Opps...........

[Tonz]

Surprised this hasn't popped up yet, but theres a lot of damaged vehicles available in Sydney.

Firefighters have contained a huge blaze which destroyed about 120 vehicles at a car yard in Sydney's south west.


Police and firefighters were called to a Pickles Auctions car yard at Milperra at around 6:00am (AEDT).

Around 120 vehicles went up in flames at the family-owned business, with the damage bill estimated to be hundreds of thousands of dollars.

No-one was injured but firefighters said they had difficulty getting into the yard because of an electric gate.

Superintendent Tom Cooper from NSW Fire and Rescue said the cause of the fire was not yet known, and it was being treated as suspicious.

"At this stage it's suspicious, it's not quite known what caused these cars to catch alight," he said.

"There's no reports of any injuries, it's obviously an isolated space."

He said all the damaged cars had been due to be auctioned.

"They're all damaged prior to coming here. There's around about 100 cars in racks, they're stacked three high," he explained.
"Somehow they've caught fire. We're not sure how it started, but obviously the radiant heat from the fire has caused the remaining cars to catch alight and it has severely damaged some of the other cars in racks adjacent to them."

[The Yeti]

Wasn't really a car yard as we would think of as a car yard





the cars were in racks so basically once one on the bottom goes the rest just take from there.

http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fire-destr...05-gm02i2.html

Bankstown FRNSW have a good video on their FB page https://www.facebook.com/bankstownfire/

[SYZ]

So the Pickles family has found themselves in a bit of a... um... pickle?

[The Yeti]

I could be wrong but it also looks like Wholesale Suspension at Penrith is on fire


Both Pumper and Tanker 82 along with numerous other crews from across Sydney are currently on scene at a structure fire on Coreen Avenue, Penrith.
The fire is believed to have started in an automotive store and affected the adjacent industrial units.
Police, Ambulance and energy authorities are working to support FRNSW appliances to contain and extinguish the fire.
A number of road blocks are in place causing delays for motorists, we urge drivers to take care in the rain and obay emergency services directions.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.p...61006267318591

[The Yeti]

Yep the old Wholesale Suspension shop

[MITCHAY]

There's been talk of a battery kicking it off. I'd thought it would be good sense to take the batteries out and drain the tanks of wrecks considering they are stored and not going to be driven anytime in the near future.

Obviously common sense is not so common in this case.

[Feathers]

They were write-offs for salvage only.
I would think Pickles would leave that kind of work for the wreckers that buy them to deal with.

I don't know what the turn-over for those cars is like, but I know with the cars they sell in road going condition, they almost clear the floor at Belmore a couple of times a week.


I bought my XR6 there, and you had 24 hours after the auction to come back with cash or a bank cheque and take the car.
By the time I got back the next day about 60% of the cars had gone.

[XG_Falcon]

To be frank: it was either an accident or an inside job for the insurance money.

I don't see why any outside party would bother...

[devilcv8]

Originally Posted by Feathers

They were write-offs for salvage only.
I would think Pickles would leave that kind of work for the wreckers that buy them to deal with.

By the time I got back the next day about 60% of the cars had gone.

A lot of the salvage cars are purchased by "permanent bidders" which are more than likely wreckers. A lot of the cars are picked up same day as the auction.
It's surprising how many salvage cars sell for less than what the buyers fees will be.

[commodorenutt]

I used to do the salvage rounds 15-20 years ago, and there was usually always a "wrecker buyer" or 2 at each one to "sweep up" - they would bid $5 or $10 on anything about to be passed in. They had a fleet of tilt trays waiting to take them away, and would be moving them the same afternoon.

I remember one of these wrecker sweeps buying a lightly damaged mid-1970s corolla (worth nothing in 1997), for $5. A few of the regulars stirred him up, but his reply was "someone asked for a front guard for one of these yesterday - if he comes back, that'll cover the towing cost."

You wouldn't really get a "disgruntled" buyer coming back for vengeance at this sort of place. Insurance maybe, or perhaps they sacked a worker prior to Xmas? It could even be kids mucking around. It wasn't that long ago a bus burnt to the ground not far from that yard.

[Yellow_Festiva]

I heard on the news yesterday that after watching surveillance footage it was certainly not a deliberate fire.

[Feathers]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

To be frank: it was either an accident or an inside job for the insurance money.

I don't see why any outside party would bother...

It was an accident. The majority of the cars are insurance write-offs, so whoever owned them, has already been taken out of the loop, and the insurers send them to auction to recover (some of) their own costs.
They get nothing from setting a fire, and I would think now Pickles will have to pay out something to cover the difference to the insurers between the salvage value and the scrap value of the cars destroyed.

Any that were privately owned, were more than likely not insured at all, so again, you'd get nothing from an arson.

[XG_Falcon]

Originally Posted by Feathers

Any that were privately owned, were more than likely not insured at all, so again, you'd get nothing from an arson.

Any responsible property owner insures his yard and stock against damages. No different than if an electrical fire burnt down a warehouse full of goods.

It wouldn't matter if all the cars were unregistered and not insurable for use on the road because they are stock.

[MrEL]

Originally Posted by XG_Falcon

Any responsible property owner insures his yard and stock against damages. No different than if an electrical fire burnt down a warehouse full of goods.

It wouldn't matter if all the cars were unregistered and not insurable for use on the road because they are stock.

Cant insure something that doesn't belong to you.
You need a legal financial interest in it to sell it.
These cars are the property of the insurance companies or very few private people that send them off.
The auction is just an agent selling them , thus the buyers fees.
The buyers fees are the auctions commission and income.

[commodorenutt]

Would this not come under their business liability insurance?

If your unreg'd & uninsured project car is at a panel shop, and it burns down, who pays?

Panel shop doesn't own your car - you do, but they are contracted to do something with it - just like Pickles are with those cars.

[XG_Falcon]

^ this.

[Feathers]

Which is exactly what I said. Pickles will most likely have to pay the insurance companies/owners the difference between what they would have brought as salvage, and what they will bring as scrap.
No one is going to make money out of it above what would have been brought at auction.

[SYZ]

Originally Posted by commodorenutt

[...] If your unreg'd & uninsured project car is at a panel shop, and it burns down, who pays?

Presumably your own insurance policy covers it under the fire or theft clauses? And if it's a project vehicle you'd be crazy not to insure it.

[The Yeti]

Originally Posted by SYZ

Presumably your own insurance policy covers it under the fire or theft clauses? And if it's a project vehicle you'd be crazy not to insure it.

Shannon's have a range of products for this and it's not as expensive as you would think

[commodorenutt]

Yes, they do, and my Brock was only $186/year on laid up cover.
There are some clauses about where/when it's covered, and when it isn't.

But there's plenty of project cars out there that people don't insure because they don't think they're worth much - just like a lot of salvage wrecks.

But the point is, the business should have insurance (liability) to cover an event like this, and most legitimate, well-run businesses that have others people's assets on site have coverage.