Salvage Wire

Salvage Wire
Helping Automotive recyclers become leaders in their industry

Wednesday 30 March 2011

BVSF Annual General Meeting

The British Vehicle Salvage Federation Annual General meeting will take place on April 12th at the Morgan Motor Co plant in Worcester, followed by a presentation by Rob Turvey on the industry CoTC which is affecting all of us. After a buffet lunch a tour of the factory will take place where you will see first hand the beautiful hand built Morgan cars being produced.
The day will finish off with evening entertainment at the Abbey Hotel with a meal, presentation of the Combellack award and the raffle.
It promises to be an outstanding day, and a day that should not be missed by anyone in the salvage vehicle industry.
For more information please see the BVSF web site (www.bvsf.org.uk)

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Special Report on Salvage

The Automotive Recyclers Association latest magazine includes a special report on salvage, subjects discussed include:

Global Goods - Technical advances in motor vehicles are making repairs much harder and raising costs. This has the potential to increase instances of fraud and sub-standard repair -- issues that can seriously harm the reputation of the auto recycling industry. How can the global auto recycling industry, whilst keeping costs as low as possible, continue to improve standards, consumer protection, and eradicate fraud?,

Fairness - The 2009 study titled International Trade in Used Vehicles: The Environmental Consequences of NAFTA, by Lucas W. Davis, Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, and Matthew E. Kahn, UCLA Institute of the Environ- ment, studied the effects of the law since its passage in 1993, including trade patterns. The North American Free Trade Agreement was created to expand trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico to make them more competitive in the global marketplace. As of January 1, 2008, all tariffs among the three countries were eliminated and trade tripled from $297 billion to $1 trillion between 1993-2007, according to the study.

Fleecing Customers - In a 2009 CNN report, Guiseppe "Joe" Pirrone was on vacation when a relative called to say that the work truck he had purchased for his business was being seized by the police. Pirrone learned that the truck he legally bought in 2008 was actually a stolen vehicle, and he was a victim of a car cloning vehicle theft ring. While the truck was now police evidence, he is still on the hook for the $27,000 loan.

Stakeholder Perspective - Automotive Recycling magazine, in an effort to fully understand the issues surrounding the current marketplace of salvage and allow for varying opinions on the topic, sent questions to seven varying industry stakeholders, all who are members of the Collision Industry Electronic Commerce Association(CEICA) Salvage Committee. Here are three responses with their perspective on our questions. We appreciate their participation.

The full articles are available on-line at http://www.a-r-a.org/paper.asp?paper=102, they are well worth reading.

Sunday 13 March 2011

Why regulated standards are needed for End of Life Vehicles

My friend and auto recycling colleague, Steve Fletcher, has produced an excellent piece on why End of Life Vehicles require regulation, you can read about this and much more at his blog - http://autorecyclers.blogspot.com/

Tuesday 8 March 2011

Giveacar celebrate their first birthday

- Giveacar marks first birthday by revealing top ten list of donated cars….as well as the wackiest! -

BIG-HEARTED motorists across the UK have given 'top marques' to a novel initiative that for the first time turns their growing number of unwanted cars into charity cash.

Giveacar, a social enterprise which works in partnership with more than 300 good causes nationwide, has collected 3,000 vehicles – ranging from an iconic classic car to a jet-ski and even a mobile recording studio - since its launch a year ago.

To mark its anniversary, Giveacar today unveiled its top ten list of prized vehicles that have come under the hammer in aid of their owner’s chosen charity – as well as some of the more bizarre.

Prized manufacturers such as Jaguar, BMW and Land Rover all figure prominently in the top ten earners for charities – as does as a 1960s MGC convertible which netted £3,300.

But the title of top-fund raiser went to a Vauxhall VX220 – complete with a sought after personalised number plate.

Founder of Giveacar, 24-year-old Tom Chance, said: “We specialise in collecting cars with what we call the ‘Ex-Factor’ – those that have become unroadworthy, unused or unloved.

“You would not believe the range of vehicles that we have been able to transform into cash - as well as some of the best-known names in motoring, we’ve even managed to generate income for our charity partners from a jet-ski, a mobile recording studio and several caravans.

"The concept has really captured people's imagination. We expect to raise even more money for more charities in the next 12 months and beyond, as an ever-increasing number of owners decide to say farewell to their cars.

"With record fuel prices poised to get even higher come April 1, spiralling insurance premiums especially for young women, and a new crackdown on insurance cheats just around the corner, the road ahead for motorists has never been so bleak or costly."

Tom's idea has proven ‘the wheel deal’ for Giveacar’s growing list of affiliated charities, who have benefited by more than £250,000 by the initiative so far – a much-needed extra source of income in the tough economic climate.

'TOP OF THE CROCKS' - GIVEACAR’S BEST CHARITY FUND-RAISERS

1. Vauxhall VX220 £4,771.88

2. MGC £3,382.74

3. Suzuki Grand Vitara £2,185.00

4. Jaguar XJS £1,991.80

5. Recording studio £1,543.77

6. Audi A4 £1,521.00

7. Vauxhall Corsa £1497.25

8. Toyota Landcruiser £1355.49

9. BMW 530 £1328.71

10. Citroen C3 £1266.17

Head of Corporate Fundraising at Marie Curie Cancer Care, Arun Sharma said: “Giveacar provides a unique way for people to support Marie Curie Cancer Care and we are delighted to have their support. The funds raised from the cars donated help Marie Curie nurses provide free home nursing care and support for terminally ill people and their families.”

The initiative is also supported by local authorities and environmental charities for the ‘green’ way in which is takes unroadworthy cars off the streets and disposes of them.

Regardless of their condition, cars are picked up by Giveacar free-of-charge direct from people’s homes and sold at auction or disposed of at an authorised treatment centre. Proceeds from the sale are donated to a charity of the car owner’s choice, or one of the Giveacar’s partner charities. Even if the banger is scrapped, it still nets the selected good cause a minimum £40.

The scheme is intended to discourage those irresponsible owners who may consider abandoning their cars, spoiling the appearance of the local environment and also costing local taxpayers’ money to remove and dispose of it.

Tom added: “The DVLA reports that two million cars are taken off the road, yet only half are disposed of at an authorised treatment facility. If you ring a number which you saw on a lamppost, there is every chance your car will be picked apart, then left to rot, causing considerable environmental damage.

“At Giveacar, we only use authorised facilities that recycle a minimum of 85 per cent of the weight of your vehicle.”

For more details visit www.giveacar. co.uk or call the Giveacar team on 020 0011 1664