MTVs Cars From “Pimp My Ride”
Remember 2004? Many of you were probably fans of the extravagant show titled “Pimp My Ride” on MTV. The show featured the garage, West Coast Customs where they would make insane mods to cars. Things such as hot tubs, gaming consoles, barbecues and more built into cars.
‘Safety First’
It probably comes as little surprise to many that lots of these cool features were stripped from the cars the second the cameras stopped rolling. A lot of stuff was done with ‘safety’ in mind, some believable, some less so. Removing a pop up champaign dispenser to not encourage drink driving? Fair enough. The same goes for removing a cotton candy machine that was so bulky that the rear seatbelts had to be removed.
Removing the 22′ wheels in favour of 20′ wheels because of balancing? That sounds a little bit more cheeky to us. Then there’s the fact that most of the tuning was done without safety in mind. Things such as Tv’s and LED lights that would either stop working or simply overheat if left on for any prolonged period of time. There’s even one account on video of a PMR car setting up in flames! Explain that to your health and safety division!
‘Tuning, Not Mechanics’
Some accounts say that the cars in the show were often way too far gone to be repaired, and the treatment they received was no always equal. Sometimes mechanics would go to different states in order to get custom parts to repair the cars, other times it was a visual fix only. Namely things like missing mufflers and so on, a new exhaust tip would be put on and it would be labelled “fixed”.
Under the hood, not much work was done. Little to no engine work was every really done, the shop had genuine mechanics but the show was about tuning, not fixing. Further more, the show often added to the problems. Mostly in the form of adding huge amounts of weight to cars by adding all these props and gadgets and then not replacing nor adjusting the suspension to compensate under the new load. It was no uncommon for cars to bottom out or simply stop running after a month.
There was a dedicated ‘after sales’ team who would come with a flatbed and retrieve the cars and try to get them working again. Not much comment has been given about the after care but a lot of the cars ended up either left behind or on eBay to be resold, so we think it’s safe to assume customer satisfaction probably wasn’t that high.
Recap & What Happened
“Pimp My Ride” was a popular reality show that aired on MTV from 2004 to 2007. The show was produced by West Coast Customs and hosted by rapper Xzibit, and it was known for transforming old, run-down cars into flashy, custom rides.
There are several reasons why the show ultimately came to an end:
- Declining ratings: While “Pimp My Ride” was initially a huge hit for MTV, its ratings began to decline in later seasons. The show’s format became somewhat repetitive, with many viewers feeling that the transformations were becoming too over-the-top and unrealistic.
- High production costs: “Pimp My Ride” was an expensive show to produce, as each car transformation involved a lot of custom work and expensive upgrades. As the show’s ratings declined, it became harder to justify the high production costs.
- Criticism from car enthusiasts: The show was also criticized by some car enthusiasts, who felt that the modifications were often impractical and over-the-top. Some also criticized the show for promoting a wasteful “throwaway culture,” where old cars were discarded in favor of newer, flashier models.
Overall, a combination of declining ratings, high production costs, and criticism from some viewers likely contributed to the end of “Pimp My Ride.” However, the show remains a cultural touchstone for many fans of car culture and reality television.
