Stripped car parts sold at a steal, experts say

THE engines of stolen cars stripped down by criminals can be worth more than €10,000, motoring experts said yesterday.

A top-of-the-range 04 BMW engine is worth around €10,000, and the car’s gearbox can fetch €4,300.

A Mercedes engine can vary in price from €3,000 to €6,000 with gearboxes costing between €1,500 and €3,000.

These figures are fairly typical of the prices paid for the main parts of sports cars, say experts.

“When a car is dismantled the engine and gearbox are usually the most valuable parts,” a Dublin BMW dealer said.

Even if cars are stolen and the parts exported, the scam is still very lucrative, the dealer said.

“There’s huge profits to be made in this because people are always looking for cheaper parts, even if they don’t know where they come from,” the dealer said.

The Automobile Association (AA) said it is aware of expensive cars being snatched and then dismantled.

The combined value of the parts of 20 cars seized by gardaí in Kildare on Monday was around €300,000.