'This Car Was Free, And It May Bankrupt Me': Rich Rebuilds Takes On The Fisker Ocean

Talk about the deal of a lifetime—as long as you don't mind driving around in a car from a defunct company, that is.

Photo by: Rich Rebuilds (YouTube)

Iulian Dnistran

By: Iulian Dnistran

Nov 8, 2025 at 2:00pm ET

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The Fisker Ocean is no longer being manufactured, after the company that designed it went bankrupt.
As a result, parts and diagnostic software are nearly impossible to track down.
But when someone offers you a bicked but free Fisker Ocean, it’s hard to refuse.

Ahh, the Fisker Ocean. This bundle of automotive joy that promised to take on the industry’s heavyweights but ended up on the list of has-beens after the company that made it went bankrupt.

It’s an electric car that had plenty of potential, but got the rug pulled from under it before it had a chance to prove its worth. For some owners who still have an Ocean in their driveway, it’s a headache. Spare parts are nearly impossible to find, and getting the car diagnosed can prove to be a huge hassle.

But there is light at the end of the tunnel, and with a bit of effort, maintaining a Fisker Ocean is still possible. Especially if you get one for free, albeit as a non-runner.

Here’s where Rich Benoit, better known as Rich Rebuilds on YouTube, comes into play. He’s known for fixing all sorts of electric cars, and he’s no stranger to the Fisker Ocean. So when a subscriber sent him a message, saying they have a broken Ocean that they’re willing to give up for free, as long as Benoit could repair it.

The white EV had a damaged hood, a broken headlight, and it would not charge. Also, the key would not start the car up, so it was pretty much a brick on wheels.

A used Fisker Ocean hood goes for roughly $3,000 online, so Benoit straightened the pointy bits and used filler to get the original hood in decent shape. A wrap finished the repair, with the total bill for the materials coming in at roughly $70.

The EV would not take a charge because there was an issue with the charge port door lock. So the little tabs that were supposed to keep the door locked were shaved off. This meant the charge port could be accessed anytime, but it also enabled the car to charge.

One of the headlights had its mounting tabs broken off. They were put back together using two-part epoxy, and everything was working fine yet again.

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The biggest issue, however, was that the car would not start. Thankfully, a newly programmed key fob solved that problem and brought the orphaned EV back to life for good. Benoit also replaced the door handles with upgraded ones that are less likely to fail. The original handles that were fitted from the factory were the subject of a recall because they could stick and fail to open.

That wasn’t the only recall for the Fisker Ocean, though, and this is just one of the reasons why the company went under and left owners scrambling for answers.