Cash for clunkers.

rattlecanpaint

rattlecanpaint

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Location
Winston Salem
Anyone know what they do with all those cars that are getting traded in for the cash for clunkers program? Well, first thing we do as techs is drain the oil out of them, then we put in a different fluid, and we start the engine. It lasts 20 seconds at the most and locks up! Did a mid to late 90's S-10 blazer that needed a trans. One less 4.3 liter out there for you to put in your buggys. Then we did a Chevy Suburban, again mid to late 90's. One less 350 to put in your buggys, then we did a Ford Econoline (long version) van with 115k on the clock, pretty clean van, NOTHING wrong with it mechanically, now dead. Would have been a great church van for a new church starting out or a good school van for a private school or something of the like. So far though, I'm seeing a trend. Trade in your domestic gas guzzler for an imported vehicle. Honda has 30 of them. We've only got a few so far, but they will come. We have to lock up the engine for the govt to pay us the $4k for them. Then the junk yard pays us $100 to come get 'em. Not sure what's in this fluid, but it'd be great for an ex that pissed you off.
 
yeah, i was warning of that outcome when this was discussed the first time around.

the thing im wondering is.....

do you get to choose between trade in value or the clunker credit?

or does the dealership automatically use credit value.

i dont see how the dealership can offer clunker credit and trade in, so im sure thats not a possibility.

just curious. it would be nice to get one more land rover off the streets, lol.
 
i heard that program was getting the axe. they were talking about it onthe radio. already out of money and no way to reimburse the dealers that have already destroyed vehicles.
 
BigRedB2 said:
i heard that program was getting the axe. they were talking about it onthe radio. already out of money and no way to reimburse the dealers that have already destroyed vehicles.
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exaclty.. like all gov't programs..
 
One restriction that dealers aren't telling people is that the "clunker" has to have been rated less than 18MPG from the factory when new.
So a TJ or YJ with a 4.0 don't qualify because they had a 19MPG rating from the factory.
 
Seems to me there's quite a business to be hand right now, scrounging up all the 350s, 4.3s etc laying around... to drop back into these vehicles.
 
this has got to be some kind of joke... who in their right mind could possibly think this is a good idea? If this is in fact true I suppose all these cars end up in junk yards? Better be sure to pull the dip stick on any junkyard motors before you make a purchase. It will be interesting to see if somebody tries to rebuild one of these "disabled" motors...
 
I just got an e-mail from my D.S.M. (i'm in the parts biz) Monday of the part # of the fluid that is to be offered to dealers to lock up the motor. It is a sodium silicate solution that once it locks up is corrodes the motors from the inside out.
 
rockcity said:
what a waste. But really, all we're loosing is a few engines, correct? The rest of the vehicle can be salvaged or no?
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No, it has to be crushed w/in 90 days or something.
 
fishgutz said:
One restriction that dealers aren't telling people is that the "clunker" has to have been rated less than 18MPG from the factory when new.
So a TJ or YJ with a 4.0 don't qualify because they had a 19MPG rating from the factory.
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No, it's a combined city/hwy number that the EPA essentially makes up. There was a little brouhaha in the days leading up to the official rules announcement because the EPA was changing mpg figures to move certain cars off the list and put others on it.

More here
 
http://www.wxii12.com/automotive/20230780/detail.html

wow...program ends in 20 minutes.

only 22K vehicles have been approved, another 25k vehicles pending tonite, and possible 200k vehicles to be entered into the sytem.

Ha... the govt is taking the "we didnt really think you would do it" defense.

"We were just saying it to make you feel better"
 
spykosshow said:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjBilHH5z2A
Can I go ahead and say I told you so or should I wait?
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Holy fawk! Thats a nice Grand gettin the ax!

Theres enough pollutants coming off that engine in the 4 min. video to more than make up for the pollution saved on the mpgs saved on the new car :shaking:

Seems a like a crude way to disable the vehicle and potentially dangerous
 
we have 60 that we have to blow up got some nice stuff to hate to do it but it is my job got a nice f150 only 50k on the clock and have to blow it up and it gets crushed or shredded

the stuff that is put in them is liquid glass so covers everything in the engine and locks it up
 
That really is an excellent looking WJ getting blown up. I'm guessing unless that thing had 200,000 miles on it the owner really got conned by getting 4500 for it. What a bunch of idiots.
 
rockcity said:
Holy fawk! Thats a nice Grand gettin the ax!
Theres enough pollutants coming off that engine in the 4 min. video to more than make up for the pollution saved on the mpgs saved on the new car :shaking:
Seems a like a crude way to disable the vehicle and potentially dangerous
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My thoughts exactly. Gotta love our new pres............. :shaking:
 
from cars.gov about what happens to the cars-

What happens to the vehicle I trade in?

The CARS Act requires that the trade-in vehicle be crushed or shredded so that it will not be resold for use in the United States or elsewhere as an automobile. The entity crushing or shredding the vehicles in this manner will be allowed to sell some parts of the vehicle prior to crushing or shredding it, but these parts cannot include the engine or the drive train.
 
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