Ugg! That sounds awful! Seems to me like the "cash for clunkers" program is a huge gift to the auto industry and has significant downsides for 'poor' car owners. In essence, they've just made the lowest possible price for used cars at what..$4500? I mean, if a seller can get that from the government by destroying the vehicle or they'll get less to sell it...they'll see it destroyed. Us guys with little money will see fewer vehicles we can afford, for sure. It won't be long (probably already happening) until someone figures out how to get round all the rules and starts taking in old vehicles and using them to get that government 'rebate'. Just like that really ridiculous SUV tax break that got everyone buying super gas hogs and getting paid for it until just last year. An aside: California recently "decreed" (my word) that only the newest diesel trucks could haul freight out of the ports of that state..No new truck-no freight..period. So a bunch of guys are buying new trucks now, those that can afford them. The rest of the truckers who want to haul in California are paying other guys to go get the loads at the ports and 'drop ship' them outside the ports...Hundreds of thousands of expensive tractors are now 'second class' units because of CARB..for a marginal decrease in emissions. Another blow to the "little guys"...Wonder if any of the big truck companies had any thing to do with that rule by CARB.. Don Hanson

On Mon, Jul 27, 2009 at 9:22 AM, Jim Akiba <syncrolist@bostig.com> wrote:

> I wonder if any vanagons are going to be euthanized via this program. > Here is the official government procedure for the dealers to ensure > engines are destroyed when you go to trade in the vanagon for a kia > ha. It's disturbing in many ways. I thought this was particularly > relevant to vanagons owners because vanagon owners tend to use > recycled parts, including engines for upkeep and conversions. > > > > Appendix B to Part 599 - Engine Disablement Procedures for the CARS Program > Engine Disablement Procedures for the CARS Program > THIS PROCEDURE IS NOT TO BE USED BY THE VEHICLE OWNER > Perform the following procedure to disable the vehicle engine. > Since the vehicle will not be drivable after this procedure is performed, > consider where the procedure will be performed and how the vehicle > will be moved after the procedure is complete. > 1. Obtain solution of 40% sodium silicate/60% water. (The Sodium Silicate > (SiO2/Na2O) used in the solution must have a weight ratio of 3.0 or > greater.) > 2. Drain engine oil for environmentally appropriate disposal. > 3. Install the oil drain plug. > 4. Pour enough solution in the engine through the oil fill for the oil pump > to > circulate the solution throughout the engine. Start by adding 2 quarts of > the > solution, which should be sufficient in most cases. > CAUTION: Wear goggles and gloves. Appropriate protective clothing > should be worn to prevent silicate solution from coming into contact with > the > skin. > 5. Replace the oil fill cap. > 6. Start the engine. > 7. Run engine at approximately 2000 rpm (for safety reasons do not operate > at > high rpm) until the engine stops. (Typically the engine will operate for 3 > to 7 > minutes. As the solution starts to affect engine operation, the operator > will > have to apply more throttle to keep the engine at 2000 rpm.) > 8. Allow the engine to cool for at least 1 hour. > 9. With the battery at full charge or with auxiliary power to provide > the power of > a fully charged battery, attempt to start the engine. > 10. If the engine will not operate at idle, the procedure is complete. > 11. If the engine will operate at idle, repeat steps 6 through 10 > until the engine > will no longer idle. > 12. Attach a label to the engine that legibly states the following: > This engine is from a vehicle that is part of the Car Allowance Rebate > System (CARS). It has significant internal damage caused by operating > the engine with a sodium silicate solution (liquid glass) instead of oil. >