Ok, so we all know Cadillac is the peoples American car and has been for years. We know why. It symbolizes American prosperity and good will. The bottom line is though that no matter what happens and how well you take care of your Cadillac, your engine is not going to last forever. Now, you have the option of selling the car as junk and you’ll get a decent price, you can buy a used Cadillac engine from a junkyard and get a great deal or buy a new one from a dealer.. which may endup more than you spent on the car. My suggestion, find a recycler or parts locator to help you find it. My two cents worth.

Orlando is going to be the next place the ARA hosts its recyclers meeting. With all the fun things to do there including Disneyworld, Epcot and Magic Kingdom it will be a sure way to get some education and also have some fun with the family. The ARA has long been the voice of the automotive recycling industry. Whether you are looking for a saab transmission repair manual company or just want to have fun in Disney be sure to check it out.

Insurance Auto Auctions, Inc. (IAA), just announced an agreement to expand
its partnership with Chen Jia, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Jiangsu
Chenlong Resource Recycling Development Co., Ltd. in Zhangjiagang,
Jiangsu, China. Chenlong Recycling is one of the first companies to obtain
recycling permits from the Chinese government that allows the import of
salvage vehicles for the purpose of recycling.

In the announcement, Tom O’Brien, IAA chief executive officer, says: “This
agreement helps us achieve our growth strategy by expanding our global buyer
base in a region with a fast-growing need for scrap metal.” O’Brien goes on to
say that, “We are pleased that our long relationship with Chen Jia has added
tangible value for vehicle sellers at our auctions. Their initial purchases at our
locations along the West Coast have already created increased competition for
vehicles and may eventually expand throughout the greater United States.”
A recently completed recycling facility owned by Chenlong Recycling in China
is capable of processing hundreds of thousands of tons of scrap iron. Chenlong
Recycling is the first company in China to complete the installation of a shredder
built specifically for the processing of scrap steel  that includes automobiles, parts like a transfer case, rear axle, or air flow meter.
coming from the United States and other countries. Through this new
agreement, IAA has the ability to be a major salvage provider to this operation–
specifically, lower-end vehicles for the purpose of recycling.

In related news, Toyota Tsusho announced a joint venture with Showa Metals as
well as Chinese companies to establish an automotive dismantling and
recycling company in Chengdu China. According to press reports, construction
on the ELV recycling facility is scheduled to begin this spring and be completed
by the end of the year. The facility will be build to handle a maximum capacity
of 2,000 to 3,000 vehicles per month.

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Also ast week, the Des Moines (IA) City Council discussed ways to rid city
streets of illegal signs that are constantly stuck in right of ways — the
ones that offer to buy junk cars or houses from people who are upsidedown
on their mortgage, among various others. ―This visual pollution of these
signs detracts from our community character,‖ south-side neighborhood leader
Mel Pins told the council. ―It‘s kind of the first crack in the broken-window theory
of urban planning.‖ The illegal advertising also unfairly competes with
businesses that play by the rules and observe city sign ordinances, Pins argued.
City Attorney Jeff Lester said that officials are taking legal steps to crack down
on some of the most prolific offenders. Court cases are pending on two
violators, Lester said. A couple other cases also could be filed, he said. ―The
‗signers‘ get more and more clever as we go along,‖ Lester said. ―We run into a
number of them where they are apparently using (prepaid cell phones) so that
there is no name associated with the phone. That makes it a lot more difficult
because we cannot just prosecute a phone number.‖
Mike Swift, Vice President, Trails End Auto and ARA Regional Director Chair, told
the council that he routinely plucks illegal signs from rights of way. He estimated
that he has collect 1,000 of the illegal signs in recent years. ―I do not have a
problem with legal signs, but I have a problem with illegal signs,‖ Swift said. Swift
complies with sign regulations for his business, and he wants the city to step up
enforcement on illegal signs, he said.

Llast week, on short notice, the Michigan House Committee on
Transportation added House Bills 4832 and 4833 to their agenda. The bills,
opposed by the Auto Recyclers of Michigan (ARM)and ARA, would
eliminate salvage vehicle agents and create an unregulated foreign vehicle
buyer’s definition. The legislation would have allowed bidders from anywhere in
the country, with no defined license, to bid on vehicles located in Michigan
without a license from the secretary of state and without reporting and meeting
recordkeeping requirements for law enforcement required of Michigan salvage
buyers.
A coalition, including ARM, LKQ, ISRI, Michigan Dealers/Detroit Auto Dealers, the
Secretary of State and ASA (recently joined) have been actively opposing the
legislation all year. After learning of the revised agenda on Tuesday night, the
coalition was mobilized. Letters of opposition were sent to all committee
members.

After hearing the concerns from the industry, the Committee Chairman
decided to move the bills to a study committee. The committee is expected to
report back to the full committee by March of 2012.
Click here to see a copy of ARA’s opposition letter

Various automotive recyclers and those associated with the industry
gathered in Toronto recently for two days to discuss the challenges and
issues surrounding end-of-life (ELV) vehicles. Sponsored by Environment
Canada, with government environmental representatives from every province
and territory and organized by Summerhill Impact, the meeting imparted solid
information and trend forecasting for international best practices and
approaches to ELV management.
Although a Canadian forum, expertise was drawn from around the world,
including Kasper Zom of Auto Recycling Nederland Advisory (ARN), Minoru
Gouko, Acting Director of Japan Automotive Recyclers Association (JARA) and
ARA’s C.E.O. Michael Wilson. Speakers included Krista Friesen, Stewardship
Director for Summerhill Impact and Claude Bourque, a socio-economic
research and planning agent for Recycle-Quebec, among others.
On the second day, the group focused on the Extended Producer Responsibility
(EPR) program, which in Europe is often held up as an example of the
effectiveness of the program. However, the consensus voiced by Kaspar Zom is
that, “more than half of the member states are not meeting their targets.” The
difficulty appears to be finding what the baseline should be as well as
developing a plan to deal with if a particular target is not met. As well,
environmental draining of vehicles would mean that remote communities may
be left out of the loop due to prohibitive cost.
To view a couple of the pictures, please click here and here. Once you view
the individual picture, feel free to scroll through Flickr and view the remaining
pictures of the gathering. Be sure not to miss the picture where Ed MacDonald
has his mustache shaved. You may recall, on November 7th we informed you in
this newsletter of the ARC members participation in the Movember event

(November 1st – 30th) and told you of Ed’s plea to Help raise $25, 000 towards
men’s health and see Ed MacDonald shave his moustache after sporting his,
uninterrupted, for 42 years!! Click here for the YouTube video! Steven Fletcher,
on behalf of the Automotive Recyclers of Canada (ARC), donated $10,000 to
the worthy cause. Altogether Ed’s team (comprised of three men) raised $12,
635 – quite an accomplishment in just 1 month!

The organization StopCurbstoning.com is targeting Tow Truck Operators and has
issued a White Paper warning them they are being watched. With their latest
report, entitled “A Different Breed Of Curbstoner, And Yet Another Way Cities
Leak Revenues”, they want to educate the public on how rogue tow-truck
companies are secretly conducting curbstoning operations, utilizing their legitimate
business. Curbstoning is the repeated, unlicensed “flipping” of used cars for profit,
and is illegal in most cities.

Used Fenders
Used Hoods
Used AC Compressors
Used Crankshafts
Used Distributors
Used Flywheels
Used Camshafts
Used Hubs
Used Intake Manifolds
Used Valve Covers
Used Spindles
Used Window Motors
Used Blower Motors
Used ABS Pumps
Used Throttle Bodys
Used Drive Shafts
Used Steering Columns
Used Carrier Assemblys
Used Turbo Chargers
Used Exhaust Manifolds
Used Fan Blades
Used Ac Condensers
Used Covertible Top Motors
Used Lower Control Arms
Used Wiper Motors
Used Column Switches
Used Air Cleaner Boxes
Used Air Flow Meters
Used Steering Racks

Chuck Redden, president of AutoTec, one of the companies behind the Stop
Curbstoning effort, wants to get the word out – to consumers and sellers as well as the
authorities. The consumer is at risk, not having a true history of a vehicle, local
business are cut out of the dealing and local government does not collect fees and
taxes that legitimate businesses adhere to.
A statement on StopCurbstoning.com reads: “Because enforcement resources are
spread thin, it’s up to car buyers to be informed, automotive dealers to be proactive,
and municipalities to be responsive.

Last week, ARA filed comments with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urging
them to monitor automobile manufacturers more closely to determine whether
they are in compliance with the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act (MMA), i.e., are
their claims unfair and deceptive. This, in response to the FTC’s statement that as
part of a routine review they would accept public comments on the MMA.
To recap: The same concerns were raised with the FTC earlier this year, in response
to automobile manufacturers implying to consumers that their warranties would be
voided by using recycled automobile parts. Not only that, but automakers also
implied that recycled parts were inferior to OEM parts, thus putting the consumer at
risk when using them. In July 2011 the FTC sent out an alert, affirming that “Warrantors
may not claim that a warranty is void simply because a consumer has used recycled
part.” “Undertaking Derelict ELV (End of Life Vehicle) Recycling” Garners International Energy Globe Award for Fiji inoru Gouko, ARA member of the Japan Automotive Recyclers Association, has been notified that the international Energy Globe Jury has selected the
project “Undertaking Derelict ELV (End of life vehicle) Recycling” for the
NATIONAL Energy Globe Award for Fiji. The award will be presented in an
internationally televised ceremony on November 25, 2011 in Wels, Austria.