MTV had to get a Tow Truck on-call because so many of the cars that were featured on the show didn’t actually work once they were finished filming. This was bound to happen as the cars were all very old and worn out, and the renovations were more focused on the exterior.
According to the executive producer, Larry Hochberg, a tow truck was kept on call to assist any of the contestants with cars after filming as many of them had problems starting.
Auditions for The Show
MTV didn't actually audition several contestants on the show. One contestant, Brooke Siegel, had her Chevy Cavalier pimped, ended up on the show cause she had a mutual friend with one of the producers. They only gave her the gig, because she agreed to act, she had to beg on camera to get her car pimped.
They gave her an entire fabricated backstory, saying she was a 22-year-old film fanatic. In reality, she was 25-year-olds at the time and working as a cocktail waitress.
MTV Used Staged Houses
Just as on MTV's show "Cribs," the contestants' houses weren't their actual homes, the same is true for the houses shot during the filming of "Pimp My Ride."
Brook Siegel revealed that when Xzibit showed up at her house to announce that she had been chosen for the show, they didn't even use her real home to film the scene.
They Didn't Fix Any Major Mechanical Issues
As we all know, there is nothing glamorous about replacing an engine or fixing a taillight. Many times, the crew overlooked the car's own mechanical issues in favor of putting in features that looked more exciting.
One contestant named Seth Martino shared on Reddit about how after the show, he had to spend $1,700 of his own money to pay for a new engine, something the crew could have easily done had they not been focused on pimping the car out.
A Strict Contract
Of course, one of the conditions of being on the show was signing a pretty lengthy contract that basically dictated what the owners were allowed to do with their cars once they were on the show.
The participants on the show weren't allowed to say that the car was on "Pimp My Ride" if they tried to sell it.