Affordable Autos and Cars

There are many would be entrepreneurs who buy old scrap cars and work on them in the hope of re-selling them as good reliable vehicles.  But of course there are those whom there only chance of affording any car is buying a scrap car or salvage project and repairing.  But with this there are questions over the real price of bring an old car back to life and the safety aspects whilst doing the work, or the car itself when back on the road.

Costs are normally calculated by adding up the large items to come to a final price, but many fail to measure the smaller costs, such as delivery of car parts, or smaller items like seals, oils and residual stuff. This is before we look at phones calls, petrol to pick any items, tools needed to be bought and safety items needed during the repairing period. Take for example flammable fluids like petrol, really even professional garages should be using atex equipment to ensure nor fires, but most don’t and it is much worse within smaller garages and back yards.

The reality is some will make a profit from doing such work, many will think they have and another group will know they have lost money. It is likely that the lucky ones are those who have the connections and parts supplies together with the right equipment and maybe atex equipment. Then there is the ability to sell at forecourts prices not private, otherwise things do get close. Is buying and doing up scrap cars affordable? Who knows, there are just too many comparisons to get a true picture.

There are some that see car salvage of a way of gaining a better car for less money, some will sell them on and others will keep and enjoy the results of the project. But buying salvage can be a nightmare and many fall foul of this because of a lack of research to the true cost of of a salvage project or just refusing to accept the value, in the hope to get parts and services cheaper than anyone else.

Before starting any car salvage project, research should be doe with a list of parts and work. Star by costing the parts, then work on to any work that has to be done out side of you ability, then add some more money as a buffer. If it can’t be done with these guidelines then you should walk away for the salvage project. In reality there are many car salvage projects that can only be done with someone with the right equipment, say a jig. the jig can straighten out body shells, but without a jig you end up with a car that drives the road like a crab. So have you the right tools to do the job, or is your salvage project going to be unfinished and sold for a fraction of the cost, you paid for it.

The trick is to spend the time to find the bargains, this will save time and money doing the project and think about the makes and models that are not the most popular models. German cars are often too expensive to buy as salvage inless you have the right tools, especially diagnostics.

Wing mirrors are an important part of your car and are considerably more than just a cosmetic feature.  They let you see what is behind you and to your sides.  They are legally required to befitted, clean and serviceable.  It does become an annoyance for some who have problems replacing there wing mirrors. 

Despite often being designed to be more robust and resilient to damage, wing mirrors, every so often need a bit of repair or replacing.  Many are designed to fold in to stop them from being damaged by passing vehicles but sometimes though they are a favourite and easy target for vandals too.   sometimes though it can be something entirely different that can take your wing mirror away.  In the video below, we have a family abroad on safari whom encounter a curious Lion which takes an interest in the wing mirror. 

Curiosity Kill the cat: driver reflects on nearly losing his mirror

Wing mirrors also have a few different names around the world.  In the states they tend to be referred to as side mirrors.  Elsewhere they can be called side-view mirrors, door mirrors  and side door mirrors to name a few. 

The main purpose of the wing mirror in to enable the driver to see behind and to the side of the vehicle he is operating.   They are an addition to the rear view mirror which enables the driver to view directly behind the vehicle.  Although the mirrors significantly improve vision they don’t cover the hole of the distance around the vehicle.  With normal wing mirror there are parts of the road you cannot see from the drivers seat.  For instance, as we see below in the diagram.  It is important to make sure you know that the area you are about to manuver your vehicle into is clear.  

Bind spot:  Make sure you look.

wing mirrors have also taken on some extra jobs in recent years.  some model cars now feature the side indicators on the wing mirrors.  This is believed to improve safety as the higher indicators are more likely to seen. 

If you looking for wing mirrors for your car then used wing mirrors may be the best solution for you.   Finding used parts is easy and not only that;  they are cheaper, tested and good for the environment.  On the first point, if you get parts from the manufacturers or direct from a dealer then you will most likely be paying a large mark up on the price.   The environment will also benefiting as you will be recycling a part and preventing it from going to landfill. 

Anyone watching the European Grand Prix on Sunday couldn’t have missed the Spectacular flying incident. Mark Webber clipped the back of a slower car, lost his front wing and took off like he was heading down the main runway at Heathrow on the way to Tenerife. Sending him and his Team Red Bull motor into the air and out of the race. Commenting on incident spectator and student Ben Wood said “That car really caught some air after the contact with the car in front. I suppose its real proof that red bull really does give you wings”

Mark Webbers spectacular accident on Sunday demonstrated what happens when you drive too close to the person in front of you. The RAC foundation reported that tailgating can account for upto a third of motorway accidents. A poll also showed that tailgating is currently, the most annoying thing to road users. Out of one thousand peopled surveyed it was also shown that proportionally more women found it annoying than men. Tailgating is not only infuriating but unsafe. Driver who tailgate put lives in danger. It is necessary to leave enough distance to react and stop. The website www.safespeed.org.uk states;

“Tailgating is the dangerous practice of following very close to the vehicle in front. In most circumstances a proper gap is 2 seconds long or one yard for every mph. Do not be a tailgater, leave gap and increase it in bad weather”

On some motorways, there are certain stretches which offer chevrons to coach people to leave a safe distance from the car in front. By staying two chevrons apart you will remain at a safe distance.

However, it’s not just a one sided story. Tailgaters are often trying the get past the vehicle in front of them. It can be just as frustrating trying to get past a slow vehicle as it is to be followed by a tailgater. Some comment that you should put your lights on and flash them occasionally to make sure the front vehicle knows your there. In Britain though, this is often mistaken as an aggressive signal. On the continent, people wanting past will signal on their offside (even if they are in the offside lane). It doesn’t always work here but sometimes does.

Motorist need to remember that the road network is not a racing track and unsafe driving leads to injury and death. Mark Webber walked away from his accident due to the design of his formula one car. People in normal road vehicle won’t be so lucky. Keep a safe distance, keep yourself and others safe.

Tailgating gives rise to strong demand for used tailgate replacement car parts.  Regardless of vehicle model UK Part Locators such as Car Spare Finder or the more specialised 4×4 spare finder services can locate low cost used car tailgates which can be refitted in less than an hour by a professional or qualified mechanic.

In a world of mass production the cost of new car parts for modern cars seems excessive compared to other industries where the cost of production per unit has reduced. This may explain why the after car parts market is so buoyant as motor manufacturers believe they make and sell a premier product. Of course not all parts can be reproduced so we find ourselves needing to buy parts a premium prices unless we opt to go for used parts from a breaker.

However if you have ever browsed a classic car parts catalogue you may be surprised to find that the prices of parts tend to be far cheaper than the modern equivalent (unless you own a rare and expensive classic car of course). Many find this astonishing as classic car parts are not made in the qualities of the modern car. Remember they are only selling the same parts they use to build their cars in extreme qualities.

If you speak to most classic car owners you will find that they will tell you that owning a classic is affordable and sometimes the economies can mean that driving an older car is far cheaper then a modern car, even with taking fuel economy and other things into account. yes this means losing comfort, ride quality and even reliability, but it does not still answer why classic car parts can be sold cheaper, whilst not made in the quantities’ of the modern car and still be more affordable than modern car parts. I don’t know why, do you?

The benefits of reducing the loss of value in used cars in the UK relies on maintaining the vehicles in tip top condition. When part fail, as occasionally they do, instead of scraping an eight toi ten year old car, it can be repaired economically without fuss, and sold on, maintaining some value in the vehicle. This is almost entirely due to the system of recycling car parts which functions very efficient, in large part due the support of leading vehicle spare locator services.

An efficient marketplace has produced a new kind of vehicle dismantler, who manages a large stock inventory of used car parts. In the UK some of the key car parts are in massive demand simply driven by the volume of popular models on the UK roads, examples like

Vauxhall Astra diesel engines
All the Ford Car Gearboxes

Thankfully, the uk part locator sector makes it easy for uk car part buyers. The overall added value for vehicle part consumers is that they not only save money, but they save a lot of time locating the part, since availability can be difficult to find locally. Some internet services are very good at helping car and van part consumers who are the best local dismantlers to check out, market leaders like Breaker Yard Finder.

lastly many UK Garages have such short deadlines and repair turnaround times, that for vehicle repair customers who ask for used car parts as a replacement, part locator services that allow you to phone up are popular. A service launched last year has a good idea to help car part consumers Find A Part, called 1 call does it all. The difference here is that consumers don’t just get to use the services of one part locator, but a selection of the top 6 services in the UK, with just one phone call taking just a few minutes. Now that’s what I call service!