The phrase “lemons carcass out” is an automotive industry term that refers to the percentage of usable parts left over after a vehicle has been stripped of valuable components or scrapped entirely. It provides a rough estimate of how much of the car’s structure remains intact and can still be sold for parts or scrap metal. Understanding what this phrase means and the factors that influence lemons carcass out percentages gives insight into how the automotive salvage and recycling industry operates.
What is a “lemon” car?
In the automotive industry, a “lemon” is a defective vehicle that repeatedly fails to meet standards of quality and performance. Lemons frequently suffer from manufacturing defects or flaws in design that cause chronic breakdowns and require extensive repairs. Lemon laws in many states protect consumers from seriously deficient vehicles by providing remedies such as replacement cars or refunds.
Once a car has been designated a lemon and repurchased by the manufacturer from the owner, it enters the automotive salvage stream. The manufacturer or dealer auctions off these vehicles to salvage yards and dismantlers, who bid for the inventory. Salvage companies then dismantle and sell off usable parts, and scrap the remains of the cars.
What does “carcass out” mean?
The term “carcass out” refers to what percentage of a vehicle’s body remains after it has been stripped of valuable parts and components. This leftover structural shell is also known as the car’s “carcass.” Dismantlers systematically remove reusable and recyclable components like the engine, transmission, electronics, tires, and body panels from lemons and other salvage vehicles. What remains is the stripped skeleton including the frame, suspension, wiring harnesses, and some sheet metal.
The carcass out percentage provides a rough estimate of the weight and scrap metal value left over after stripping. A typical front-wheel drive economy car might carcass out between 28-32% of its original weight after dismantling. The carcass out percentage varies based on vehicle size, design, and options. Luxury cars and trucks with more metal content and fewer plastic components often carcass out over 35%.
Factors influencing lemons carcass out percentage
Several key factors determine what percentage of a lemon vehicle’s original mass remains as a carcass ready for scrap:
Vehicle size and weight
Larger vehicles with greater curb weight, such as trucks and SUVs, tend to have higher carcass out percentages than smaller economy cars. This is because they have more steel content in their structure and components to begin with.
Construction and chassis design
Vehicles built on traditional body-on-frame platforms have boxed frame rails and other metal components that add to carcass weight versus unibody designs. Certain chassis configurations also affect the composition of the scrap carcass.
Luxury features and trim
Upscale luxury cars often have additional metal content in chrome trim, major cast metal components, and acoustic dampening. Economy models tend to have more plastic trim and hollow components. This allows luxury cars to carcass out at over 35% while economy models may be under 30%.
Age and wear
Older vehicles that have led rough lives may have significant rust and collision damage. This reduces the scrap value of the carcass, as critical structural components of the body and frame may be weakened or corroded.
Stripping process
Some dismantlers are more thorough in removing valuable parts, trims, and metal components from the carcass. Wire harnesses, exhaust pipes, and minor body panels left on the shell add weight but have little salvage value.
Local scrap market
Scrap metal prices fluctuate, affecting the value of certain metals remaining in the carcass. Dismantlers may leave on some components if their scrap metal resale value is low in the current market.
Environmental regulations
Hazardous materials like brake fluid, antifreeze, mercury switches, and lead wheel weights must be removed to meet environmental regulations before scrapping. This reduces the carcass weight.
Uses for lemon carcass scrap metal
After stripping all usable parts, the leftover carcass is typically sold to scrap processors and shredders. Scrap from lemons and other salvage vehicles can be reused in various ways:
– **Melting down:** The carcass is shredded and metal components are melted down to produce new raw steel and alloys. These are reused in metal products and construction materials.
– **Export:** Salvage vehicle scrap metal can be exported overseas to countries like China for processing and reuse in manufacturing.
– **Selling to foundries:** Scrap metal from car chassis and engines is sold to foundries to use as raw material for casting engine blocks, transmission housings, and metal products.
– **Metal fabrication:** Sections of car frame rails and body panels can be cut up and repurposed by metal fabricators to build trailers, furniture, sculptures, and crafts.
Proper recycling of automotive carcass scrap reclaims valuable steel and other metals for reuse rather than wasting natural resources. Selling the scrap metal from stripped lemons provides dismantlers with a portion of their revenue.
Example carcass out percentages
To illustrate the carcass out concept, here are some approximate percentages for various popular vehicle types after stripping:
| Vehicle | Carcass Out % |
|---|---|
| Compact Sedan (Toyota Corolla) | 28% |
| Midsize Sedan (Honda Accord) | 32% |
| Full-size Pickup (Ford F-150) | 38% |
| Luxury SUV (Cadillac Escalade) | 40% |
These demonstrate how larger vehicles with more steel content have higher carcass out percentages. Luxury models also tend to retain more usable metal through the stripping process.
How carcass percentages affect dismantler profits
For auto dismantling businesses, properly evaluating lemons and salvage units for their carcass out percentage is important for maximizing profits. Vehicles that retain a greater portion of their mass through the stripping process ultimately provide more revenue from scrap metal sales.
However, dismantlers must balance meticulous part harvesting versus metal recovery. Spending excessive labor time stripping every small component reduces efficiency compared to selling the shell more intact. Dismantlers use carcass out percentages as a benchmark while stripsing vehicles to aim for optimal parts profits versus metal value.
Understanding differences between vehicle types, conditions, and local scrap prices allows dismantlers to judge which units offer the best balance of reusable parts sales and scrap metal returns from the carcass. This knowledge directly impacts the profitability of buying and dismantling salvage inventory.
Conclusion
In the automotive salvage industry, “lemons carcass out” refers to the approximate percentage of a vehicle’s mass that remains after removing usable parts and components. This scrap metal shell retains some value and can be recycled or sold to foundries. A typical carcass out percentage might range from 28% for a small economy car up to 40% for a large luxury SUV. The carcass percentage gives dismantlers an estimate of the scrap metal profits available after harvesting valuable parts from the vehicle. Along with parts sales, it represents a key portion of a dismantler’s total revenue and profit from each salvage unit. An awareness of carcass out metrics helps guide business decisions in the automotive salvage and recycling sector.