Honda, Hyundai issue anti-used-parts memos, junkyards object

The Automotive Recyclers Association (ARA) issued a formal complaint letter with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) against two car manufacturers, Hyundai Motor America and American Honda. Both companies released statements that warn against the use of recycled auto parts, and indicate that their use will void vehicle warranties issued by the companies. ARA said those statements and their threatened warranty refusals could be violations of the Magnuson-Moss Act.

Use of these recycled parts, a $22-billion industry, has been widely accepted for decades and there is a long track record of their successful use, ARA said. Recycled parts are original equipment manufacturer (OEM) parts. They are fully functional and are in many cases identical to the original parts Hyundai Motor America and American Honda are requiring, according to ARA. Recycled parts were new OEM parts at some point, yet both Hyundai Motor America and American Honda are calling for the use of their own new parts in repairs.

“Neither manufacturer has provided any evidence that parts unaffected by an accident become inadequate once reused, which begs the question why their use is not supported by either company,” ARA’s Chief Executive Officer Michael E. Wilson states in his appeal to the FTC.
“Following the logic held by these companies, as soon as a new Hyundai, Honda or Acura drives off the lot, its parts are unsuitable for use as replacement parts in another vehicle, implying that the parts are unfit for use as soon as the car drives off the lot.”

In addition, recycled parts have several additional benefits compared to new parts:
Recycled parts allow consumers to save on costs while using parts identical to new OEM parts.

Recycled parts are better for the environment, since no additional resources or energy were used to create an unnecessary new replacement part.

Auto recyclers provide warranties on any recycled part used in a repair, indicating that recycled parts are not used in an attempt to cut corners with customers. "We believe the statements made by Hyundai Motor America and America Honda are part of a concerted effort among automobile manufacturers to limit competition in the automotive parts market to try to limit their competition,” said Wilson.

Source (via Autoblog);
ABRN

Huge New Fuel Source Found: Old Cars

Talk about unfortunate timing: Just as the scrapping incentives all around the world are running out, a Japanese company found a way to turn old cars into fuel.

According to The Nikkei [sub], Japan’s JFE Engineering Corp. is set to open an automobile recycling center that turns the increasing amounts of plastics found in a car back into fuel.

The Nikkei says that the Kanagawa plant (halfway between Tokyo and Yokohama) will open in July. It has the capacity to process some 40,000 tons of scrap a year, which comes from automobile crushing sites in the Tokyo area. When the plant is through with the scrap, 9,000 tons of steel, copper and other valuable metals will have been sorted out. The sorting magnets are especially green: They use wind power. The many plastics in the cars will be put under pressure to create 30,000 tons of fuel a year.

Europe will be taking note of the new technology. Japan and Europe have strict end-of-life regulations on the books. In Europe, the manufacturer has to bear the cost to remove the dead vehicle off the road in an environmentally responsible way. In Japan, the cost is born by the consumer, in form of a deposit when the new car is bought. In the end, the consumer always pays. The new technology possibly could lessen the burden.

The cost of the new plant is vaguely described as “billions of yen,” but the return of investment promises to be considerable. JFE wants to generate 1.5 billion yen in revenue by fiscal 2013.

They get their money through disposal and from selling recovered metals and the produced fuel. Imagine a refinery that gets paid for graciously taking the crude.

Source;
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/huge-new-fuel-source-found-old-cars/