Parts is Parts…

Dale writes “In Chicago Tuesday, I came across an Auto Dismantling Demonstration, sponsored by Allstate and the Chicago Police Department. They wanted to show how a chop shop operates, taking apart a car for its parts. They wanted to show that it could be done in under twelve minutes or less. According to the Allstate spokesman, the stripped parts from a stolen car fetch more than the book value of the car and the most popular stolen car is the Honda Civic because it has interchangeable parts…” Three men set out to take apart a Chevy Monte Carlo using only hand tools. They started by removing the hood, which is worth $510. Then, they removed front and rear bumpers followed by the doors before moving inside to remove the seats. Finally, they removed the wheels, which were worth $2200 on the aftermarket. It only took them eight and half minutes to reduce this car to rubble. Here is a three-picture sequence that I took with my cameraphone. While Allstate wants to show us how quickly car thieves can strip a stolen car, Makers might walk away from this demonstration with a different thought. Gee, maybe that old car of mine is worth more if I take it apart and sell it piece by piece on eBay or elsewhere.