Thread: Fix of the day..........

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It's been a decade since I sold my shop, so my references are admittedly dated. Whether or not there is any law requiring the airbags be replaced, we did every time if for no other reason than future liability. No sense making it easy for some blood sucking attorney. At that time side curtain airbags were just starting to filter into the market, so I'm just going to refer to steering wheel and dash airbags. When estimating a job we'd figure about $2k for steering wheel bag replacement, up to a min. $3k if both wheel and passenger side. Charlie is right, that additional cost often pushed a very repairable car to be an economic total loss (typical insurance company calculation was if the total cost of repair exceeded 80% of market value it's a goner, the other 20% or so being salvage value). Some may think those prices high, but as with many things, it's not just the price of the bag itself. Often one or more of the sensors needed replacement, as did the main control module. If the passenger went, then the dash pad needed replacement too. I chose to sublet the job to a certified company that had it's own liability insurance as a backstop to my garage keepers policy. Again, wary of the legal extortion racket. Other shops took risks I wasn't willing to do and gambled on doing it themselves. They often didn't have the needed diagnostic equipment to test if the system would work the next time. Their choice, and statistically they weren't in too much jeopardy, but still........

The outcome is/was that a fair number of not severely damaged cars found their way to the salvage auctions, There, they would be purchased by any number of "underground" repair facilities that had/have a reputation for shoddy repairs, and because of cost "containment", they often would get a used bag or hub cover from the salvage yard and just not replace the airbags, or put in a used bag without hooking it up. Some of those cars would end up in containers to meet overseas car demands, but most found their way back onto the streets to the "bargain hunters" who may not have been "sophisticated" enough to realize what they were buying (poor repairs, branded or faked title, lack of properly functioning basic safety equipment, and so on.)

Yeah, and I know it's (the airbag) like the most popular item stolen on some cars!

that and cat. converters

Originally Posted by Bob Parmenter

It's been a decade since I sold my shop, so my references are admittedly dated. Whether or not there is any law requiring the airbags be replaced, we did every time if for no other reason than future liability. No sense making it easy for some blood sucking attorney. At that time side curtain airbags were just starting to filter into the market, so I'm just going to refer to steering wheel and dash airbags. When estimating a job we'd figure about $2k for steering wheel bag replacement, up to a min. $3k if both wheel and passenger side. Charlie is right, that additional cost often pushed a very repairable car to be an economic total loss (typical insurance company calculation was if the total cost of repair exceeded 80% of market value it's a goner, the other 20% or so being salvage value). Some may think those prices high, but as with many things, it's not just the price of the bag itself. Often one or more of the sensors needed replacement, as did the main control module. If the passenger went, then the dash pad needed replacement too. I chose to sublet the job to a certified company that had it's own liability insurance as a backstop to my garage keepers policy. Again, wary of the legal extortion racket. Other shops took risks I wasn't willing to do and gambled on doing it themselves. They often didn't have the needed diagnostic equipment to test if the system would work the next time. Their choice, and statistically they weren't in too much jeopardy, but still........

The outcome is/was that a fair number of not severely damaged cars found their way to the salvage auctions, There, they would be purchased by any number of "underground" repair facilities that had/have a reputation for shoddy repairs, and because of cost "containment", they often would get a used bag or hub cover from the salvage yard and just not replace the airbags, or put in a used bag without hooking it up. Some of those cars would end up in containers to meet overseas car demands, but most found their way back onto the streets to the "bargain hunters" who may not have been "sophisticated" enough to realize what they were buying (poor repairs, branded or faked title, lack of properly functioning basic safety equipment, and so on.)

The same down here,Bob..Airbags have killed the repairs on many a good car,,that could be repaired in a matter of days..We have very strict laws on airbags,to the point that if the dash light is on,,it must be checked out before our six month roadworthy check is given..It is illegal to fit a steering wheel without an airbag to a car that came from the factory with an airbag..And so on..

Not sure what this one really means, but maybe it's for sweeping the airwaves for that oldies station...............

Or, maybe she's got an attitude problem and that's her spare?

Think that car belongs to my ex-wife #1---it's definitely her spare transportation.

That's a new twist for the flower thing, maybe her way of listening to Howard stern. That is really funny what kind of a person does that?

You've got to look closely at this one to fully appreciate all that's going on.........

I see a belt and I think a screwdriver holding things together????? Well, at least it's not like it's a critical part or something!!!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

I see a belt and I think a screwdriver holding things together????? Well, at least it's not like it's a critical part or something!!!!!!

Plus, you can never have too many tie-wraps!!! They even cut off the excess so it looks neat & orderly....

Originally Posted by randyr

They even cut off the excess so it looks neat & orderly....

Probably a journeyman tie wrapper..................

a tidy install if i ever saw one.....

looks like the muffler patches we did as kids. A aluminium soda can and a roll of baleen wire(actually patched a exhaust pipe on Dad's Lancia Zagato, so he wouldn't know we blew a hole in it racing!)

That's just SCARY!

I never heard of baleen wire.. we used baling wire...

that ain't the exhaust looks like suspension????