Saved From The Scrapyard Vauxhall Vectra Part 1

[@MrPete1x]

Great video. I've got a Vectra with a damaged front bumper and 4 different shades of blue paint on the corners of the bumper where various clowns have dragged their car round mine

[@adamsaint2890]

Scrapping cars that are as obviously repairable and lightly damaged as this is an environmental disaster. Good work!!

[@ianallen2]

One of the reasons why insurance is so expensive. They dont put vehicles in for repair any more. They prefer to scrap them. Once upon a time, you had to take it to 3 different garages and get quotes for repairs and the insurance would choose the cheapest and pay the garage to repair. Great vid and an easy job for you. :). Well done for keeping it from the scrap man. :)

[@jaggass]

Joyriders too.

[@OffGridInvestor]

Here in Australia they still repair most. But as soon as it gets on the dreaded written off vehicles register it's not worth fixing unless it's a Ferrari.

[@elleryjqueen1712]

Great video my mate, the photography and sound was perfect, Im a petrol head myself and have saved many cars from the scrap yard over the years, the truth was its all I could afford back in the early eighty's, I remember buying a ford corsair from the top of the pile, and they lifted it down with chains so I had to repair the damage that that caused, great memories, loved the speedy moments on your videos, like a woodpecker made me giggle, keep up the videos mate its better than the bloody soaps.

[@PurpleHelmet]

Bloody good job saving that from the insurance con men. I prefer older cars, up to mid 90s maybe at a push (my own baby is a Sierra Sapphire Azura!) - but for a "modern" era car, I do like the vectra. Really easy to work on, really cheap parts, and good to drive. Great workhorses, I can appreciate why you didn't want it going to waste!

[@retrorestore]

Exactly bud, i'm the same.

[@PurpleHelmet]

@@retrorestore - watched a pile of your vids last night, love your stuff - superb, helpful, and you just come over like a right decent bloke lol! I've an 07 Mondeo to do DMF,, clutch and all that bollocks on.... on my drive 😆 - so cheers for making those vids too buddy, great help if just to see it's possible!

[@retrorestore]

Yes, its a lot of work but I hope the vids help bud. Cheers Martin

[@RetroBoy94]

Great video, Martin. Love a good old repair job.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Kristian

[@johnstubbs1585]

Glad to see its getting fixed all insurance want to do is write cars off they just dont want to be getting cars repaired anymore

[@chucky2316]

They don't scrap them they sell them at auction for more than they pay you out. Crooks it's just public liability insurance

[@mrcaboosevg6089]

Bloody hell, what are the odds. I've just bought an old Vectra for £50 that was destined for the scrapyard

[@donovanf1]

Another great vid Martin with very detailed step by step instruction on how to do the job. Very informative. Cheers Malcolm

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Malc.

[@krisjones5125]

love seeing you back fixing your cars martin.

[@dunnockdan]

Vectra is a pretty unloved car, so quite happy to see this one being saved. I picked up a 1 owner from new 2008 1.8 SRI Vectra C for £900 last month, yes £900!!!, felt sorry for it in the corner of the dealership, it was a part ex to clear, dent on every panel, but something told me to buy it, good history. Something very honest about a beaten up Vectra...and I am a BMW man at heart! But quite impressed with this Vectra, drives great, good mpg for a petrol really, perfect motorway workhorse! Great video 👍

[@retrorestore]

Nice one, Yes they are good reliable motors I think.

[@stuarttanner4653]

Good on you Martin, i bought a car back from the insurance company when they wanted to write it off because of a crack in rear bumper when someone hit me.

[@retrorestore]

Yes, its madness Stu.

[@matthewking5612]

You did a great job, so glad you saved it.

[@retrorestore]

Thank you!

[@matthewking5612]

@@retrorestore Just out of interest, what MPG do you get at around 70? Mine (same car) does late 40's, very clean on it's cat test too

[@irwinmcevoy]

Good job and gotta be worth a few brownie points when Sharon gets her car back on the road.

[@retrorestore]

I'm always in the good books Irwin lol

[@bluelight628]

idk why i clicked this video and watched the first bit and thought i wouldn't like it but you proved me wrong carry on making these great videos from a new subscriber

[@retrorestore]

Hey, thanks bud and glad you like the vids. Cheers Martin

[@shawnmrfixitlee6478]

It's amazing what gets thrown out as junk ! Great Job Martin..

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Shawn.

[@paulyh4531]

Same as all stuff even things like televisions I have repaired them for little money yet ins write them off too !

[@jd-one.9468]

Good job Martin, looking forward to Part 2.

[@ClassicCarCave]

Martin, Great video and shows people cars can be kept from the scrap yard with a bit of work & know how! Cheers Dave.

[@Phil-1969]

Evening mate One of the best cars I had a 04 plate Vectra, good work horse, good video cheers Phil

[@retrorestore]

That's why we wanted to keep it Phil. Low mileage with an old former keeper.

[@edrogan4159]

Lovely start to the job Martin! Will look brand new once you and Jimmy work your magic!

[@davidlough2182]

good job martin still cant get over the insurance righting that off! glad you saved it.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Dave, yes its madness.

[@davarosmith1334]

Gid video man! The car looks to good to scrap. All because some ponce bums it. I remember being woke up at 4:45 in the morning by the police somebody had hit my car! £150 worth of scrap parts job done. That was after a garage had quoted £2,500 to fix!

[@growthladder1951]

great video... i appreciate your enthusiasm is great to see you very active

[@johnburton9156]

Nice to see you've got a helping hand wiv you Martin lol 😂 keep up the great videos

[@andynorris3537]

Good to see it being kept on the road 👌

[@jackfairweather199]

Good job so far. Nice to see a headlight removal go so smoothly. We have a Honda and replaced headlights. Had to take the whole front end off (grille and all) just to get the headlights sorted out.! Nice to see Barney and Bison again. I'd be curious to know how they liked all of the snow you got in the big storm. We have three Golden Retrievers who think snow is heaven on earth!

[@retrorestore]

Barney loves it but Bison doesn't like it at all lol.

[@jackfairweather199]

Not surprising. I had a Springer when I was a lad, Always up for an adventure!

[@stebenit]

great vid Martin been waiting for this repair look forward too part 2.. cheers Steve

[@BMCWorkshop]

Good job Martin. I once had a Cavalier and it got bumped up the back and the insurance company offered me £500 and the accident wasn't recorded. I never fixed it as it was just a scratch lol

[@retrorestore]

They gave us £920 and I bought it back for £80.00 Sean

[@BMCWorkshop]

Win Win Martin.Well done buddy!

[@dsldg2]

that's an inspiring job Martin.. looking to see it finished.. :)

[@retrorestore]

So am I, we are carless at the moment lol

[@stevehillier7018]

Typical insurance rip offs. Anyway as Arthur Tussik says, Arthur is with you. As Martin says Martin is with you. Great job my man

[@marks216]

Well done mate you made a start that's the main thing. One quick tip use masking tape on the hammer and dolly faces. It helps soften the blow of them to help with painless dent removal (less scratches to repair/repaint.

[@robertbills4290]

Sadly it's a throw away world Martin but some of us like what we have and preserve it good job mate look forward to seeing it's next step to being repaired. Rob

[@user-ot1dv6ri4f]

I just came on here to say how clever you were and I see @woza thinks the same! You really know a lot of stuff I'm impressed, too.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks bud.

[@matthewcaldwell1563]

Can’t wait to see more!!!!!! Keep it coming

[@lanehogger1532]

A car really worth saving. Had an 08 Vectra and put 180k on it. Was a great reliable car. Much better than the Astra J I replaced it with.

[@5e34nut]

Why this isnt a bbc programme is Beyond me Entertaining and informative Kudos you definitely deserve more subscribers

[@retrorestore]

Thanks bud.

[@5e34nut]

What spray gun and air compressor are u using if u can recall

[@retrorestore]

@@5e34nut I have a 150 liter compressor and a Devilbiss SRI Pro gun.

[@dereknicholson4831]

There's a chain of scrapyards here where you can check their inventory of vehicles online. I can watch for when they take in the same model and COLOUR as mine so that there's no painting involved. All parts are priced the same , whether a Mercedes or Ford. Bumper cover: $43; fenders: $37; washer bottle: $7. Not having to pay for painting saves $$$$$. :)

[@retrorestore]

Yes, it's not like that over here, Do far the paint has cost £19.00 and will be a lot cheaper as we are doing it ourselves.

[@dereknicholson4831]

Or, of course, there's the easy way. Have a son with a bodyshop!

[@dereknicholson4831]

Not being equipped (either physically or mentally) to paint, I'll guess that it would probably cost (at a bodyshop) at least $100 just for him to get his spray gun filled.

[@brams77]

Great vid mart, i have some rust repair on a wing. Need tips on how to respray the area and blend into the old paint.👍👍👍👍

[@retrorestore]

That's the plan for this one.

[@michaellowery1559]

Love me some retrorestore!

[@ianvicedomini2648]

All in all I'd say you did a 1st class job of that wing mate. Why the hell they writ the car off is beyond me as there's nothing wrong with her.. great video Martin

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Ian, you really are working your way through my vids lol

[@per2046]

Martin, could you link the guy with the 'fantastic bodywork repairs?' It's hard to get what you said:. 12:27

[@brentsmith5647]

He is a brilliant man ♥️👁️👍

[@professionalidiots101]

Love it, you should do videos of detailed basic bodywork repairs.

[@retrorestore]

I'm not really an expert but thanks Dan

[@professionalidiots101]

My friend, you are super talented. I wouldn't say expert because, "An, X, is a has been".... and a "Spurt, is a drip, under pressure" You are definitely good though.

[@retrorestore]

Haha, like it Dan lol

[@paulyh4531]

Had same thing happen on my Mondeo in the car park I t cut all the white paint off bumper and had a dent similar to what you have , I used one of those suckers on it and it popped out guess I was lucky. As you say is stupid how they write cars off for silly things , is just a money making scheme ! I didn't bother mentioning it to ins as my car prob only worth 600 quid its worth more to me as is yours is as low miles . well done keep up the good vids 👌

[@TheShadeTreeFixitMan]

Good start, Martin.

[@jamesdunkley3326]

Your doing a good job there Martin and is that a Nissan sunny in the back mate

[@retrorestore]

Thanks James, no Nissan here bud.

[@paulyh4531]

That's triumph acclaim mind you wasn't the Nissan virtually identical Martin ?

[@jamesdunkley3326]

retrorestore haha thought is was mate

[@markellis4229]

Nice job 👍 that’s what it’s all about saveing money 😎😁

[@stephengardin2423]

Some of the best cars I've owned were right off buyouts like this one. Inexpensive and well worth the trouble to repair. With a little know-how and a lot of common sense, it becomes an easy peasy lemon squeezy of a job. That blue is one of my favourite shades. Didn't OPEL use the Vectra name before Vauxhall? How's old Bricktop? Did he go to the pig farm?

[@retrorestore]

Yes in Europe, the vauxhalls tend to be badged as Opel's Steve

[@dnixon1974dn]

Good job so far Martin.. good vid..

[@cidre842]

Surely a new wing would be cheaper to get from a scrappy than having to get the wing painted, dent pulled out, cost of the paint, labour etc, looks good though

[@retrorestore]

Not when you do the work yourself bud. Cheers Martin

[@forevercomputing]

I calculated the cost to repair my car after someone reversed into mine - they had a tow bar. I got the total to £500. Bumper, grille, number plate paint... That front bumper was repaired a few years ago. People just don't care. They see an older car and I don't know what goes through their mind.

[@baldanddangerous1572]

nice job martin,jimmy with have that looking mint in no time ,sharon will be shuffed to bits ,brownie points all round lol lol .....all the best.....................dougie

[@retrorestore]

Haha, lets hope so Doug

[@stewartpalmer7039]

In Aust there is an insurance company called Shannon's part of their policy is you own the wreck. They mainly specialise in classics/vintage but do do daily drives. They also do a very cheap policy for laid up cars while they are not being used on the road.

[@charliehouldsworth8317]

Well, who dont love a cheeky vectraaaa!!

[@DAVEEYEINTHESKY]

great video martin, its on the way to looking better than when you brought it. i enjoyed this video and i look forward to the next one. as always its a thumbs up from me.

[@retrorestore]

Thanks Dave, yes we'll repair the other side while we are at it.

[@otto404]

Did your little one help you to change the bumper on the car,, I love the music

[@timstinson1]

I save up my Retrorestore videos up to watch them. It’s my new tv series!

[@retrorestore]

Haha nice one Tim

[@karlwood2268]

Are those headlight units original? They have a habit of yellowing over time.

[@69Phuket]

I flew down the Autobahn in one these it was so cool! Got flashed by BMW's 100 wasn't fast enough!

[@petefroud5308]

Nice job Martin AKA odd job . Cheers Pete.

[@retrorestore]

Haha, nice one Pete

[@petefroud5308]

I must be dreaming . Them DB5 Corgi models are worth a packet , the gold ones are the first run limited production .

[@vdubs6068]

Great vid Martin

[@dodgydruid]

Dunno if Vauxhall still do it but they used to be able to reform body contoured bumpers as long as all the bits were there, Ford did it for my dad's Sierra Sapphire which had gotten a bit winkled by a supermarket car park idiot, was a good job too. Altho will say for a bloke with your expertise that bumper is going to be dead easy to patch up and make good, perhaps reinforce the rear of the cracks with some plastic welding and mesh to give it vibration proofing?

[@retrorestore]

Yes I'll be repairing this as we have done on many occasions Ian.

[@Spudchucker92]

Nothing worse than seeing a decent car in a scrapyard about to be crushed just because it has a small fault that could easily be repaired with time and know how. Insurance companies see a scratch on your car nowadays and it's no good to them... The Vectra is a pretty unloved car. I'm actually kind of glad you saved this.

[@dan5825]

u should do more upbeat music when u do a time laps this music u have now reminds me of old school game shows

[@brianpercival1829]

But, some music in time laps becomes annoying. I skip watching if its hip hop rap scrap.

[@retrorestore]

It's a retro channel though lol

[@creynolds6288]

Love the music Martin just jolly and upbeat. Great video as usual

[@paulyh4531]

retrorestore I like the music reminds me of old holiday camps dunno why lol

[@BusterCapInYoAss]

I do like the music, I almost expect Nicholas Parsons to pop up (bless him)

[@vauxaholic]

Is that a montego in front of the vectra?

[@retrorestore]

No a Triumph Acclaim.

[@torchyboyz]

Thanks for your reply Martin about snitch and snatch, the misery twins. Some parents will back up their children" right or wrong" If were talking sob stories here then I have an injury that threatened to have my leg amputated. It is safe for now but gives me 24/7 pain and severely limits my movement, however, I don`t walk about with a face that would stop a clock and inflict my troubles on everyone else.

[@retrorestore]

We are all different bud.

[@OffGridInvestor]

WASHER BOTTLE. Well you wouldn't need that for an MOT here in Australia. You do need your heater hitting the windscreen though. And they get very picky on windscreens too.

[@spanermantim]

Silly what little damage made the insurance write it off. Looks like it will come out nice when done.

[@retrorestore]

Yes It should be pretty straightforward Tim. Cheap as chips lol

[@simonrawle7885]

ive seen worse ones than that driving round with cable tie stitching holding the bumper together

[@paulyh4531]

Simon Rawle how true that is , I see some cars about and think how the hell has it got a ticket lol

[@PapiDoesIt]

Two of my cars were set to be written off by my insurance company, and I bought both back for cheap. I fixed one with just new front metal and bumper and $50 in paint. The other required a new radiator and headlight. I don't understand what they gain by writing off a car that has no structural damage.

[@retrorestore]

It amazes me too, Its the world we live in now i;m afraid.

[@clipshark1]

Probably cos they either export them like we buy any car does and sell them for ridiculous prices...we are just cash cows to these horrible organisations.

[@robrusticwoodlandproducts6662]

Good job Martin. If you had put that into a garage to do, what would you have to pay. But with a bit of common sense and know how, you’ve saved hundreds of pounds. Looking forward to part 2. ATB. Rob.

[@retrorestore]

Probably around £350 with just repairing the bits but around £800 with new panels

[@safarisedan]

So is the vectra classed as a write off now? Is it's market value lower now?

[@retrorestore]

Its a class N, whatever that means, We are not interested in it's perceived value though, as it's our workhorse.

[@paulyh4531]

From autotrader: A Cat N vehicle has suffered some damage, probably in an accident, but not to its structural frame or chassis. The insurance company that handled the claim decided that repairing the vehicle would have cost more than replacing it.

[@tomthepetrolhead97]

What happened to the old mondeo?

[@retrorestore]

That was sold over a year ago Tom as we got this from a family member who had it from new.

[@xmoroseguyx]

You could have tried using the zip tie and soldering iron technique on that washing bottle to save £ 5 Quid

[@retrorestore]

Not worth the hassle for a fiver

[@rogeroconnor5182]

beats buying a new car,at least its minor and you already know the car is in great shape

[@BenEyah]

If you need any parts I've got loads of bits from my old one that got scrapped I'm gunna be listing soon

[@retrorestore]

I've just bought a new bumper cover for £70.00 and a secondhand fog light for £12.00 Thanks anyway bud.

[@Parknest]

Good to see you getting this sorted. Jimmy should be able to sort out the bumper without any problems. Mine passed the MOT this week and I should get the V5C before too long.

[@claas6504]

They don't make them like they used to, I own a 2006 vauxhall corsa c. Cheep to insure, but had a lot of work done to it. Currently trying to fix the rear view mirror and source a hight adjuster for the front seat.

[@retrorestore]

I had a Corsa C and they are great little cars.

[@claas6504]

retrorestore yes mines a 56hp 3cyl, classic spec, in a nice dark blue.

[@lukey3507]

Why did you even bother going through the insurance for that, was it a hit and run?

[@retrorestore]

Did you not listen, It was not a hit and run, The chap knocked at my door and gave us his insurance details and we claimed on his insurance.

[@-DC-]

Did 300k in vectra c's the insignia's that replaced them may have been a more pleasant car but the problems with them never ceased.

[@999thenewman]

That's called a salvage or rebuilt title change here in the U.S. if the customer wants to keep the car. It means only a partial payout for the claim in most cases, where the customer only has liability coverage.

[@retrorestore]

Similar here too bud. We bought it back for £80.00

[@999thenewman]

I guess Vauxhall isn't a much valued brand. :(

[@retrorestore]

It is but it's an older car

[@cjmillsnun]

At the time that car was made, Vauxhall was the main GM brand in the UK.

[@999thenewman]

Nothing wrong with an older car. Plenty of decades-old here. :) We don't have inspections where I live, not even for emissions, if the title isn't from out of state.

[@Zephieish]

What was the reason for making a claim in the first place? Did the other party insist?

[@retrorestore]

We claimed off the other person's insurance as he admitted full liability.

[@robdixon3953]

It's surprising how long you can keep cars going with a bit of knowledge and perseverance. That looks a tidy car .... should have years left in it.

[@tsw2scotland341]

Bloody cheek they car insurance companies have there quick enough to Write off a good car then offer you peanuts for it then charge you a bloody fortune to insure it again

[@125sm3]

The value of old cars to insurance companies is pennys plus body repairs in one those huged recomened places have high rates.

[@retrorestore]

Yes they are but we'll fix it a lot cheaper.

[@TheMcooper17]

insurance dont care bout aanything older than a lease car, pals mondeo got a cracked grill and it got a cat D tatoo( yess theres only CAT A-D )

[@mustie1214]

I love fixing old thing please can you give me a shout out thank you love your videos it would mean a lot

[@GeorgeAusters]

Obviously.. A brand new bumper from Vauxhall with labour/paint etc would be about £1000... More than 50% value of the car

[@Markking1678]

I was sad when this left.

[@gabrielelinea7008]

Why this Vectra hasn't value? It is not so old, I Think it is only 14 years old. Why bring to the scrapyard a car like this? Is a nonsense. Great work!

[@georgehuser4711]

That's crazy... Scrapping car because of dent.. This car would go for good price here in mid Europe if steering wheel was on the normal side.. I'm 18 and I repair everything on our car.. I can't believe they wanted to scrap it..

[@connorharradine6770]

I see your video Vauxhall Vectra

[@PauC-qo1uq]

I’ve emailed you I think, I had to create an gmail account so not sure if I’ve done it right lol

[@retrorestore]

i'll check tomorrow as i'm in bed with a head cold lol

[@PauC-qo1uq]

I’ve got a manual for a vectra if you’d like it you can have it, for free.

[@retrorestore]

That's kind of you bud. you can email me and i'll send you my address at [e-mail]

[@GeorgeAusters]

Can probably buy a wing for £20 instead of mucking about with repairing it

[@retrorestore]

No skill in that bud. and I didn't find one after looking.

[@cameronpaterson339]

your videos are great but arthur tussik isnt he beats creased hss with hammers and makes them weaker putting the next owner of the vehicles at high risk because his repairs arent done properly

[@TheCitroenman1]

some of arthur tussiks repairs are questionable especially the cut and shut bmw

[@retrorestore]

You still must admire his skills though.

[@jaggass]

Insurers hate paying out.

[@tomcole020]

Typical insurance, so many cars get scrapped over stupid things. Especially older cars like MGs

[@brianpercival1829]

I get angry when I see a nice car like that getting scrapped for such minor work. Bring it back to life.

[@retrorestore]

Yes Bri, its madness what goes on nowadays.