The Saga Of This Cheap Bentley Flying Spur Shows Off Just How Tough Volkswagen's W12 Can Be

M539 Restorations/YouTube

Buying nan cheapest Bentley Flying Spur you tin find sounds for illustration a unspeakable idea. And, for nan astir part, it is. I powerfully counsel against it, nary matter really bully nan woody seems connected Copart. But it's surely nosy to watch different group do it, truthful we tin unrecorded retired our restoration dreams while assuming nary of nan financial, mental, and affectional risk. 

YouTuber Sreten, big of nan M539 Restorations YouTube Channel and glutton for mechanical pain, precocious decided to bargain nan cheapest Bentley Flying Spur successful Europe. Originally, his Bentley costs astir $275,000, but he bought it for $12,500 — and it had complete 160,000 miles connected nan odometer. And erstwhile he bought it, nan Flying Spur was rough. Not only did it person respective electrical issues, immoderate rust, and a shocking overgarment job, but its interior was filled pinch mold owed to nan lakes successful its footwells. However, nan W12 seemed to tally well, truthful it seemed for illustration it could beryllium a worthwhile project.

When Sreten sewage nan cheap-o Bentley backmost to his shop, he fixed nan sunroof drain leaks, spent days drying up nan level mat swimming pools, and moreover refurbished a leaky rear parking brake. It was looking for illustration things were going smoothly, particularly since nan motor seemed solid. Then, erstwhile he yet sewage it retired connected nan roadworthy and enjoyed nan creamy smoothness of nan fastest sedan successful nan world circa 2004, calamity struck. It overheated. 

After overmuch digging into nan overheating issue, Sreten learned that it had been overheating perpetually passim nan people of its agelong life. So overmuch truthful that nan original integrative coolant overflow vessel had swollen. However, he couldn't find nan logic why nan temps kept rising, truthful he utilized a artifact tester to find if combustion gasses were getting into nan coolant. And, of course, nan trial said that they were, suggesting a blown caput gasket aliases cracked cylinder head

Despite nan test, Sreten wasn't convinced. The W12 had nary different symptoms of a blown caput gasket, truthful he did immoderate much digging pinch a borescope to cheque nan cylinders and pistons for immoderate signs of a  different problem. He recovered that nan caput gasket seemed fine, but nan motor had been overheating truthful overmuch that 1 of nan cylinder caput bolts stretched. So whenever nan motor was nether load, nan accrued unit would assistance nan cylinder caput slightly, allowing combustion gasses to participate nan coolant. 

Replacing conscionable 1 cylinder caput bolt is nan incorrect measurement to hole specified an issue, which he admitted. But nan aged Bentley was truthful hit up that it wasn't worthy removing nan full motor to do it properly. After replacing nan bolt arsenic cautiously arsenic possible, truthful arsenic to not harm nan caput aliases gasket, it seemed to activity — until it didn't. It was still overheating. More digging, on pinch immoderate proceedings and error, had him switch sensors and radiator fans, and he moreover recovered that nan motor lacked a thermostat completely. The W12 had overheated truthful often, without an evident explanation, that a erstwhile proprietor removed nan thermostat wholly to spot if conscionable permanently moving coolant done would hole it. The truth that it was still regularly overheating without a thermostat signaled bad news for nan Flying Spur. 

Sreten yet learned that nan radiator had immoderate blockage, truthful he bought a caller radiator and, voila, that yet did nan trick. With nan caller radiator, caller cylinder caput bolts, an existent thermostat, and caller coolant tank, nan mighty W12 lives and runs smoothly. Well, benignant of. A bad turbo boost solenoid keeps nan motor successful limp mode, and requires nan full motor to travel retired to replace. But pinch nan motor moving without overheating, that's a occupation worthy doing.

All in, Sreten has spent $16,431 and countless hours of activity connected this Bentley truthful far, and there's still much to come. But astatine slightest Sreten's Bentley proves that Volkswagen's W12 is incredibly robust. It withstood perchance years of overheating, capable to agelong caput bolts and harm a coolant tank, and it's still not only live but moving arsenic smoothly arsenic it did 2 decades ago. It's understandable to fearfulness moving connected such a analyzable engine, but nan W12 is simply a batch tougher than you mightiness think.