Archive for the 'News' Category

A Department Of Transport survey today revealed that there has been an increase in the age of cars still on Britain’s roads.

The rise has been put down to the increasing  amount of people who are maintaining their vehicles and servicing them with new parts rather than trading in for a new model.

The statistics show an increase from 6.6 years in 2007 to seven at the end of 2009.

The Post Office have also revealed figures which show that nearly half of all car owners have avoided replacing parts on their vehicles in a bid to save money, which could potentially invalidate insurance policies.

As such Post Office warned driver not to cut corners when repairing their cars, saying:

“With so many UK motorists failing to properly maintain their vehicles and with the average age of cars rising, we remind motorists that overlooking wear and tear could affect car insurance policies.”

CarSpareFinder offers users the unique chance to find the parts needed for their vehicles in four simple steps and at the best price, all you need to do is visit the website, call CarSpareFinder’s Parts Helpline to request a quote or try the new service where with 1 call Does It All - find a part telephone service connecting you to Top 4 uk part locators.There is new demand for used car parts in the uk, and scrap and salvage cars are getting harder for vehicle dismantlers to find. UK Salvage vehicles between 2002 and 2005 are in greatest demand.

Drivers  were shocked to see what they thought was a human limb on the motorway

Police had close a section of the M62 yesterday after a plethora of drivers reported seeing what they thought was a human limb.   The limb turned out to be a plastic arm however, it still brought chaos and misery to many as the Police had no option but to close the road.

The police commented saying “it has caused traffic chaos, huge expense and will be upsetting for drivers”.  They treated the incident as a major investigation and used a lot of resources according to police sources.  It also affected the policing response in the local area.

Detective Inspector Tom Keaton said:  “We don’t know how the arm came to be in the middle of the road. We would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while this enforced road closure was in place”.  After searching of the limb for a few hours, they reopened then road at 1630hrs.

By Lloyd Cole-Nolan

The automotive industry was told yesterday that it will be receiving less help from the Government.    Vince Cable (Business secretary) speaking before an address at The Society of Motor manufactures (SMMT) warned that there would be no more hand outs.   Mr Cable said “We are not in a subsidy war and I am not going around with a cheque book around the British car industry”.

The industry has seen tough times of recent.  With cars staking up in yards, collapsed  production and there were no signs of people entering the show rooms.  Many had to depend on the government’s scrapage scheme and direct financial aid.  Mr Cable said before the statement “The car industry as endured tough times in the last few years but we are no seeing reasons for cautious optimism.
Mr Cable said the government wants to stabilise the car industry.   He stated “We want to give the automotive industry a stable business environment to capitalise on further opportunities.

He continued “This would be done by creating a more supportive tax environment, freeing up credit through the banking system, reducing regulation and a focus on training and apprenticeships”.

Some in the industry argue that the industry is perfectly placed to deliver the Governments low carbon and pro manufacturing agenda.   They are investing large amounts of money into new environmentally friendly technologies.   Land Rover reveal that they plan to release a new baby Land Rover with greater fuel efficiency and today, Toyoto begin producing their new petrol/electric hybrid vehicle.   Many are worried about a £5000 incentive the government had promised as they say they will need help to get people to switch to electric cars.   Paul Everitt Chief Executive of the SMMT said in an interview with the BBC “If we want consumers to buy ultra low carbon vehicles they need an incentive.  These are not commercially viable technologies at the price we would have to charge without some kind of incentive”.

The industry is also on the bounce back and is beginning to increase in size.   Land Rover announced this morning that it’s creating 1000 new jobs producing the new Baby Land Rover.

However not all the industry is surprised at the news.  Council co-chair of the Automotive Council, Richard Parry-Jones commented before Mr Cable spoke “contrary to widespread belief, the UK car industry does’nt want and is not dependant on more Government aid”.  He was also concerned about the incentives already promised.  He continued “We want the existing money that has been promised, well spend and with focus.
The Automotive industry is embracing the change to low carbon technologies however it is being told more often that it has to do it alone.
BBC: No more Handouts for Car Makers

According to a Newcastle Audi representative at the Business Road Show North East the second hand value of cars in general are still falling, and demand for Audi car leasing is actually rising against new Audi car sales. Despite increasing demand for Audi Car leasing approxiamtely 50% are declined due to the credit crunch and the lower credit scoring of many businesses. Businesses in the Motor Industry need business support to effectively manage their business performance, and one of the very best ways to do this is by using a motor industry business consultant for business improvement.

More importantly, what effect has the value of used Audi cars and the increased demand for Audi car leasing have in the demand of used Audi car parts? New sites like Audi at CarPartsBuyer are reporting steady demand for used Audi vehicle parts.

Just as everyone was predicting the scheme that will reward you of 200 pounds by buying anew car if you scrap and existing one 10 years old has gone ahead. It has a mixed response, first because the car manufacturers are funding 50% of it, so the question is to asked, can they afford it, or why have they not discounted cars by 1000 pounds anyway? Many think they have already done this and will just remove the current discounts put their prices back up normal and then show a 2000 pound discount on their screens. The tax payer will pay for the further 1000 pounds, but of course will get it back in VAT costs.
As reported earlier on CarSpareFinder, this may impact certain breaker yards that specialise in cars over 10 years old. Yes it is likely that more stock will arrive at their yards, thanks to the government, but will anyone want the parts anymore? Many used car dealers who normally sell cars just over one year old, will not be happy with the news. It is very likely that a new car will be cheaper than a nearly new car and if the stock has already bought at pre budget prices, it may harm some retailers.
It has worked for new car sales in Germany, what we don’t understand though, is why some of those sales were not for cars manufactured here in the UK, albeit owned by foreigners? At lease they can say they are trying things to stimulate the motor industry and this may not be a permanent thing, just something get us into new cars for the time being. We may not have many UK manufacturers left but we do have many factories that make cars for other international motor companies, so many jobs could be lost if things do not pick up soon.

We specialise in getting you the best quote from breaker yards throughout the UK for guaranteed used car parts. Many of these yards specialise in specific makes and even some on model only. There are some who tend to deal with older cars, so with a new 10 year reward for scrapping your old car, there could be repercussions for the breakeryard who deals with cars over 10 years old.

The government are considering introducing a plan already in place in other European countries that rewards you for scrapping a car over the age of nine years, when you buy a new car less than one year old. It has been suggested you could get up to £2000 for taking your old car off the road.
The fallout could mean that there is an abundance of old cars taken off the road, with very few little demand for car parts, as many consumers opt for newer cars. Breaker yards will in effect have too many unneeded used car parts to dispose of and will either have to move into a newer salvage type market, or accept a pittance for parts where everyone is competing to clear old stock.

There was an increase of 40% in Germany of new car sales last month who already uses this scheme; you would then have to assume there was a 40% increase of older cars hitting the breakeryards. The European rules of disposing cars and costs involved means, many breakers did not pay for their cars anyway and they could not make a profit if they did, so the possibility of these cars turning up on their doorstep may not be good news, even if they are donated by the Government free.

The drop in scrap metal prices means, that often it is better to break the car than just to weight it in, compounding the situation. The final nail in the coffin could also mean that any old car is effectively worth up to £2000, meaning older cars may only be available through this scheme, as even consumers who own newer cars, may just buy an old banger to trade in instead of their existing car.
Why get £2000 for a 4 year old car, why you can get £2000 for a 10 year old banger and then just sell you existing car privately. Interesting times ahead.

It seemed quite mad but there were motorists who attempted to move their car across snow covered roads, only to find them move in an a different direction to the road. The results were a huge increase in motoring accident, taking the loyal car straight to the insurance yard and then to the breakers yards, providing car parts for you and me and probably a few salvage projects too.

It is however quiet astonishing that even when we know the bad weather is coming; we first are unable to clear the snow an second, seem to think we can leave our homes at the same time and get to work, school or whatever in the same period of time as normal. The results are stressed motorists, who then find themselves clipping kerbs, hitting trees or worse, other cars.

This is not good news for the insurance companies who now have bumper payouts, or the breakdown cover patrolmen, who are now really earning their annual premiums. But for the car part searcher, there will be an abundance of cars hitting the breaker yards after insurance procedures have been cleared.

This probably won’t affect the 4 x 4 market as owners are probably having some relief from the excess insurance charges, road tax and depreciation in their vehicle values. For once there will be a relief in owning a vehicle like this and have the benefit of getting around, providing they wer not stuck in a traffic jam of course.

But for breaker yards that have been a bit short of car parts recently, this may be good news with a new influx of new models arriving. We will wait and see what they are.

The Financial Times (27 Sep 08) reported that Motor World, the new car parts and accessories group, has gone into administration, with the loss of 300 jobs. The Administrators, BDO Stoy Hayward, have closed 40% of its national UK network of car parts retail units.
Pacific Retail has purchased the bulk of Motor World car parts shops (approximately 135). What factors brought about Motor World’s demise? Well several scenarios have been put forward, but I can tell you some of mine. Analysts point to the worst UK Automotive trading figures this summer, since the 1960’s. Did not the rising demand for car parts on the internet, using systems like CarSpareFinder, play a major factor?
This week (1 Oct 08) the Automotive Industry learned that Wembley based Euro Car Parts, one of biggest suppliers of vehicle parts in the UK has taken over a Yorkshire competitor, the excellent Sheffield based LSUK. It claims this move will protect the future of 600 jobs. LSUK’s has over 50 car parts outlets and subsidiaries M I Diesel Products, Protech Automotive (UK) and Yeovil Rewind.
Likewise, the UK Automotive Car, Van and Bike Parts sectors, perhaps mirroring the Global banking industry, is involved in widespread consolidation as firms reorganise and reposition themselves to deal with any downturn in the Global economy. The internet is providing the growth area for car parts, and maintains its volumes despite the obvious slowdown on the high street. The high cost of fuel and transport is another factor online driving car parts sales. The single biggest factor has to be the time saving, the ease and simplicity of locating and purchasing car parts online, and as importantly, the outstanding value-for-money in purchasing used car parts are the principal ‘drivers’ of revenue growth. The UK Dismantlers and breakers, like those members of the CarSpareFinder Business Community, are best able to take advantage of the new opportunities for car parts sales, supported by an ever increasingly sophisticated next day delivery courier network which delivers very good customer service and achieves the high levels of customer satisfaction enjoyed by CarSpareFinder breaker clients, and consumers alike.

A big debate at the moment is whether or not we should limit the top speed of our cars. We all know family and small cars such as the Vauxhall Corsa or the Renault Cleo have good speeds, good fuel economy etc. However some cars like the vauxhall vxr8 have 2 things they are concerned with: looks and power.

I love the vauxhall vxr8 however it does come with a 6 litre v8 vauxhall engine, which top speed will almost triple the speed limit. Also the 6 litre vauxhall engine will drink petrol compared to a family hatchback. The vauxhall vxr8 also comes with other car parts such as a vauxhall gearbox in either automatic or 6 speeds to help reach these high speeds.

If the limit was to be put into place the top cars would still have umph e.g. 0 - 60 in 4.9 seconds, but only up to the limit and in many peoples eyes this makes the car pointless to own since you cant fully flex its muscles. Im not sure about the limit since sometimes to escape a problem (for example a drunk lorry driver swaying) you need that extra few miles an hour to avoid disaster. Now there are several ways to do this, firstly make the limit above the speed limit but under deadly speeds, for example 90MPH or secondly make it annoying to go over the limit, e.g. a alarm sounds. This would mean you can go over the limit in times of crisis but you wont do it on a daily basis.

I personally hate cars on the motorway who do 100MPH, mainly because i will be overtaking someone doing 60 or 70 MPH on the motorway, however my car can only do 80MPH since it is old and only a 1 litre, thus a 100MPH car zooms upto my car and gives me about 1/4 second gap between my car and their car, thus becoming dangerous.

So in many ways i think it should be limited to a decent amount, but not the speed limit.

Of course those who want to break the limit will find a way to since if technology is in place to limit a engine, you can undo it and many backstreet garages will offer this service for a nice sum of money since were there is a will there is a way.

Also is there any other car parts we can use to limit speed, for example make the brakes kick in if going over the limit, or automatically apply cruise control.

To join the debate follow:

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/blogs/editorial-blogs/dan-strong/159437/cutting-to-the-quick.thtml

or leave comments here, we are interested in your say

CarSpareFinder is doing better each month, last months achievements were getting to number 2 on Google for the search term car parts, so we reckon we will be number one in no time.

The amount of requests has almost doubled since December and all is going well. we get calls from happy customers and suggestions on improvements which we work on to provide a better search term.

Now has never been so good to want a car part, or be a breaker (especially a vauxhall breaker, those vauxhall parts requests keep coming through strong).

Other news is our salvage site SalvageSpareFinder is picking up traffic and soon it will be fully functional will bidding auctions and vehicle salvage you would not believe.

So whether you a vauxhall breaker or not our site is on the up, were all really excited and cant believe how we are doing, its simply amazing.