Weighing in a Renault Espace....

[R9UKE]

The shit heap below nearly killed me today, so I'm going to return the favour.

 

 

My question - has anybody ever weighed in one of these magnificent beasts before?

 

The reason I ask is that after kicking the hell out of it today, there's no dents. The pissing thing is made of plastic. Every single panel. Is a metal merchant likely to take it for the full price of it's weight despite the fact that the body is plastic?

[trigger]

How did it nearly kill you?, Have you tried using a tree branch?.

 

[Felly Magic]

Scrap value will probably be sod all. I think they are steel framed though

[R9UKE]

Nice idea, I'll give it a go tomorrow.

 

Was pulling out of a side street, turning right, the bastard went about a metre then lost power, bin lorry coming from the right very nearly took me out. Terrifying AND highly embarrassing, it then crept forward another few meters, enough to get me onto the correct side of the road and out of the way. The whole way home it was really jumpy and unpredictable. Fuel pump, filter, injectors, sensors, I really couldn't be assed bothering to find the problem

[dollywobbler]

Seems a bit unfair on the car, especially as these things are getting rare now. Gawd knows where they go though, as the weigh-in must be pretty pitiful.

[R9UKE]

If it was a Mark 1 I'd give it more attention. This has 192k miles. Taxed and MOTd until end of Jan 12 though!

[jonny69]

I got £240 for a Scenic on eBay, which is also considerably made of plastic. Consider baying it as spares or repairs.

[Woody]

Definitely ebay it. You're bound to get more than the pitiful amount you'll get for scrap.

 

O/T slightly, but weren't the Scenics mostly metal? IIRC only the wings and possibly the bonnet were plastic - I did own one for a short while, it cost me a fortune to buy at a year old, and as it broke down 3 times in the first 3 months so was sold very quickly.

[R9UKE]

Definitely ebay it. You're bound to get more than the pitiful amount you'll get for scrap.

 

You might actually be right. However, after doing a bit of digging on the net, it apparently weighs 1450 kg!??? At £155 / tonne, if they pay the full amount for it it's worth about £220 on the bridge. Ebay fees are pretty high. £20 to list then £8 when it sells. Nearly £30 - reckon it'll fetch more than £250 on there??? I have severe doubts.

[dollywobbler]

I can't see a scrapyard paying full price for it. Why would they? It'd be like going out to buy a bag of sugar and accepting a cup of gravel instead. Your tea will be ruined.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

I'd weigh the fucker personally - yeah, you might only get 200 sovs for it but the problem is solved, cash in hand. Cut the cat off first and if you could be arsed, you could remove a few goodies - the bits that often go wrong on the Espastic. Trouble is, that's most of the bastard thing.

[Felly Magic]

For an Espace, you would be lucky to get £100 due to the plastic

[danthecapriman]

Ive always hated these things, and after pulling a stunt like that id definatly teech it a lesson by scrapping it!

 

Interestingly, a mate of mine once had a reliant regal. He used it over winter then in spring once mot was out tried to scrap it. The scrappy wouldnt give much because of the plastic/fiberglass so he took it home, smashed the body, glass and interior off it with sledge hammers and a pick axe then took the metal remains back to the scrappy and got a fair amount more for it!

Maybe you could do something similar to get maximum cash and maximum payback/fun!?

[R9UKE]

For an Espace, you would be lucky to get £100 due to the plastic

 

I'm not sure my local metal merchant are clever enough to realise.

 

so he took it home, smashed the body, glass and interior off it with sledge hammers and a pick axe then took the metal remains back to the scrappy and got a fair amount more for it!

 

Might watch a few of Jeremy Clarkson's old videos for some inspiration. This sounds fun! I remember him pouring acid over a 911 then crashing it into a wall. Then there was the Yugo he set on fire. Then the Volvo 340 he drove into a tree. And remember he bought a brand new Perodua Kelisa, drove it across the road from the dealership and started on it with a hammer in full view of the salesmen!??? Classic. This could be very fun indeed

[Felly Magic]

Stuff like lights, shove em on egay, and if the seats are reasonable...

[dollywobbler]

Might watch a few of Jeremy Clarkson's old videos for some inspiration. This sounds fun! I remember him pouring acid over a 911 then crashing it into a wall. Then there was the Yugo he set on fire. Then the Volvo 340 he drove into a tree. And remember he bought a brand new Perodua Kelisa, drove it across the road from the dealership and started on it with a hammer in full view of the salesmen!??? Classic. This could be very fun indeed

 

Fun? Idiotic more like. What's fun about watching an overpaid prick smash up the sort of cars we love in the name of entertainment? The Perodua one was especially stupid. Why would the Perodua salesmen care? They'd just made a sale!

 

On the other hand, I'd like to see what an Espace chassis actually looks like, so rip the body off and build a beach buggy out of it.

[catsinthewelder]

I bought one of these on flea bay a few years back, I was desperate for a car at the time and didn't check it over properly. Weighed it in after a week as absolute rubbish. I seem to recall the scrappys giving me the usual £60 or so (when that was a decent amount).

 

I kept the interior for ages as I had thoughts of using bits of it in the camper but I saw sense and freecycled it.

[Cavcraft]

Not all yards know they're plastic. Take it down (having removed any bits that will sell on eBay first) and weigh it in. Don't forget to leave the windows down and run a hose pipe in it for a day or so though and only take it to the 'bridge when it's raining

[Albert Ross]

Fill the fuel tank with water and remove the battery... that way the fuel gauge won't register full!

[Woody]

Of course, instead of inviting rampant speculation on an interweb forum, you could just call in to the local scrappy and ask what he'd give you for it...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Or is that too logical for this place?

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Just weigh it in. yeah its got placca panels but its still got a metal engine, gearbox, suspension, and body structure. The % metal content is not hugely different to an ordinary car. That will teach the bastard.

[AnthonyG]

I got £240 for a Scenic on eBay, which is also considerably made of plastic. Consider baying it as spares or repairs.

 

Scenics are mostly made of metal, thats why they rust so badly!

[spuzzcake]

General rules for scrapping and weighing in a car

 

All lights, wing mirrors, spoiler, bumpers usually sell on eBay

Search on eBay at completed listings for Renault Espace and check for anything that sells for a decent price

Cut out the catalytic converter

Remove any wiring you can get your hands on

Remove the battery

Remove the alloys

Check the bumpers, the reinforcement behind them is usually alloy

 

Catalytic converters are worth up to as much as £60 in scrap at present

Car price is up to as much as £160 a ton at present

Insulated wiring is £1.10 a kg

Bare wiring is £3.70 a kg

Batteries are 40p a kg

Cast alloy is 80p a kg

 

Phone your dealer before you go and check all prices.

 

It's worth spending a day removing as much as you can that has resale, reuse or scrap value.

 

Fill the fuel tank, engine, gearbox, washer fluid tank, powersteering tank with water, leave the windows down and run the hosepipe inside it for a day or so at least and make sure all the seats and door cards are well and truly soaked.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 

Fill the fuel tank, engine, gearbox, washer fluid tank, powersteering tank with water, leave the windows down and run the hosepipe inside it for a day or so at least and make sure all the seats and door cards are well and truly soaked.

 

Really, really don't do this. Scrap metal dealers are not the sorts to laugh this kind of thing off, and they're wise to it.

 

There are more scrap Espaces than running ones, and parts are not rare or valuable. Catalyst and battery are the only two things worth taking off.

[Father Ted]

 

Fill the fuel tank, engine, gearbox, washer fluid tank, powersteering tank with water, leave the windows down and run the hosepipe inside it for a day or so at least and make sure all the seats and door cards are well and truly soaked.

 

Really, really don't do this. Scrap metal dealers are not the sorts to laugh this kind of thing off, and they're wise to it.

 

I always think that your average scrappy is going to have a good idea how much each car weighs and something pitching up at half a tonne more than it should be is always going to cause suspicion.

[CortinaDave]

run it through www.cartakeback.com for a price....

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

So - did it cross the bridge of doom?

[R9UKE]

So - did it cross the bridge of doom?

 

It can't until the reg transfer is complete, which should be this week. Is it worth getting a month's tax refunded?

 

I will of course tell all once the bastard has gone! cartakeback offered £100

[Lankytim]

Can you take pics of all the plastic exploding when the grab picks it up?

[R9UKE]

I'll be long gone! Wouldn't want to see the blokes face when he realises the ton and a half of metal he just bought it actually mostly plastic