Airbags deployed but clean title?

[Blakells]

So I was offered a Mustang GT-S (from the SIXT rental fleet, 1 out of 21) for a really good deal (about 40k) with 15k miles but the issue is that it looks like the airbags were deployed when the car was being rented under SIXT, and then it was repaired by them and then sold about 5k miles later when they sold their fleet in the open market.

I see on bringatrailer someone offered 55k+ for one without an airbags deployment, but i've never seen a carfax with airbags replaced & deployed with it not being a salvage title car.

I'm tempted to walk away from it, but i'm curious what other people have to think. It's a pretty rare mustang and it looks like it's in basically mint condition.

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[ORRadtech]

If it's never turned into an insurance company and deemed totaled there would be nothing to affect the title. You can basically do anything you want to your car and it won't affect the title one way or another.
As for the car itself a lot would depend on where and how much it was damaged and how well it was repaired.
I think it would certainly warrant having an independent pre purchase inspection by someone who has been fully appraised of it's history.
Past that, only you can decide if it's worth it to you.
Some people would never, ever, ever even consider it. Some would see it as an opportunity. You have to decide which you are.

 

[S550HPP]

They have their own body shops. In the least get a through PPI incl codes.

Also consider if bags went off the seat belt control modules and seat belts must be replaced since those are single use active safety items.

 

[Blakells]

If it's never turned into an insurance company and deemed totaled there would be nothing to affect the title. You can basically do anything you want to your car and it won't affect the title one way or another.
As for the car itself a lot would depend on where and how much it was damaged and how well it was repaired.
I think it would certainly warrant having an independent pre purchase inspection by someone who has been fully appraised of it's history.
Past that, only you can decide if it's worth it to you.
Some people would never, ever, ever even consider it. Some would see it as an opportunity. You have to decide which you are.

Yeah I was curious if anyone has done something like this before. After looking at the carfax they said they replaced the engine at 12k miles, and the car looks to have gone through 15 services at the dealer and it's only got 15k miles so looks to be plagued with issues. Appreciate the response.

 

[Tomster]

They have their own body shops. In the least get a through PPI incl codes.

Also consider if bags went off the seat belt control modules and seat belts must be replaced since those are single use active safety items.

Not necessarily true. The SRS module looks at sensors around the car and blows the bags that the module deems affected. Just because certain bags are deployed, doesn't mean that the inertial locks were deployed as well.

If the SRS module was replaced after a bag deployment, there would be no record of it in a scan of the PCM and modules.

People blow the whole airbag thing way out of proportion. Many think if bags blow, the car is totalled. No true. It's not cost prohibitive to replace bags and a module after an incident. The module is about a few hundred bucks and the bags vary, but are not expensive.

If I were the OP, I would want to know about the circumstance of the incident that caused airbag deployment. I would want to know which bags and on top of that, I would verify the car has no evidence of a major collision.

 

[Tomster]

Oh, and on a side note, I would never buy a rental car. Especially a performance vehicle.

 

[ORRadtech]

They have their own body shops. In the least get a through PPI incl codes.

Also consider if bags went off the seat belt control modules and seat belts must be replaced since those are single use active safety items.

Seatbelts are rebuildabe and modules are able to be reset. A company called Safety Restore will do the seatbelts for under $120 each. They'll even put color coordinated belts on for an extre $100. The module reset is under $100. And They'll even do 24 hour turnaround.

 

[ORRadtech]

so looks to be plagued with issues. Appreciate the response.

Yeah, maybe...
On the other hand, it's a high performance rental. All the things you listed could simply be from the "drive the rental like you stole it" mentality and them getting it back in shape. If you're in the market and it's a good deal it would be a shame not to at least have a look. Just do the due diligence.

 

[S550HPP]

Seatbelts are rebuildabe and modules are able to be reset. A company called Safety Restore will do the seatbelts for under $120 each. They'll even put color coordinated belts on for an extre $100. The module reset is under $100. And They'll even do 24 hour turnaround.

You get what you pay for.

I do not see any TUV, JAL, NHTSA or DOT registrations for Safety Restore....maybe I am missing something.

Would not touch these guys at any price, even if you gave it to me.

If they use factory parts like they claim they should be registered and / or certified.

Ford repair procedure is the ONLY valid procedure for structural or active safety systems and hard ware. Anything else is a hack.

 

[Tomster]

You get what you pay for.

I do not see any TUV, JAL, NHTSA or DOT registrations for Safety Restore....maybe I am missing something.

Would not touch these guys at any price, even if you gave it to me.

If they use factory parts like they claim they should be registered and / or certified.

Ford repair procedure is the ONLY valid procedure for structural or active safety systems and hard ware. Anything else is a hack.

Yep, buy a new module and replace the bags.

 

[Cobra Jet]

If you’re thinking of flipping it - which is what the post reads like - think again.

Because for every question you’re asking about it’s history and the CarFax (or similar VIN reports) have the data you’re reading/seeing - the next buyer will have the same questions and also be leery of purchasing it. So a flip can turn into a flop real fast….

 

[dpAtlanta]

If the bags deployed and the ACM has not been replaced, the data is still in the module.
Pay someone to image the module, and you will get data from the event that caused the deployment (Speed/braking/steering/rpm/accelerator % - all 5 seconds prior to collision)
You will also get the collision pulse which will give the g's that occurred during the crash.

 

[S550HPP]

Yep, buy a new module and replace the bags.

And seat belt assemblies that incl tensioner and belts.

 

[dpAtlanta]

And seat belt assemblies that incl tensioner and belts.

Only on the belts that were latched.
Ford does not fire the pre-tensioners on unoccupied or unlatched belts, unlike most manufacturers.

 

[hockeydave55]

My train of thought on used cars is, if I ever have any kind of bad feeling about the car then I walk away. Something else will come up.

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