Here at RAW2K we stock a huge range of cars in our online car auctions. This includes crash damaged vehicles, which are often bought with the intention of salvaging them for parts. As a result, our experts are often asked about green parts.
The idea with green car parts is that instead of using new energy to produce brand new car parts, second-hand parts from original equipment manufacturers (OEM) are used instead. The environmental benefit with green parts comes from the lack of a production facility to machine the individual parts and assemble them, along with impact from transportation; the net effect is that their use reduces net carbon emissions to get a part into your hands.
How are green car parts designated?
Green car parts are also sometimes referred to as recycled or used. The labelling as ‘Green’ is derived not from them being more fuel-efficient or some other environmentally or energy-friendly manner, but strictly because they’re parts that can be reused in a secondary vehicle instead of buying new.
Using green parts, vehicles can be repaired far more cheaply. Because of this, they’re often utilised in write-off repairs to make the repair economical where using new parts would cost too much. For people who buy written-off vehicles at auction who need to have some repairs done for them, green car parts make a lot of sense.
How old are green car parts?
It depends on how old the original vehicle was before it was written off. If a part was subsequently replaced while the vehicle was owned, then the part could be even younger. Seeing as you can have some cars involved in an accident shortly after being driven off the car showroom, sometimes parts are days or weeks old. However, most have seen use for a month to a year or two.
Where do green car parts come from?
When vehicles are broken up as a total write-off, they’re unrepairable for a variety of reasons. Yet they still have parts inside the vehicle that were undamaged in an accident or theft and are reusable. These reclaimed parts can be sold as green car parts to be used again.
Does the car maker make all the OEM parts?
The original car parts aren’t always produced by the vehicle manufacturer. There are plenty of car part manufacturers that supply OEM parts such as Hella or Bosch that come fitted in new vehicles sold by the leading UK vehicle makers. Therefore, not all green parts come with the branding of the car’s end manufacturer, e.g. Ford, Lexus, etc. While this might seem odd at first, it’s the same as in many other industries.
For instance, a Dell computer will include an Intel or AMD processor, RAM memory perhaps from Crucial, a graphics card from a third manufacturer, and so on. This shouldn’t cause a surprise; green OEM car parts don’t always have the car manufacturer’s brand on them and still were original parts supplied with their new vehicle.
Benefits of green car parts
Green parts are far cheaper than new ones, despite often having little real-world use. They’re accessible in the UK market when you want affordable parts for a car repair. They’re also excellent for the environment when compared to the environmental impact of getting a new car part manufactured in a factory plant. You’re using what’s already been produced, which is so much better!
We’ve got a huge range of crash damaged and lightly damaged vehicles, which you can browse in our very own online car auctions. Our stock includes vehicles from globally renowned manufacturers, such as Audi, BMW and Renault - giving you the chance to save hundreds of pounds as opposed to buying them new!
