Creating Frankenstein cars?
Liam Vaughan's articles on insurers' efforts to use recycled parts to repair motor vehicles (News Analysis 26 May) made interesting reading. In principle the idea seems a good one: it will help insurers to save money, thus reducing claims costs, and will demonstrate the industry's green credentials.
But, I fear it will be a difficult one to sell to the general public.
On reading the article I was reminded of the controversy surrounding second-hand cars that later turned out to be made of two cars welded together.
Given the uproar over these so-called 'Frankenstein' vehicles that erupted in the media, I wonder whether the use of recycled parts will be greeted with scepticism by the public. Will consumer like having bits of other vehicles bolted onto their cars? Probably not.
And then of course there is the quality issue. As the piece notes, there is a reduction in quality as a part is used, and consumers are likely to be concerned about this. Insurers will need to take care to ease customers' fears that safety critical parts will not be replaced with recycled pieces.
The piece suggests that insurers should persuade consumers of the benefit of the scheme by passing on savings to them through lower premiums.
But given the price competition that is going on at the moment, I think any savings from using recycled parts will be lost among the other price cuts. Consumers will simply not appreciate the benefits.
Overall, I have my doubts whether the scheme will catch on. It is notable the neither Direct Line nor Norwich Union is involved.
Save for the most environmentally friendly members of the general public, most people I suspect will see this as an attempt by insurers to cut costs at their expense by giving them lower quality parts.
Ben Davies
Nottingham
