not being able to get financing on a salvage or lemon title car. That takes away the primary budget or wannabe clientele for resale.

 

[a777fan]

In contrast there are some very smart guys on you tube. Such as South Main Auto Repair. I highly recommend his videos. He has a very systematic approach to properly diagnosing a host of vehicle problems -mostly electrical related.

Eric O for the win! That guy is my hero.