Car Salvage

New findings reveal that the number of drivers making false claims on their car insurance policies is on the rise.

These fraudulent claims are no doubt leading honest drivers of salvaged cars and other vehicles to pay more on their policies as providers try to safeguard themselves.

Insurance expert Swiftcover.com noted that an increasing number of motorists were trying to claim regular wear and tear undergone by their vehicles on their car insurance policies.

Some of the tricks used by dishonest drivers included having an MOT check being conducted on their vehicles and then going on to claim it as a free service on their policies.

Motorists were also asking garages to carry out car repairs that were completely unrelated to their specific insurance claims, pointed out Swiftcover.com.

Recently, findings made public by the Co-operative Insurance found that car insurance fraud had pushed the costs of insuring vehicles to £1.25 billion each year. 

A leading road safety expert has raised concerns over children's safety as they commute to school everyday.

GEM Motoring Assist has pointed out that often drivers fail to ensure that vehicles used to transport children meet regulatory standards.

The motoring experts have urged parents to take an active interest in the modes of transport used by their children on a regular basis.

"That's why we are urging any parents whose children use coaches, minibuses and private hire taxis, to ensure that head teachers ask for regular inspections of driving licences, permits, CRB checks and any other appropriate documents," said David Williams, chief executive of GEM Motoring Assist.

This news follows from recent doubts that have been cast of the credibility of motorists as a large number of drivers have been found to be making fraudulent claims on their car insurance policies.

It has been estimated that fake claims has raised insurance costs to £1.25 billion each year.

Car salvage breakers have to watch out for how future contracts for base metals may affect pricing in the international markets.

The Singapore Exchange (SGX) has announced that it is considering the option of introducing these contracts that will affect trading in its derivatives markets.

However, it will be only non-ferrous metals that will be initially affected by this change.

The plans for future contracts were born out of the SGX's association with the London Metal Exchange (LME).

At present, the four contracts that are being deliberated upon are – Primary Aluminium Futures Contract, Nickel Futures Contract, LME-SGX Copper Futures Contract and Zinc Futures Contract.

As of 10:00 (BST) on September 1st 2010, the asking price of aluminium was registered as $2045 per MT, while Nickel was available for $20710 per MT.

Copper could be purchased by paying $7355.50 per MT and zinc had clocked up an asking price of $2047 per MT. 

The British Vehicle Salvage Federation (BVSF) has urged professionals in the car salvage industry to ensure they understand what is permitted by their Waste Management Licenses, now known as Environmental Permits.

Some permits allow the intake of general scrap metals, batteries, oils, timber and plastics as well as end-of-life vehicles (ELVs).

However, the terms and conditions of these permits need to be examined by car salvage professionals to see whether they have included all the relevant "Activity Specific" elements when enrolling for their Continuing Competence tests.

These may include elements such as metal recycling or hazardous and non-hazardous waste transfer and treatment.

"If you do not do this you could lose your currently agreed Technical Competence for the Activities you omit to take," warned the BVSF.

The organisation recently reminded those in the car salvage industry that the DVLA began issuing a new-look V5C from August 15th. 

New car discounts have fallen by 12 per cent over the past year, new figures from What Car? have revealed.

The data from What Car? Target Price, the magazine's monthly mystery shop of new car deals, found the average discount buyers will be able to get from a new vehicle this September is £248 less than it was in the same month in 2009.

This is despite a recent poll by the magazine finding that car buyers consider discounts more important than any other incentive, with 58 per cent saying they would prefer it to an extended warranty.

"Even though discounts are down, it still pays to sniff out the best car deals online before you go shopping," commented What Car? editor-in-chief Steve Fowler.

Autoquake.com recently revealed that the BMW 3 Series is the most desirable used car according to the website's users, followed by the Audi A4 and BMW 5 Series.