In the autumn 2009 issue of the Locator UpFront Magazine there was a feature article about our website and e-commerce department. To view the article please follow this link The Locator UpFront Autumn 2009

I would like to take a minute to remind everyone to drive safely and when there is a storm concentrating on the road and driving alertly is essential. Even a minor distraction is enough to send you sliding into a guard rail or the car in front of you. Don't assume your SUV or truck will automatically save you from an accident either. As I mentioned all of the accidents I saw this morning were AWD vehicles who were probably driving faster or more carelessly because the driver assumed that they had better control. Concentrate, stay focused on your driving and leave a lot of room between you and the car in front of you.

And remember to keep your vehicle running safely. If you need replacement parts this winter season, whether it's mechanical or a body part please remember that East Coast Auto Salvage is your best source for quality recycled parts, and we ship nationwide. Drive safe!

2001 Trailblazer, 2000 Windstar and 2001 Jeep Cherokee traded in under the Federal "Cash for Clunkers" program headed for the crusher.

getting paid for the vehicles traded in under the 3 billion dollar Federal Cash for Clunkers program they are turning over the vehicles to auto recycling facilities and scrap yards.

What a suprise today when they brought down a load of vehicles including a 2001 Jeep Cherokee, 2000 Ford Windstar and 2001 Trailblazer. Three beautifully well maintained vehicles with moderately low mileage that will be destroyed because the Federal government somehow thinks that this is saving America money.

I do not know a high school or college student, low income family, single working parent or any other average Jane (including myself) who would not mind the opportunity to purchase one of these used vehicles. But as you might already know the Cash for Clunkers program mandates that the engines on these vehicles are destroyed and that under no circumstance are the vehicles resold; they are destined for the crusher.

So now these vehilces will be processed here at our facility just like all other salvage and wrecked vehciles. Fluids drained and other contaminating substances removed, all salvageable body parts and other miscellaneous parts stocked for resale and then off to the crusher to be recycled.

So if any of you out there are searching for a reasonably priced, well maintained used vehicle to get you to and from work or school and are having a hard time coming up with the money or finding a good vehicle think of the 750,000 used, running vehicles like these that were destroyed in the past few months and your hard earned tax dollars that fueled this genius plan.

Today is the official start date for the federal Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS) formally known as "Cash for Clunkers".  This program will allow vehicle owners to trade in their older, less fuel efficient vehicle for a $3,000-$4,500 credit toward the purchase of a new more fuel efficient vehicle. For consumer related information about the program please visit www.cars.gov

The trade in vehicles are required by law to be destroyed by an authorized auto recycler or scrap yard. Only a few thousand facilities nationwide have made the list of authorized facilities. The government drew the list up from a database of disposal facilities that participate in the National Vehicle Mercury Switch Recovery Program. Most of these facilities are already in compliance with the environmental regulations for auto recycling and the government believes them to be the most qualified for participation in the CARS program.

East Coast Auto Salvage Inc. is proud to be on the list of authorized disposal facilities in the state of Connecticut. If you are an auto dealer participating in the CARS program and would like to talk to someone about the removal and disposal of the trade in vehicles that you acquire please do not hesitate to give us a call. 

Call East Coast Auto Salvage Inc. today to discuss disposal of Cash for Clunkers trade-in vehicles.

Toll Free: 1-800-231-9121

Local: (860) 345-4591

Hours of Operation Monday - Friday 8AM-5PM, Saturday 8AM-12Noon

For more information about the disposal of the trade in vehicles please visit CARS Disposal & Salvage

VIN Location on Vehicle

Beginning in 1980, all vehicles sold in the United States have a 17-digit serial number. The eighth digit from the right end identifies the model year of the vehicle.

• Years 1980 through 2000 are designated by a letter from A to Y.
• The letters I, O, Q, U, and Z are not used because they can be easily confused with a number or another letter.

Beginning with 2001, numbers are used to designate the model year.

eBay Gold Powerseller and over 2,000 positive Feedback  - As some of you may already know, since 2005 we have offered a selection of our best parts on eBay. Over the years we have worked our way up to Powerseller Gold status and have a positive feedback rating of over 2,000. We have found eBay to be a very good market as it enables us to reach out to customers across the country instead of just locally. The biggest challenge has been finding a way to accurately list and offer the thousands of late model used OEM parts that we have in inventory, we often have more vehicles rolling in the door than we can put up on eBay. That problem has been solved in part by an automated system that helps us better manage the thousands of parts we have listed and a full time staff member that is dedicated to maintaining our online inventory.

Now over 5,000 Quality Used OEM parts for your vehicle - The good news for our customers is that we have more parts than ever available for direct purchase on eBay and we are listing more every day. If you haven't checked out our eBay store please do so today. You can find us at http://stores.shop.ebay.com/East-Coast-Auto-Salvage-Inc  If you see any part on eBay that you would like to purchase please consider giving us a call to order. We usually can save you at least 10% when you place your order over the phone. Our nationwide toll free number is 1-800-231-9121 and our local number is (860) 345-4591.

Accurate listings with photos of parts - We specialize in accurate eBay listings with complete descriptions of the part and actual photo of the item that you will receive. We know that some used parts sellers on eBay use stock photos to represent the parts that they are selling and that this can be confusing to the seller. Providing a photo is particularly important when dealing with interior or body parts where the seller wants to see the condition and color of the part that they are buying. We take pride in our listings and being able to offer photos of the items for the buyer to see. Some of our best selling parts on eBay this last month were interior parts including Power Window Switches, Sun Visors, Interior Door Panels and Seats.  All of these listings had photos and descriptions that tell about the donor vehicle and interior trim codes and color so there were no surprises when the customer received their part.

Nationwide and International Shipping - We can ship almost any part anywhere in the country and we can ship many parts to countries around the world. We ship small parts like tail lights, door mirrors, alternators, temperature controls and radios with UPS Ground within the US and with USPS internationally. Larger parts such as car seats, doors, engines and transmissions we ship with UPS freight to the US and Canada.

Check out our eBay store http://stores.shop.ebay.com/East-Coast-Auto-Salvage-Inc we are adding hundreds of new parts daily!

If you haven't reviewed the schedule for the IT show lately you should have another look. eBay motors has just been added to the program with a workshop on Friday morning and afternoon and a Seminar on Friday after lunch. As many of you already know eBay is a great marketplace for used parts. We have been using it for over three years and continue to grow each year. You can check out our eBay store by following this link. East Coast Auto Salvage eBay Store

For those of you that are not familiar with the benefits of selling on eBay this is a great way to learn about it. From my understanding eBay will be going over the basics of how their on-line auction website can help your business generate revenue by marketing your parts on a nationwide level. If you havent considered this as an option for your business you certianly can not afford to miss this oportunity to learn about it.

The schedule for the IT show - aka - Meet Us At IT - is packed with many educational seminars and workshops. If you are planning on attending then we will see you there! If you haven't signed up yet it is not too late, don't miss "IT"! To see the complete updated schedule for 2009 and registration information please visit www.meetusatit.com

Bye Bye Pontiac

On April 25th the Wall Street Journal reported that Pontiac is headed to the Junk Yard. Besides being mildly annoyed that the author was using the term Junk Yard to refer to the permanent demise of the brand (while I of course prefer to think of our industry as one of renewal and restitution) I was mostly saddened by the loss of another iconic American auto. I also learned that the GTO , first released in 1963, was the start of the Detroit "horsepower wars",followed by the Mustang and the Plymouth Barracuda.

The author pointed out that Pontiac sales peaked in 1978 and tumbled downhill ever since besides a brief resurgence in the 1980s with the Firebird and Trans Am. Well, now that you mention it that does sound a little pathetic. It reminds me of the kids who's popularity and sports abilities peaked in high school and then they never went on to make anything out of their life because they thought they had it so good. It turns out there is life after the 70s. While all things good must come to an end I think that the real tragedy is that Pontiac was never able to re-invent themselves.

Of course with the current situation of Detroit I am not surprised that Pontiac is on the chopping block. Any division of a business labeled as a "steady money looser" can not be good for the overall health of a company. Sentimental value is not enough to keep a brand in business when the numbers don't support it. Or is it? I am interested to hear your opinions about what the end of this Pontiac-era means to you. Did you ever own a GTO? Do you currently own a Pontiac? What do you think GM should do?

Original article at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124060030328753755.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

Hybrids

As many of you already know the annual IT show - Auto Recyclers Reunion and Review - is to be held in Connecticut May 15th and 16th. The complete schedule has been released and is packed with great seminars and workshops! With DJ Harrington as the Master of Ceremonies the show should get off to an exciting and inspirational start.

DJ's introduction on Friday will be followed by some very important information presented by Car-Part about the NMVTIS VIN Reporting Requirements for auto recyclers. Later in the day we are looking forward to two different seminars by Counts Consulting. First Jim Counts will present his seminar "It's All About System and Focus" which will provide us with some insight into how to create more efficient systems to run our business. The second seminar will be presented by Robert Counts, "Sales Made Easy", will teach how to better approach phone calls to increase sales. We have found the Counts consulting seminars very inspirational and informative in the past and we are really excited to see them on the schedule again this year. The whole day Friday is packed with great seminars and workshops, too many to mention in this quick blog post and we are looking forward to them all. Of course the grand finale on Friday night will be the clam bake and the famous IT Charity Auction. If you plan to go to the seminars during the day be sure to stick around for the evening events as they are not to be missed!

Saturday offers another full day of seminars and workshops. We are particularly looking forward to the presentation by Craig Van Batenburg, "Hybrid Salvage . . . Keeping It Safe and Profitable". As more hybrid cars are introduced to the market the demand for parts of course will increase. But as you can imagine dismantling a Hybrid vehicle has different requirements and safety precautions than what is standard for non-electric vehicles. Specialists such as Van Batenburg have a lot to offer the automotive recycling industry as he can help us prepare for this change in demand. The days events will also include a semnar by ARA University, two more seminars by Counts Consulting and several workshops presented by Car-Part.

Below is a list of some of the Seminars and Workshops being offered at this years IT show. This list is subject to change and for the complete schedule with times and more detailed information please visit: www.meetusatit.com

Friday May 15th

Welcome by Our Masters of Ceremonies DJ Harrington and Bo Wroten

Presentation by Jeff - Car-Part

Seminar by Jim Counts - “It's All About Systems and Focus”

Seminar by Brian Ripon on Mercury Switches

Seminar by Dr. Tom Rogers - Essential Pillars of Dynamic Leadership

Seminar by Robert Counts - “Sales Made Easy”

Seminar by Mike French Advertising

Workshop by Car-Part - Jeff Shroder - CAR-PART GOLD

Workshop by Pinnacle

Workshop by Car-Part - Roger Shroder – BIDMATE

Workshop by PhoenixAutomotive Cores - Wyatt Rivas and Jeff Farrs - Maximize Your Investments

Workshop by Hotlines

Workshop by PhoenixAutomotive Cores - Mike Sabori - What Is A Rebuildable Core?

Workshop by Tom Rogers - How to Turn Your Employees into Superstars

Famous "IT" State Association and Charity Auction followed by Entertainment

Saturday May 16th

Welcome by Our Masters of Ceremonies DJ Harrington and Bo Wroten

Seminar Dismantling Hybrids by Craig Van Batenburg - Hybrid Salvage...Keeping It Safe and Profitable

Seminar by ARA University

Seminar by Robert Counts - “Cold or the Flu"

Seminar by Jim Counts - “The Upside of a Down Economy”

Seminar by Fuss & O'Neill - Property Transfer Environmental Opportunities

Seminar by Frooition - Painting the Web

Workshop by Tom Rogers - Seeing Success in Succession

Workshop by Car-Part - Jody Prather - PARTMATE by Car-Part.com

Workshop by Car-Part - JC Chastain - CHECKMATE by Car-Part.com

Workshop by Car-Part - Roger Shroder - RECYCLER EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLES

We are really looking forward to attending the 2009 IT - Auto Recyclers Reunion and Review - and we hope to see you there! For all of our customers - we will be sure to post updates about the great things we learn at this show and hopefully you will see a positive and progressive change in our business. Please sign up to recieve updates about our blog so you don't miss a thing!

If you have called us recently about any parts advertised on eBay you probably have already had the pleasure of speaking with the jovial Brian McAllister. He joined us here at East Coast Auto Salvage nearly two months ago and has been handling all of our eBay and e-commerce sales.

This is Brian's first time working in the auto salvage industry however he has an extensive automotive background. Before coming to us Brain worked for over 13 years in the Street Rod industry and before that he began his automotive career working in a Speed Shop at the age of 15. His previous experience and automotive knowledge has helped him excel at his new position here at East Coast.

As the head of eBay Sales Brian attends to all of the questions and inquiries received through eBay and he manages and processes all of the orders. Right from the beginning his concern for the needs of the customer was very evident as he made sure that they had all of the right information about the auto part they were seeking.

Certainly if you need a part for your vehicle feel free to give Brian a call. You will find out first hand just what a pleasure he is to speak to and hopefully you will find the part you need to fix your vehicle.

Brian can be reached from 8AM-5PM Monday through Friday at 1-800-231-9121 or email him with parts requests brianecas@yahoo.com