Have you ever had problems starting your car after a bit of rain or low battery? Well here is an example of how to start a car that has been 6 feet under for the last 6 years. This is no joke the car comes with spider’s webs and probably many other live things that have lived under the bonnet through rain and shine for 6 years.
This is no joke, it is a real attempt to get the Subaru working and my god he does it, without stripping the engine down and a rebuild. Not sure I would want to drive it though after it fired up. Not really about keeping your car on the road, but an example of how well certain cars are made.
There are just some things that the USA do better than here in the UK. Take buying used car parts for example. Yes there are larger used car breakers in the UK who use a database to tell a customer on the phone what is in stock and the part condition and a nationwide database called Pinnacle (not sure of the correct spelling), but majority of car breakers throughout the UK, just remember what they have in stock and only sell to their own customers.
With greater distances to travel to breaker yards in the USA , you find that many more transactions are done over the phone, or certainly the location of the parts in question. As you enter many USA breaker yards you see telesales guys on the counter describing the parts in question and delivering prices through headsets. In front of them is a national or certainly a state wide database of car parts waiting to be bought, not just by the consumer bit the breaker yard as a middleman.
This means that many breaker yards sell stock that is in fact at another yard. They just ring this yard up and ask them to deliver the part to the relevant consumer. Both yards make a profit on the part sold and so long as the breaker yard who has the car part in stock gets the cash asked, he does not care how much has been added on by the second breaker.
Although the technology for this sharing of stock database is in place, many refuse to take the time to add stock to the database or remove it should they sell out. The USA breakers do this much better and understand the benefits better than here in the UK.
For the consumer they may find themselves paying a bit more for the part as there are now 2 margins added to the price, but when they consider time and gas saved by driving around or ringing around, this can be cost effective in the long run.
As the bigger yards get bigger and the small yard struggle to survive within the UK, it would make sense to become a collective force to the big guys, but their still seems to be a reluctance to do this.
This is a question asked by many DIY motorists trying to keep costs down. Of course buying an original new part will always be better in terms of the life span of the part, but you have to take into account the higher cost and the prep work you still have to do with a new panel. The value of the vehicle will also play a part in how much you want to spend on repairing a damage panel on the car.
Buying used is another consideration, but here you have problems with colour, possible rust and a possibility that this panel is also damaged in way that needs further prep work.
Garages automatically buy new and depending on the model of car or if the vehicle has been left at a dealership or not will buy original or a copy. For example it is unlikely that a Mercedes dealership would ever consider using a copy panel to fit on to their cars. It is usual for example for a back street garage to use a copy part on a 6 year Ford Fiesta for example.
Garages very rarely use second hand panels, first because of the time to locate a good one and second, the fitting can take more time than planned. The amateur mechanic, who is repairing a car within a budget, will of course consider a used part over a new to keep cost down, especially when you can get a genuine part cheaper than a new copy version.
It is now easier to locate car parts and panels than ever before because of the internet, but locating can be the easy part as shipping can be hard. There is an expectation that delivering such items is the retailer’s problem. But losing time on a project sending back a damaged panel can cost the project time and unneeded stress. Delivery Carriers are just not set to deliver car panels, so getting one local may just be the solution.
This probably means doing things the old fashioned way, by picking up the phone then driving to the local yard to see how good the panel is for you. Then you can nurse than panel back home. As panels tend o be the first victim of an accident that makes a newer car salvage, you may find that even with the internet you are forced to buy new.