Breaking salvageable cars

A2-Dork said:

if enough interest im going to break it (REAL SHAME)

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I'll qualify what I'm about to say by clarifying that this is not a dig at A2Dork as the OP of the above quote n any form - a person's lawful property is theirs to dispose of as seen fit - however I can't hold my tongue from voicing my dismay and concern when seemingly salvageable cars ( my definition being those which are not 'end of life ' examples ) are broken up as we have witnessed recently on the forum.

I salute and support the considerate supply of parts from damaged/ uneconomical to repair examples which will maintain other examples of the marque on the road for years to come.

However - the carve up of decent little A2s needing a bit of TLC is unpalatable to me, it's not in keeping with the aim of A2OC which seeks to promote and preserve the A2, plus it won't do a great deal for our reputation.

I fully realise this is a contentious subject and I'm opening myself to criticism . As stated I'm not having a dig at any individual. I do believe the club should review the support of adverts breaking up cars to consider the likelihood that the car is repairable before permitting them to be published. I'm also fully aware from my days on the admin team that this is an incredibly difficult thing to manage fairly.

We've been cruelly dubbed a 'breakers yard ' in the past. Let's not have that creep up on us again.

murdo said:

I'll qualify what I'm about to say by clarifying that this is not a dig at A2Dork as the OP in any form - a person's lawful property is theirs to dispose of as seen fit - however I can't hold my tongue from voicing my dismay and concern when seemingly salvageable cars ( my definition being those which are not 'end of life ' examples ) are being broken up as we have witnessed recently on the forum.

I salute and support the considerate supply of parts from damaged/ uneconomical to repair examples which will maintain other examples of the marque on the road for years to come.

However - the carve up of decent little A2s needing a bit of TLC is unpalatable to me, it's not in keeping with the aim of A2OC which seeks to promote and preserve the A2, plus it won't do a great deal for our reputation.

I fully realise this is a contentious subject and I'm opening myself to criticism - however as stated I'm not having a dig at any individual. I do believe the club should review the support of adverts breaking up cars. I'm also fully aware from my days on the admin team that this is an incredibly difficult thing to manage fairly.

We've been cruelly dubbed a 'breakers yard ' in the past. Let's not have that creep up on us again.

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Hi Murdo, I must admit I did think similar to you when I read the post above this morning although I can fully understand A2-Dork reasoning for suggesting this- there is obviously a shortage of interest within the number of months that he's had it advertised so he is seeking out his options.

Could you define recent cases where salvageable cars are being broken? Admittedly I decided to break a vehicle which was purchased via the forum but honestly - upon viewing my car you will see that the condition really does warrant breaking it. Holding in my mind either doing such or ploughing a few hundred pounds into it, it will still be an early example with certain parts missing and poor paintwork which I would never be satisfied with cosmetically. This together with a general condition of interior - such as mix and match trim, spray painted glovebox, glued-on trim, carbon wrapped Centre console etc. (I could go on but you get the picture) Not only this but a smashed front open sky panel with a patch painted repair. In my attempt to offer it on, I received no offers but have been inundated with requests from individuals from both the forum and eBay for parts from the car. All the panels apart from O/S wing and tailgate have been spoken for - going onto other vehicles or as spares in certain cases.

The suspension from said car is being transferred onto a TDI 90 in the family and I'm sure the remainder of the car will be spoken for in the next coming couple of weeks. In my opinion this car has aided other vehicles albeit I can understand you're concern but it would never been an example to be 'proud' of or cherished in such way.

I would consider the above car and I have contemplated discussing with dork regarding the price as I see an opportunity to use my well maintained engine in it. For me the car would need to be available at a keener price for it to be viable as I'd need to pay for the engine changes, repair and getting it Road worthy.

As said, I really do understand you're concerns but I think there are occasions where some vehicles are fit for breaking. Mechanicals can be rectified and if the paintwork and appearance is of fine condition then we really should endeavour to save it. In my opinion this car should NOT be broken hence me offering my interest. On the other hand - I am happy to discuss with you via PM murdo - I've a few pictures with the general condition of the car I have broken as I really would like to satisfy yourself that I have done the right thing.

Kind regards
Craig

Fallan said:

Hi Murdo. could you define recent cases where salvageable cars are being broken?

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Hi Craig. I cant nor do I feel it's required to give definition to my comments about recent cases of salvageable cars being broken. Your case was one which did come to mind in addition to others over recent times. It's a general feeling of concern I hold. People will either agree or disagree with me and I accept that.

Please note my deliberate use of the word 'seemingly ' when describing my feelings about cars being offered for parts. There's no need for explanation or resort to PM. My recall of your advert was it looked a nice wee car with great history. I'm accepting that you say it had problems you deemed uneconomical to repair. It was maybe lost on me because of the disagreement I recall that thread descending into.

I'd reiterate that this is a personal view I feel quite strongly about. It's open to interpretation what defines 'uneconomical to repair' therefore why I stated it's an incredibly difficult subject to get right.

Forgive me. I love A2s and I hate seeing them broken up. Whilst accepting at up to 17 years old now that it's an inevitable evolution that they will increasingly 'bite the dust' I'm in summary wishing for the club to deal with this as sensitively as possible.

The success of any classic car comes down to the availability of parts.

There is a definite need for a supply of good quality parts at good prices from people you can trust.

When I started doing this the prices of second hand parts were ridiculous. I've fought that head on and not only brought low priced parts to the club but I also think I'm inadvertedly having an effect on the ebay prices as well.

Members are joining the club to source my parts. I know this from pm's from new members.

There is a lot of good coming from this.

I love A2's, I've had enough of them to know the good from the bad and the ones that are not suitable for saving

The issue comes when seemingly good ones get broken for the money.

I search high and low for cars that are end of life and turn down many that I am offered and could make money on because they are too good.

Granted I have used some parts for my own car from this one but I kid you not, my current breaker has made £112 profit (not including anything for my time or packaging) and there's very little left on the car of value.

I'm not claiming to be perfect but I'd say 99% of those who buy from me are very happy with the service they receive.

If members want to make a quick buck from breaking A2's then join the masses on ebay and make your money there. If you want to provide a service to members and keep A2's on the road then do it with the preservation of the marque in mind and put members before ££. Heck I'll even help you by giving you advice and support along the way.

I take on board you're comments guys, I'm in agreement - good A2's should NOT be broken for parts - I'm not condoning that at all.

Some cars are deemed as end of life when probably really they do have some extent of life left in them. One mans rubbish is anothers gold is probably a good aspect to view this.. I.e scrap yard cars or members 'breaker' cars are not always accident damaged. Economically I did not see fit to outlay the expenditure required after getting said vehicle home. This was consolidated when I discovered that certain parts were missing and upon going over the car once home, I made a decision that the 'project' that I had taken on would require more effort and expenditure than first thought. I'm keen not to open a can of worms here as I don't want confrontation however, let's just say that the car was not as I expected - but did'nt want to turn the deal sour, especially as I had travelled one way via rail to collect. Admittedly I knew that it was worth the price in parts should I need to cut my losses. I am not a mechanic, neither do I have the real know how to strip the car so this was done as a bit of a last resort. I did advertise the car to move it on - notably via the forum as this was the most transparent thing to do in my eyes, rather than proceed to list it on other sites.

There was no interest, perhaps not helped by a discussion on that for sale thread - that's just my opinion.

You will notice that I have stated that once my return has been made for the initial outlay, then prices for parts will be minimal to members. To accentuate this I have offered some parts free upon collection, also to members via PM who have asked for certain bits.

Steve, you will notice that I have not made any derogatory comments aimed at you or the cars that you are breaking, or that of any other member.

As stated, the A2 I have broken has lots of negative bits in my opinion, most I have tried to state within the breaking thread, a couple more have been discovered upon breaking it. It is of my personal choice not to go ahead with this as a project, I did the right thing and offered it for sale here, there was no interest, so I decided to break the faulty car and its parts have gone to aid other A2's.

I feel that I should upload some pictures of some of the negatives to highlight my case. I shouldn't feel the need to do this but I will in an aim to satisfy the club of my reasons.

Isn't it possible that it can work the other way around though? What I mean is that without a source of cheap second hand parts the cars become uneconomic to repair with the end result that more get scrapped and sent to the crusher. Yes it's not nice to scrap usable cars but taking A2-Dorks case - whilst the body might be fantastic it represents a relatively high risk proposition for any buyer as they can't drive it at the moment and most will have to pay for the engine to be fitted which will bring the cost close to other running examples.

Simon.

I agree with all of the above, and I am tempted by A2dork's car as it seems an easy project to put another engine in. It would be a shame to break it if the interior is as good as exterior, but I have a weak spot for Dolphin Grey colour. I already have three A2s, one a daily runner tdi 75, second also tdi 75 being rebuilt after an accident and 1.4 petrol, AUA engine being rebuilt after AUB transplant engine failed 6 months on.
Being financially unavailable to get it, and vetoed by the better half, I sadly have to let it go, hopefully not to be broken for spares.