Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with salvage

What do I do with my old car?

pwnguin — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 18:03:16 -0800

What do I do with my old car? I finally replaced my 1991 Honda Civic (132,800 miles) with a new car, and now I'm not quite sure what to do with it.

I recieved this car ten years ago from my parents when the insurance company totalled it. At that time, the body had suffered hail damage, the windshield had cracked and there's a dent in the frame on the driver side. Since then, I've been taking it to shops / repairing various non-cosmetic things like the distributor cap, exhaust and whatnot. It's been a good ten years, but I need reliable transportation and repairs are starting to get out of hand.

Recently the engine started acting crappy: hesitation, rough idling, and now it seems that one of the cylinders isn't firing. I can't get the spark plug out of the non-firing cylinder. The engine runs, but without all 4 cylinders firing it's a very bad ride. Pictures under the hood here, here and here.

Because of this, I didn't bother trading it in at the dealership, and it sounded like they wouldn't take it anyways. So now it sits on the street, racking up minor insurance expenses. I'd like to get rid of it.

a) My title doesn't indicate it's a salvage. Is this a red flag, given that the insurance company totaled it?
b) Should I bother taking it to a mechanic for an inspection and get an estimate at repairs?
c) If I junk it, what kind of prices can I expect them to pay?
d) If I junk it and want to transfer the license plate to the new car, do I need to say something, and to who?
e) Is there anything I need to know about merchantability when selling to a friend to repair? A coworker occasionally buys cars to fix and resell, just like he buys broken iPods to fix and resell on a much more expensive scale.

What kind of home can we find for a bunch of black walnut trees in Chicagoland?

bobbyno — Tue, 05 May 2009 19:35:52 -0800

We are in the process of selling off a piece of land for development. There are several nice, tall Black Walnut trees on the property (40 feet) and we would like to know if there is any place or person who might buy them in or around the Chicagoland area. Anybody have experience with similar tree sales? I searched and saw a similar post (fallen walnut tree) and the info was useful, I'd just like a little more. Specifically, what type of person or outfit would we contact to possible sell of these large trees? It seems like a waste to just trash the wood in the development of the land.

Any input would be appreciated. Thank you!

is damagedcars.com a scam?

nadawi — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 09:25:30 -0800

Am I about to be fleeced? I'm looking to sell my car through damagedcars.com and i want to make sure they're a real and reputable company before i go faxing my title and ID to them. I'm selling a 2001 jetta that's been in a couple wrecks (causing only body damage) and had it's compressor go out (turning on the A/C is like a kill switch for the car) - it's sat stationary for a while so now it doesn't start.

damagedcars.com (who i found out through a whois search is also college auto sales of miami) has offered me $800 for it. i can't seem to scare up any reviews or stories of people who have actually sold them their car.

i'm mainly concerned with the deal going through and happening in a timely manner. i'm in denton, tx if it matters (or if you have any better solutions to selling the car)

Please help me make some sense of our relationship

fogonlittlecatfeet — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:25:01 -0800

Mr. Fog and I broke up last night. I am completely obliterated and need advice. ASTOUNDINGLY Long detailed back story inside. Mr. Fog and I have been together for almost 3 years. I still love him like mad. He still give me goose bumps and butterflies, but apparently I don't do the same for him. Our relationship hasn't been an easy road. He was burned quite badly in his divorce, ex-wife said we can work it out let's get back together... so he did and she burned him a second time. He date a few girls in between her and me but nothing as substantial as what we had altho there was one girl he told me that he probably would have married if she hadn't broken up with him and after the girl dumped him that he dated immediately preceding me I over heard him say one day at work (where we met) before we were together "That girl made me think of getting married again" I was secretly in love with him all throughout that short lived ( a few months) relationship. Not too long ( a few months) after they broke up we started dating.

I did all the asking out at first. I don't think he would have made a move on me if I hadn't made the first move. We moved in after a month of dating and moved to Florida (from Texas) after about 7 months of dating (we both hated that job where we met) I had some issues with feeling like sometimes he was not fully committed to the relationship. He said blatantly many times he did not want to get married and at first I was OK with that. I had a lot of insecurities at the beginning of our relationship and although they have gotten much much better over time damage has been done and he sometimes gives me good reason to be insecure (see below)

We have had some pretty scarey fights lots of yelling and I get kind of radical hitting my head sometimes with my fist or on a wall if I can't get through to him. He can be so stubborn and put words in my mouth and tell me what I am feeling and won't listen and I get so frustrated. He says this freaks him out which I guess it well should. I can be a nag. He can be a slob. But I don't love him any less. If I could just have him back he can leave his soda cans wherever he wants and his razor and shavecream goop on the couter everyday. He has an 8 year old son from his marriage. He is with us for the summer so that has put alot of strain on us. He is a bit of a terror and while I love the kid his manners and behavior leaves a bit to be desired. Our relationship has been bumpy.

He has NEVER been romantic with me except for maybe the first few months after we started dating. But he has been passionate. I truly truly believed we were forever. And my views on marriage changed over the past few months. I have been wanting it more and more. But i still don't want it if he doesn't want it. But I have brought it up and we have argued about it. And I have told him I would wait until he was ready. He says he never wants to go down that path again. I said you aren't going down the same path... you never left the path you are on. I am not the same path. I don't see why if he didn't love me truly then why he couldn't take that chance with me I have never given him and reason to believe I would do what she did.

And then the past week or so he has been very standoffish which can be normal for him but I usually give him some space and he comes out of it. I let him k now I was feeling kind of neglected and he just kind of stared into space but I didn't push the matter. We made amazing love that night but I felt he wasn't into kissing me at first and i have never never never felt that from him before. then last night he got a text while he was laying beside me in bed as he was setting his alarm. He looked at me quickly he didn't open it while I was looking at him and the rolled over and replied. I asked him who it was and he took to long to answer so while he was sleeping I got the phone and found some flirty mssgs. with an intern he met at work. nothing too bad just the kind of stuff you txt with someone when you are looking to start dating them maybe. I woke him up and confronted him about it and he just kind of sat there. I asked if he wanted to break up and he burst into tears. He doesn't cry easily. He said he loved me he truly does but not in a forever way. That maybe once he did. But he has just been trying to find it again for so long and he said he would keep trying as long as I wanted him to. The I was the best friend he ever had and if I could only understand how hard he has tried and the guilt he has been carrying around because he feels "he is wasting my time" I don't feel a minute was wasted NOT ONE SECOND. I got the whole it's not you it's me... even though he admitted it was cliche. We decided to remain roommates until our lease is up in november. He doesn't make much money at all and I don't make enough to keep this big house by myself. So I was going to take a room and he will take a room.

Is it too much to hope that we can rekindle the flame like that. That he might miss me and see what an amazing, if not perfect, relationship we had. I can give any more info needed please email me here or on my yahoo which is in my profile if you don't want to post. I want any words you can give. How to cope with losing him how to keep him... I am lost and confused. THings seemed TERRIFIC just 2 weeks ago we were making passionate love everynight he was affectionate and loving and then BAM 2 weeks later. He is an amazing man a good person. I don't want to lose him but I don't want him to be held down in a relationship and not be head over heels. Please Hope me....

You want money for what?

razdrez — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:29:38 -0800

What are some free/public source of VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) based info? Carfax charges $20 to rehash (what I think is) public information. I'd like to gather sources so I can do it / offer it for free. Does anyone know of flood / salvage / etc sites I could grab the data from?

How long can I drive a car before turning it over to the insurance company?

tss — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:07:15 -0800

Someone hit my car. Their insurance company wants to total it. How long can I drive it before they take it away? I hope you'll bear with me. This will take some explaining:

Here in Pennsylvania, my '97 Nissan Sentra was fender-bent by a nice person who left a note under my wipers. As an older vehicle, the Nissan's repair costs are higher than its value... by a little bit. I had the car checked and it's mechanically sound, safe, and even capable of passing an ordinary PA state inspection. However, the insurance company wants to declare it a total loss and take it off my hands.

I could buy it back from the insurance company after they pay me for it, but then the car would be considered a "reconstructed vehicle". Here in PA that means a special, expensive, rigorous inspection designed to keep hucksters from selling totaled lemons to grannies. Passing that one could be hard for any ten year old car, I gather.

On the phone with the insurance company I've noticed that the representatives have been, well, coy about putting a date on when I have to decide what to do with my vehicle. I've been warned that waiting too long and building up mileage on the car will lower its value and hence diminish the eventual insurance payout. Which brought the question:

Me: So, ah, hypothetically speaking, what happens if I drive it around for, say, two years and then make up my mind?

Rep: I don't like to deal in hypotheticals...

She went on to say that the claim would be closed and reopened, and then repeated her warning about the car's value dropping with more mileage. But she didn't fit a deadline. Does this mean that, basically, I can drive my car around until I was planning to get rid of it anyway, and assuming I don't have an accident, the insurance company is obliged to buy it when I'm done with it for what it would be worth without the big dent? Here are the questions I need help with:

First, see question above. Then, assuming the answer is yes,

Is it ethical? Some thoughts about who's involved: the insurance company would be paying me anyway---now they can hold onto the money longer and invest it, then pay me less money in the end. The company might also choose not to raise the rates of the at-fault party until the payment---good for the at-fault party now, but perhaps an unexpected surprise later on. I'm owed money for my loss, but if my plans haven't really changed, how much of a loss is it? (Trade-in value, I suppose...)

Is it legal? This I can't answer... perhaps there's a statute of limitations? But the claim is already filed... it's just on hold. (YANAL, I know...)

You can't put a price on love, but let's say that love has a 6 cylinder 225 in it...

rileyray3000 — Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:40:46 -0800

How much do I charge for my lovingly restored 1970 Dodge Dart Swinger with a salvage title? So about four years back, I got a 1970 Dodge Swinger on the Craigslist for about 1500 bucks I think. My plan? Put in like 2 or 3 grand tops and just enjoy the car I'd been lusting after since I was nine.

That plan lasted all of about a week. Then came the first front end work. And the brake booster. And several alternators. But, like some mad scientist villian, I just couldn't accept my plan was the wrong one. So I kept pouring money, and time, and lost girlfriends, and money, and bus rides to my mechanic and money into the thing. How much? Today, I'm looking at, conservatively, somewhere over 20 grand.

When you factor in a remanufactured engine, a transmission and the fact that I can do NO labor on my own (and have to pay my mechanic) it all makes perfect sense. It doesn't make it less idiotic, but at least the math comes out right.

Cut to the holidays of 2005. My car was parked on the street in Koreatown. A drunken kid whacked into my beloved car and took off. I got my money from his insurance company eventually. If you want the full story, click the link.

The Full Story

But the upshot is I got what I asked for, and then some. But, in exchange, they were going to "total" the car. Which meant, from this point on, it was going to be a salvage title. I realize I should have fought it but I was riding the bus in LA due to lack of transport. A metro line that smells like badger pee will skew anyone's judgment over time.

The upside is that I ended up fixing - to get said title - a bunch of stuff that I would never have done otherwise. The downside? After completely restoring the car to a level that I never dreamed possible, it's worth, I think a lot less than I hoped for in terms of resale.

Which brings us to today.

I never thought I'd get tired of the preferential treatment afforded by mexican valets to my swinger. Or the lusty looks of rockabilly chicks. Or how every guy over 45 would give me that look of admiration for driving his favorite car of his teen years.

And yet, in the face of the lack of AC in a sweltering Valley summer looming in LA, I've had to rethink my car dream. This weekend my drum brakes started pulling again, a belt started whinnying that it was time to be replaced and my brake pedal started coming up to higher level demanding re-adjustment.

Put plain, I don't think this is gonna work as a daily driver anymore. It is simply not worth the sacrifice when I have to drive as much as I do in LA. And, for the record, it pains me to actually admit this.

I'm not at the income or parking space level where I can keep a second car. So it's time to get rid of the swinger. Sadly. And the million dollar question?

What do I charge for it?

It's an LA car so it's practically rust free. There was a minor accident but all it did was take off the rear valance. I have receipts for over 20 grand worth of work and parts including, but not limited to, a whole new front end, new paint, new interior, new 225 6-cylinder engine, new tranny, matching hubcaps that cost me a few bucks and months of my life on ebay.

In fact about the only things that are original are the differential and the frame with the serial numbers that are registered "SALVAGE" up in Sacramento.

Unfortunately it's that latter thing that's gonna kill some of the value.

So that all being said, what's the price I should throw at this thing? And where do I put the ad? Hemmings? Craigslist? Ebay? The LA times? A consignment lot? Where does one sell a classic car these days? And what's my best pitch for the car when I do get interested buyers?

One Man's iTrash

armoured-ant — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 09:24:09 -0800

Due to a break in at work, some exceptionally stupid criminals, and an unusually responsive police department, I'm now in possession of a knackered high spec iMac G5 that has been dropped and no longer boots. I there anything I can do with the rest of it? We've got a replacement new one from the insurance company, so we're not bothered about having another iMac, but having salvaged the obvious bits (RAM, hard disk) from the dead one and myself having claimed the carcass, is there anything I can do with the panel (which *looks* in good condition - though didn't power up when the Mac was turned on) and the built in iSight (which has a mini FireWire connection, but wasn't detected by Skype Video Preview or EvoCam when connected to other, working Macs.

Additionally, is there anything cool I can do with the (slightly scuffed, but still whole) case? Instructions for a new age Macquarium, anyone?

Salvage my car?

ilyanassa — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 13:55:51 -0800

Salvage title or new-to-me car? I rear-ended the car in front of me at about 15 mph (I was passing on the left and he stopped suddenly), hitting my front right side on his left rear bumper. My headlight and blinker were pushed straight back and the hood slightly accordioned. Thinking the damage wasn't that bad, I foolishly took the car to my insurance's recommended repair center,who decided that there was $3700 of body damage (which I think is ridiculously inflated, but they won't let me take the car for a second estimate). The car's blue book value is $5000 at best, so the insurance company declared it a total loss. I have the option of taking the whole settlement, or taking a salvage title to my car and the settlement minus the salvage fee.

The mechanics don't think there's any radiator or frame damage. The body damage includes a broken headlight and blinker, the inside dashboard lights no longer work (blown fuse?), dented bumper and grill, and slightly accordioned hood (still latches). I'm willing to live with some body damage, as long as the car is safe and reliable.

I'm not emotionally attached to my car, but I don't want to go through the pain of trying to buy a decent used car for $5000 (done it twice and it's just a LOT of work). Should I take the salvage title and fix up my car? Or is a salvage title not worth the bother, and should I just take the money?

Note: the car is a 2001 Chevy Prizm with about 104,000 miles, and I live in California.

Guidance for buying an auto part at a junkyard

matildaben — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 11:14:06 -0800

Should I get a car part at a junkyard/salvage yard/auto recycler, and how do I go about it? I need a side mirror assembly for a 1998 Nissan Sentra. Should I get it at a junkyard? I already asked my mechanic if they had a specific junkyard they worked with, and they told me to call around from the yellow pages and ask everyone if they had the part. I live in Seattle, and from the yellow pages, it appears that most salvage yards are in the outlying industrial areas. Would it be worth it to drive over 30 minutes each way just to save $50-$100? Are junkyards scary? Should I bring a male friend with me if I go to one? Any other tips and techniques to make the transaction quick and painless and economical? I've already looked on Car Talk but their guide was not very helpful.

Ideas for Remodeling with Salvage Materials?

LarryC — Sat, 19 Aug 2006 09:27:44 -0800

Is there a blog for doing home improvements and renovations with salvaged and unusual materials? Sort of a cross between This Old House and Inhabitat, with a scavenger bent?

What catches are inherent in a salvage-title vehicle in California?

mhespenheide — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 09:11:56 -0800

I'm looking at used pickup trucks in California. Some of the listings on craigslist are described as having salvage titles. What precisely does this mean? Would a service like Carfax tell me why the vehicle has a salvage title? If this isn't something to be avoided at all costs, what should I ask a mechanic to look for in checking out the truck? Seemingly, the salvage title is something to be avoided. Or is it, if the truck appears to operate well?

Non-rationally, I like the body style of the mid-nineties trucks more than the more recent models; that preference added to a desire for a manual transmission has me looking through a limited pool. It seems like 10-20% of such trucks listed on craigslist have salvage titles.

Mac OSX data recovery

Chunder — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 10:59:29 -0800

Does anyone know of a good undelete tool for Mac OS X (10.4.x) that can recover AVI files from an external (FAT32) drive? I've accidentally (obviously!) managed to delete a bundle of AVI movie files from my external data drive - prior to having it backed up, of course.
The deletion process was, in effect, a manual "move" of about 600 files from one location to another, one half at a time (due to space constraints) - an import into iTunes.

I didn't realise until I'd moved/deleted everything that the destination only included mpeg files, and that all the AVIs have become toast. Argh. Re-acquiring them is not an option, and although they're not essential to my continued existence on this planet they are something I'd like back.

Some potential issues spring to mind:
1) I suspect that there are only about 20-30 deleted files out of the 600 that are actually missing, but I have no way of finding out how many.
2) I don't know the filenames of any of them.
3) They're all in the region of 30-40 MB in size.

So far, I've had a go with FileSalvage - which although it decognises the disk, doesn't appear to do anything (I've left it scanning the 250GB drive for 48h with no further progress...)
Also, I tried Data Rescue II which scanned OK (for ages) - but when I got to the results I discovered that it wouldn't recover AVI files! Argh! (Still naively living in my Amiga bubble where the undelete program will show you everything that has been deleted and can be recovered, no questions about filetype compatibility!)
Additionally, I tried MediaRecover which contrary to my interpretation of the product description, only works for memory card type devices, not removable hard disks.
The final program I've tried is Virtual Lab - which occasionally seemed to cause a major system crash when it's run (although this may be a cruel coincidence), and in any case, does not appear to support a FAT32 formatted disk.

*sigh*

As far as I'm aware, nothing else has been written to, or removed from, the drive since the incident so my understanding is that they should all still be intact.

Has anyone else been in a similar situation, and found the perfect piece of software? I have no objection to buying something (providing the price seems reasonable) but professional data recovery services are out of the question.

There's been a couple of other similar questions, but nothing where software tools have been suggested - and, typically enough, the Apple discussion forums are currently unavailable (which they seem to be every single time I have a Mac problem and want to check there... they're probably fine for the other 99% of the time!)

Help me AskMefi - you're my only hope! ;-)

how to junk a car

|n$eCur3 — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 11:18:38 -0800

In California, what are the steps that I should take to sell my totaled car to a dismantler? I want rid myself of all liability for the vehicle and get as much money as possible for the parts. I was rear ended last week and my car was determined to be a total loss. Fortunately, no one was injured, and the other driver had good insurance. I was able to financially recoup my loss without penalty to my own insurance.

But, I have a totalled vehicle in my driveway that I am required to junk.

My questions are:

1. Do I need to register my car as a salvaged vehicle before I sell it to a junk yard?

2. Do I need to give the dismantlers a title to the car?

3. How do I know how much my car is worth to a dismantler (I was rear ended so the engine is entirely intact)?

4. Since the vehicle is still intact and drivable, how can I rid myself of all liability in case they decide to joy ride?

Any horror stories or other general pieces of advice are welcome.

Turn a dead iBook into a cool gadget!

sourwookie — Wed, 01 Mar 2006 12:25:48 -0800

How can I convert a dead iBook into a portable monitor? Any other parts I should salvage? At work we lost an iBook due to a dead logic board caused by water damage. We got comped by insurance and the boss says I can do what I want with it.

The memory immediately was put into another iBook. I pulled the hard drive and placed it into a USB powered enclosure. I do not know what else to salvage.

What I would like to do is somehow gut the bottom half of the enclosure, yet keep the power supply intact to power the monitor. I would then like some way of installing inputs into it so that I end up with a clamshell portable monitor I could connect to other devices (PC's, MacMini, PS2, etc.).

Is this doable? Any online how-to's for this?

Thanks!

airplane junk

apdato — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 13:46:02 -0800

Is there an airplane cemetery? Planes crash and die or are taken out of service but where do they end up and more importantly how can I buy the tail section of a large airplane. I've tried ebay and any local options I can think of.

Should I sell my car to a junkyard?

rkent — Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:59:22 -0800

Do I want to sell my car to a salvage yard? If so, how do I do it? Long story short, my car presently needs enough repairs that it would cost more than the car's value, once labor is factored in, to fix it. I would be fine with this situation, except that I have to move across the country and don't trust it to make the 3000 mile trip. So I think my options are 1) sell it to a private party with the skills to save labor costs by fixing it himself, or 2) sell it for parts.

I know nothing about the latter option, and would only prefer it because I imagine it would be faster and simpler than trying to peddle a whole crappy car online, in the paper, etc. I have no illusions that I'm going to make a boatload of money either way, but what's a realistic amount at salvage? A few hundred? What else do I need to be concerned with? How do I find a "good" salvage yard, if there's even a distinction?

Architectural salvage stores near greater Boston area?

flyby22 — Fri, 20 May 2005 07:33:52 -0800

Anybody know of architectural salvage yards or stores in the Boston area where I can get hold of things from older building being torn down or replaced. Sinks..etc.. Thanks

Has anyone had any good experiences with an online auto salvage yard?

jmgorman — Mon, 02 Aug 2004 15:28:11 -0800

Has anyone had any good experiences with an online auto salvage yard? My odometer and gas meter have stopped working and dodge doesn't service the part anymore. oh, and a daylong search of the local yards turned up nothing. Thanks.