Supporting Vehicles From Defunct Car Brands

Car manufacturers might seem too big to fail. However, well-known companies like Saab and Scion did go out of business. While these car brands are gone, their vehicles remain. You might even own one and want to keep it running for many more years. What can you do to maintain vehicles that belong to defunct car brands?

How to Support Vehicle Models From Defunct Car Brands

Here are our recommendations on how you can keep models from defunct car brands running for many years after their manufacturer closes down:

Look For Other People Who Own The Same Model

You’re not the only person who owns a particular model. Other people might own the same car or truck. They share your desire in keeping a vehicle running long after the car manufacturer stops honoring warranties and providing support.

Search for other owners of vehicles from defunct car brands. You can usually find them in forums dedicated to the brand or model, happily sharing their experiences and advice about their favorite car or truck. They can help you find factory parts that ended production long ago and repair services outside dealerships.

In some cases, employees of the defunct car brand might stay in touch with the community. Who better to help fix the vehicle’s problems than the people who designed and built the machine in the first place?

Sharing updates and resources becomes even more important if you own a newer model, especially an electric car like the Fisker Ocean. Modern vehicles are heavily computerized and receive software upgrades from a company server and app. If the car manufacturer closes, it will also shut its server down, potentially leaving vehicles with no way to correct software issues.

When you join an organization or form one, focus on goals you can attain. Take software changes, for example. A major software update is out of reach for an association because of cost and the need for various regulatory agencies to test and approve the patch. However, a smaller software update that covers only one or two issues might be doable.

As much as possible, join a relevant community before its brand closes. Owners of older models of that brand can help you find independent shops and supply networks for parts.

Collect Parts and Learn Knowledge

If you want to keep any car on the road, you need spare parts, the right tools, and information on how to fix problems. These take on greater importance for vehicles from defunct car brands.

Some defunct car brands belong to a conglomerate, were bought out by another company, or have parts suppliers that remain in business. They might also have parts shared with other models made by the parent company. Even if the company doesn’t build new vehicles, you can still get replacement parts and have your car or truck serviced.

It’s a different story for models with limited production or vehicles manufactured by a smaller company that didn’t get bought out. Modern vehicles have proprietary electronics that require dedicated tech support. You must track down the spare parts, tools, and trained service specialists who can fix the car’s computers and other parts.

Employees of a defunct car brand might have saved parts and assemblies that were made in-house. These new old-stock parts are often offered to owners.

You can also look for vehicles of the same model that proved too costly to fix. These units might be offered as parts cars that can provide spare components to replace the damaged or worn-out ones in your vehicle.

Several defunct car brands organized a support network that outlasted them. They might have made service tools accessible, persuaded car manufacturers to continue making replacement parts, and convinced software vendors to provide support.

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Creative Solutions

Some replacement parts and software updates become unavailable after the car manufacturer closes. You must get creative when replacing a part that no longer exists or finding a fix for a software issue after tech support stops helping.

Look for services that manufacture replacements for mechanical parts that have gone out of production. If you can provide them with the part’s computer-aided design file, the service can manufacture a copy of the part.

It is harder to fix computer code and replace electronics in modern cars. Some vehicles have programs designed with their unique requirements in mind. Meanwhile, connected cars rely on an internet connection with the company server to get software updates and patches.

If the car manufacturer stops supporting your computer systems, there are two options. You can put up with losing features that rely on the latest version, but some vehicles become undrivable without certain features.

Alternatively, you can have your vehicle reprogrammed with new software. It might require costly replacement of the existing computer systems with compatible units.

Prepare For Car Insurance Issues

Insurance companies generally dislike vehicles of defunct car brands. They might refuse to cover costly, hard-to-get, or nonexistent parts. Furthermore, the vehicle’s price might depreciate while its car insurance rates rise.

Owners of vehicles from defunct car brands must get a good car insurance policy with comprehensive coverage. Otherwise, the insurance company might decline to pay for the vehicle’s repairs.

Try to get an agreed value insurance policy. This policy type covers the vehicle for the agreed-upon amount between the owner and insurer. More importantly, an agreed value policy doesn’t include depreciation when calculating the vehicle’s value.

Selling Vehicles From Defunct Car Brands

Not everyone wants to take the chance on an older model that lacks support and warranty. It’s okay to cut your losses and sell your vehicle if it comes from a defunct car brand.

If your discontinued vehicle is rare, you might want to put it up for auction or sell it to an enthusiast dealership. Some buyers might pay a premium for what they consider a collector’s item.

However, if the company currently sells brand-new units at low prices as part of a fire sale, hold on to your vehicle until the sale ends. You can get better value for your car or truck after the sale.