Photo: Car Auction Reconstructions | YouTube
The yard at Insurance Auto Auctions is filled with wrecked cars. Among them are vehicles wrapped in red plastic bags. What is that red shrink wrap actually hiding?
All these mummified cars are in the yards of Insurance Auto Auctions. There are moments when you can figure out what's underneath: a compact car, a Off-roador a pickup truck. However, the irregular shapes are a clue that the cars were badly damaged in the crashes and there isn’t much left. At least not in the condition they came off the assembly line.
You probably wouldn't guess what make and model they are in a million years, even with the plastic wrap down; it's so bad that some of them look like they're poking through the shrink wrap, also known as polymer plastic wrap. Most of the time, all that's left out is a flat tire or some oil leaking onto the gravel.
When plastic ages and deteriorates, it is a sign that the car has been sitting there for quite some time. If it has been torn, the elements must be the cause. You are not allowed to look underneath, let alone scrap the vehicles.
They are all covered in tape over red shrink wrap to hold them together, they are all labeled and have serial numbers entered into a database.
Photo: Car Auction Reconstructions | YouTube
But what is this red plastic film actually hiding? Sometimes, after being involved in accidents, wrecked cars are taken to storage and stored there for indefinite periods of time. That's where insurance companies come to take a look at them, determine the extent of the damage, and check their black boxes.
Brands like Chevrolet, Cadillac, and Buick have installed black boxes in their vehicles since 1994. The National Highway Traffic Administration has been using them to collect data on car crashes since 2000. Insurance companies and police have since begun to rely on the information they provide, too.
They can provide data on speed at the time of the crash, accelerator position, brake application, airbag deployment, seat belt use, and steering angle 20 seconds before and 20 seconds after the crash.
So, the red film can protect important information. That's why they are off-limits vehicles. No one is allowed to touch them and they are definitely not for sale like all the cars in the auction yard. National Workers Association (NHTSA)The police and insurance companies are the only ones who have access to them.
Once the investigation is complete, they can finally be auctioned off. After all, they are in an auction yard.
Insurance Auto Auction states that it does not guarantee or warrant that shrink wrap will completely protect a vehicle or its interior or components from the elements. IAA cannot guarantee that cars will remain in perfect condition until picked up by a prospective buyer.
