Vanishing motoring YouTube channels

[St.Jude]

6 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Anybody else a fan of NitroSilvia?  I particularly like the Diesel SD1 series that’s been plodding on for years.  Totally unpretentious and factual.  Dry and slow paced but somewhat compelling.

Yeah, I’m subscribed to him but have had to stop watching him because I got far too tempted to buy an LDV.

Cant be doing that.

[RoverFolkUs]

23 minutes ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Anybody else a fan of NitroSilvia?  I particularly like the Diesel SD1 series that’s been plodding on for years.  Totally unpretentious and factual.  Dry and slow paced but somewhat compelling.

Blimey, he fell off my radar! Used to watch a lot of his videos around lockdown 

[Dead_E23]

I'm getting tired of all the AI voiced ads for [miracle product] that was invented by an ex-employee of [industry] that doesn't want you to know about [nonsensical claim that makes zero sense] and experts are baffled by it. Anyone else?

[GrumpiusMaximus]

6 minutes ago, Dead_E23 said:

I'm getting tired of all the AI voiced ads for [miracle product] that was invented by an ex-employee of [industry] that doesn't want you to know about [nonsensical claim that makes zero sense] and experts are baffled by it. Anyone else?

Cheap to produce scams.  If they push out 100K views, they're going to get at least one person to bite and they can make their money back whilst ripping off the consumer.  Google don't actually check the adverts they're pushing...

[Pieman]

1 hour ago, St.Jude said:

It’s been 2 years, I guess that’s long enough to wait until slipping in to her DM’s.

I’ll be back

Whenever I see that phrase I always think DMs stands for Doc Martens for some reason. 😄

[Split_Pin]

2 hours ago, RoverFolkUs said:

Jon coupland, "annoying"/boisterous presenting

I cannot watch him for this reason which is a shame as his dad is brilliant and exactly the sort of person I'd happily watch tinker away for hours.

[St.Jude]

20 minutes ago, Pieman said:

Whenever I see that phrase I always think DMs stands for Doc Martens for some reason. 😄

I mean I’m not in to feet. But if she is, I might use it.

[Dead_E23]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned 'Rare Classic Cars & Automotive History'. 

It's a deeply knowledgeable and well researched look at American cars, ably presented by Adam, who has an incredible collection of mint cars, mostly behemoths from the early '70s. He sometimes has guest appearances from the actual people who designed and engineered them.  I find it fascinating.

[cort16]

19 hours ago, dean36014 said:

Watch Wes work is a bloody good channel. He owns a garage but also is a proper engineer.

One of my favourites. Very smart guy, very modest.

I'm no expert in robotics. Builds a complete remote control system for a one of one logging robot.

I'm no expert in carpentry or electric. Builds and entire two floor office in is garage and wires it all.

I'm no export in fabrication. Fabricates a device for skid steers for pulling tree stumps out.

Never mind his car and truck repair skills. 

[cort16]

17 minutes ago, 83C said:

I’ve become a big fan of the Australian car YouTubers, including the Skid Factory, MCM, Benny's Custom Works etc. For sheer quality of production MCM are head and shoulders above everyone else, what I like is that they’re both doing it for fun, they’re not mechanics, but they’ll both get stuck in. Their feature films like Turbos & Temples are something else. 

The problem is that making it to a successful level on YT takes a lot of graft and/or some sort of USP. Tornado Dave found that when he started digging his great escape tunnel - he went from something like 2000 subscribers to over 25,000 in the space of a few months. Having a few people like Colin Furze drop by didn’t hurt either. The mad thing with Dave is that his channel started as a vehicle to showcase his business building competition Land Rovers, he’s an incredibly talented chap but really the channel only took off when he got his shovel out. 

It's shame Al left the skid factory, sounds like he got burned out with the treadmill of making videos and it took away they joy of building cars for him.

[Eyersey1234]

On 23/05/2024 at 17:29, dollywobbler said:

I'm curious myself. Mk6 Escort maybe? I'm not immune to irrational disliking of vehicles. Mk6 Fiesta is another example. Not a common trait though. 

I suppose we all are guilty of that, I'm not a particular fan the French or French cars for no particular reason. I haven't made any videos for my own history themed channel for a while for various reasons, I do have some ideas but it's having the time and the inclination to do them

[vulgalour]

The motivation to make vids can be tough when you don't see the returns.  I've been making a go of it for a few years and frankly it's been a lot of wasted effort, from a commercial viewpoint.  So I don't look at it like that any more.  I'll make videos when I feel like it and they'll be about stuff I want to share progress on.  I get all the enjoyment of documenting my stuff and knowing a few hundred people are tuning in to see what I'm up to without any of the pressure of feeding the algorithm.

Being popular seems like a lot of hassle anyway, who wants to be bothered with all that?  I'll just carry on being an unlikeable weirdo like the rest of you lot.

[dozeydustman]

49 minutes ago, vulgalour said:

The motivation to make vids can be tough when you don't see the returns.  I've been making a go of it for a few years and frankly it's been a lot of wasted effort, from a commercial viewpoint.  So I don't look at it like that any more.  I'll make videos when I feel like it and they'll be about stuff I want to share progress on.  I get all the enjoyment of documenting my stuff and knowing a few hundred people are tuning in to see what I'm up to without any of the pressure of feeding the algorithm.

Being popular seems like a lot of hassle anyway, who wants to be bothered with all that?  I'll just carry on being an unlikeable weirdo like the rest of you lot.

I was watching your Lanchester series as I find it a curious subject. A pity you and Pat had to part ways, I do hope there will be future viewage and the machine finally finished.

[vulgalour]

There will, and has been recently in fact.  Glad to hear you're one of the folks enjoying the Lanchester series, it has weird viewing stats with occasional flurries of playlist binge watching.

[warren t claim]

Jay Foreman and his Map Men channel may not be automotive but well worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/@JayForeman

[GrumpiusMaximus]

7 minutes ago, warren t claim said:

Jay Foreman and his Map Men channel may not be automotive but well worth a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/@JayForeman

One of the few channels where I watch the sponsor sections.  I think I've laughed out loud at least once in every episode.

[robinmasters]

11 hours ago, GrumpiusMaximus said:

Yeah, divorced back in about 2022.

Was that around the time he had a bleached stripe in his hair? 

I'm sure they'll have already been mentioned, but Autoshennanigans and Adam Fabco are two I still enjoy as much as when I started watching. If have to agree with the comments on Hubnut and Furiousdriving; less family more cars, and fewer cars more progress respectively. I still watch Steph now and again, but find her reviews a bit samey-surprisingly nice to drive, keeps up with modern traffic, the owners club are lovely, the factual parts of the review are good though. I could say the same of Shooting Cars. 

Mighty Car Mods have got the balance right I think; they understand that it's entertainment, so they need to do new stuff, but at the same time they've kept the cars (if not the workshop) relatable. If you enjoy their Antipodean humour, you might also enjoy this non-car channel

 

[Eyersey1234]

10 hours ago, vulgalour said:

The motivation to make vids can be tough when you don't see the returns.  I've been making a go of it for a few years and frankly it's been a lot of wasted effort, from a commercial viewpoint.  So I don't look at it like that any more.  I'll make videos when I feel like it and they'll be about stuff I want to share progress on.  I get all the enjoyment of documenting my stuff and knowing a few hundred people are tuning in to see what I'm up to without any of the pressure of feeding the algorithm.

Being popular seems like a lot of hassle anyway, who wants to be bothered with all that?  I'll just carry on being an unlikeable weirdo like the rest of you lot.

My channel isn't anywhere near big enough to monetize anyway, and even if it was I don't want to as then you become a slave to it

[EyesWeldedShut]

34 minutes ago, Eyersey1234 said:

My channel isn't anywhere near big enough to monetize anyway, and even if it was I don't want to as then you become a slave to it

When a hobby (or a passion) morphs into some sort of monetisation/business deal that's often the case (or the passion wanes). That's my experience in any case - then when you add in the fickle world of YouTube users - can be hard work.

[egg]

6 hours ago, robinmasters said:

I still watch Steph now and again, but find her reviews a bit samey-surprisingly nice to drive, keeps up with modern traffic, the owners club are lovely, the factual parts of the review are good though.

I think the best thing about Steph's channel is it's very accessible to people who aren't already old car geeks - I think she may well bring new people into the 'scene'. I also think her car reviews are a decent length - typically about 15 mins, so it's not a big commitment to watch.

[egg]

12 hours ago, vulgalour said:

I'll just carry on being an unlikeable weirdo like the rest of you lot.

What I appreciate about your vids is they are extremely calm. I like this in a world full of histrionics. 

[cort16]

Remember "The manual". How to have a number one the easy way by the KLF?  It gave step by step instructions on how to have a number one and was used by Chumbawumba when they did tub thumping (although it only got to no 2).

It must now be time for some to create "The manual 2" how to get 1 million subscribers on youtube.

[Dead_E23]

9 hours ago, robinmasters said:

If you enjoy their Antipodean humour, you might also enjoy this non-car channel

 

You will no doubt be aware of 'Drain Expert', who has done some entertainingly stomach-turning blocked drain videos accompanied by Ratty and the sound of the kookaburra.

The canon of grim channels continues with 'Crime Scene Cleaning', who will typically be tearing a building apart to remove the products of liquefaction after an undiscovered dead body has been allowed to decompose over a period of several weeks.  It's quite interesting to see how far they'll creep through a structure.

Back on the subject of automotive channels, I rather enjoy the unfailingly polite and upstanding heavy recovery operator 'Ron Pratt' as he documents himself retrieving articulated lorries that have either fallen over or  left the freeway and got stuck in culverts or under electricity pylons. 

[JMotor]

Quite like watching this fella.

Shame he's not more popular. Good info in the vids, seems to know his shit with Mitsubishis (and Hyundai's). He's currently restoring a Galant VR4.

Subbed to this dude too. Juiceboxforyou.

Good bit of variety in the content. Shed tours, car walk rounds and some episodes on the restoration of his AE86.  

[Dan302]

On 26/05/2024 at 15:19, Jerzy Woking said:

I liked The Savage Garage-young bloke working on cars on his driveway. He changed a Bini headgasket, a gearbox change on a Vectra, loads of stuff on Mondeo's and Astras.

Then one day he just stopped. At least his old videos are still available.

Yeah I used to watch him, I wonder what happened

[Dan302]

Can't remember if I've already mentioned (and too lazy to check....but......

Maximus Ironthumper is well worth a watch. He's a blacksmith by trade, lives off grid (but not in a weird survivalist way) he's restored a couple of land rovers and is making a pipe organ to fit to the back of a Zil army truck.

[St.Jude]

9 hours ago, cort16 said:

Remember "The manual". How to have a number one the easy way by the KLF?  It gave step by step instructions on how to have a number one and was used by Chumbawumba when they did tub thumping (although it only got to no 2).

It must now be time for some to create "The manual 2" how to get 1 million subscribers on youtube.

Love Chumbawumba when they split up, citing "musical similarities". 

Might show my ignorance here but there is also an Aussie called Peter Anderson. I don't watch all of his stuff religiously but he does a lot with the old big Australian Fords etc. And he's got a mighty tache that Mansell would probably sue him for if he knew about it. 

[Bren]

On 26/05/2024 at 17:41, cort16 said:

One of my favourites. Very smart guy, very modest.

I'm no expert in robotics. Builds a complete remote control system for a one of one logging robot.

I'm no expert in carpentry or electric. Builds and entire two floor office in is garage and wires it all.

I'm no export in fabrication. Fabricates a device for skid steers for pulling tree stumps out.

Never mind his car and truck repair skills. 

Very modest. Eric at South main auto is the same.

[grogee]

18 minutes ago, Bren said:

Very modest. Eric at South main auto is the same.

Eric O is one of the few (car) YT channels I can stomach. Genuinely nice guy, modest but hugely skilled. I think he does himself a disservice by signing off: "Remember viewers, if I can do it, you can do it" after he's diagnosed some weird running fault on a rusty Honda. 

Our resident spanners @RoverFolkUsand @twosmoke300 would probably agree there is no substitute for experience in this business. How hard to pull on a rusty nut, how to do a tricky suspension repair without replacing the crumbly surrounding parts. Unfortunately in my case the knowledge comes from breaking (sometimes expensive) bits through ham-fistedness. 

[Jerzy Woking]

A current one I forgot to mention is "My Mate Vince" who repairs electrical items from Playstations to coffee machines to airfryers.

BUT his series of fixing up the cheap  Rolls Royce he purchased is excellent. He has no mechanical knowledge, but had a great go at getting it fixed, including all leather, wood and paint work.