Cash for Clunkers leading to increased car fires

[e234ff]

After responding to a car fire a a local dealership and hearing of them extinguishing some "small" fires on their own I looked up the problem using Google and was not surprised to see that there were other fires out there. Has anyone else has a big problem with cars catching fire during the engine seize up process?

[Leeland]

This is the first I heard of it but I wouldn't be suprised. Of course doing something like that in my opinion is arson and fraud. But what do I know, I'm just a fire fighter.

[owenscott]

The stuff they are required to put in the motors to seize up the clunkers causes a lot of friction. No arson involved, just a whole bunch of heat.

Yeah it doesn't surprise me at all.

[Catch22]

This is the first I heard of it but I wouldn't be suprised. Of course doing something like that in my opinion is arson and fraud. But what do I know, I'm just a fire fighter.

Since it's a requirement part of the destruction of the trade-in, it's hardly fraud, let alone arson. Now, if someone did it and turned it into their insurance (which would be very difficult considering they traded it in), that might be a different story.

[dragonfyre]

Since it's a requirement part of the destruction of the trade-in, it's hardly fraud, let alone arson. Now, if someone did it and turned it into their insurance (which would be very difficult considering they traded it in), that might be a different story.

We as dealers can't claim it on our insurance since it's not a trade in. The vehicles are left in our trust but belong to the federal government who wants them disposed of. Dealers had no control over anything.

If you were involved in the program you would have seen that the $3,500 or $4,500 was shown as a rebate, not a trade in allowance.

ALSO, the government failed to tell everyone that participated that they will have to pay taxes on the money they got for their clunkers. OOPS!

[Catch22]

ALSO, the government failed to tell everyone that participated that they will have to pay taxes on the money they got for their clunkers. OOPS!

Now that's funny! Not surprising at all, either.

[Leeland]

Since it's a requirement part of the destruction of the trade-in, it's hardly fraud, let alone arson. Now, if someone did it and turned it into their insurance (which would be very difficult considering they traded it in), that might be a different story.

Ok since it is part of the destruction, do they have burn permits? What about the damage to the environment from burning the car? To me it wasn't a very well thought out program. But lets not get into a political debate about that.

Now like you I would like to see somebody try to submit an insurance claim that would be interesting, though I'm sure if somebody was creative enough they just might be able to pull it off.

[Catch22]

Ok since it is part of the destruction, do they have burn permits? What about the damage to the environment from burning the car? To me it wasn't a very well thought out program. But lets not get into a political debate about that.

Now like you I would like to see somebody try to submit an insurance claim that would be interesting, though I'm sure if somebody was creative enough they just might be able to pull it off.

I'll agree with you, it's not a well thought out program. I saw something a while back that showed that it's costing more to destroy these cars than it would to have left them on the road, and the damage to the environment is more through the destruction process.