Many Bentleys are left rotting as they might not be worth restoring due to high priced replacement parts
In Malaysia on any given day we see cars abandoned all over the place, in neighborhoods, gated communities and even in multi-storey car parks.
Over the years many car workshop owners have had customers bringing their old cars for some major repair and then having in-adequate funds to pay the repair bill and so the cars get parked outside the workshop for months and even years and the workshop has ‘capital’ tied up in these cars.
It is sad to see a number of Bentleys ‘wayside’ in used car showrooms and workshops in Klang Valley. Once upon a time these were million Ringgit vehicles and today they are rotting away for a number of reasons. (in fact some of them have number plates that are more expensive than the car itself)
First, reliability. When new and under warranty, these cars were running well. Not perfect (take note that the Volkswagen Group took ownership a decade plus ago) but local brand guardian ‘Wearnes’ tried their best.
Unlike Rolls Royce, Bentley’s are prone to issues after a few years of ownership. Here are some of the areas to look out for.
The air suspension system is a frequent source of problems, leading to uneven ride height, suspension failures, and costly repairs.
Electrical malfunctions can range from minor glitches to more serious failures, potentially causing issues with features like power windows, brake lights, and even leading to recalls for electrical short circuits.
Power steering leaks and potential failures have been reported in some Continental GT models, leading to recalls.
Other common issues include brake hose replacements. Bentley’s are prone to oil leaks, and corrosion on the radiator.
Second, repair costs. Silly high parts prices have 3rd and 4th hand owners giving up on their Bentleys. If they had Toyota mechanicals and electronics, they would still be running like the Lexus LS460.
Then, third, you have high yearly road tax fees which only 1st and maybe 2nd owners can realistically afford to pay.
The workshop owner cannot sell the car and after a while they might take out some of the parts to used by other customers, or the cars get towed and scrapped by the town council as they have lots of ‘unpaid parking tickets’.
Just drive to Subang Jaya USJ1 or Taman Medan off Old Klang Road where there are dozens of car workshops and you will see hundreds of cars rotting away.
Take a drive along the many car workshops in Subang Jaya USJ 1 (we are sure the same can be seen in small town workshops around the country) and you will definitely see at least three to four rusted complete cars lying in waste outside workshops.
Owners who cannot pay their bills, owners who have given up with the almost endless restoration costs and the ever popular rust that eats away at these cars that were built from mild steel are some of the reasons why early Italian and Japanese cars are not favored by Malaysian classic car owners.
These cars rust like old Alfasuds and Datsuns. There is just no real solution except a total ground up restoration and the final cost does not justify the current asking value in Malaysia.
Lets not forget the dearly departed and their cars. There are many older Malaysians who ‘pass away’ and their cars cannot be transferred to a new owner and their living children find the process too difficult and tiresome and just give up and let the car rot away.
With enough cash in hand and a trustworthy mechanic and body-shop, anything is possible.
