The Best Way to Scrap your Car
For many old car owners, the sad day comes when the cost of repairing a car is more than it’s worth. At this point, you may need to take a deep breath and consider scrapping your car. However, some laws must be followed when scrapping your car, and you could be fined if you don’t report it properly. Once you’ve decided that your car is only fit for scrap, you’ll want to calculate how much it’s worth. Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee you’ll make any money out of it – these days its price is more dependent on the value of recycled steel, copper, and aluminum than the car’s value in working condition. When the prices of these metals drop, some companies may even charge you to buy junk cars, but you should at least request a free collection.
1. Check online options to scrap your car
There is a wealth of information to be found online these days. Some sites give you the option to donate your car to charity, but if you want to effortlessly generate financial gain, some offer to simplify the process by acting as your representative. Automakers, who are responsible for ensuring that their vehicles are properly recycled by the EU, have partnered with some of these agents.
2. Consider Recycle at Right Place
Most components of your car can be reused in some way – after all, EU legislation requires that 95 percent of scrap cars be recycled – but not all recycling plants have the right license to scrap cars. Authorized Treatment Facilities (ATFs) are the only centers where it is legally permitted to dispose of scrap cars as they can deal with hazardous parts such as oil and batteries. Only take your car to an ATF-licensed recycling center as these are the only places authorized to issue a Certificate of Disposal (CoD). It is a crime to recycle your car elsewhere.
3. Check, It is illegal to accept cash to scrap a car.
Since the Scrap Metal Dealers Act of October 2013, it’s illegal to pay cash for scrap cars in England and Wales, so be skeptical of anyone offering it. By law, they have to make a copy, which they keep for three years, so if you’re concerned about the security of your data, it may be worthwhile to go through a representative. Some recycling centers store electronic copies of customers’ identities anonymously using the same encryption type used by banks.
4. Beware of Unscrupulous Traders
The nature of the internet means scammers can make websites look legitimate, but there are dead giveaways. CoDs may be misidentified as “Certificates of Destruction” or “Certificates of Collection”; some links on the website may not work and their cash offers are much higher than other legit companies. Some try to gain your trust by “offering advice”, but these are often scams to get you to give your car for free.
5. Dismantling is not for cowards
While some may argue that the sum of the parts of your scrap collector is more valuable than the whole, some junkyards will not accept partially dismantled cars. If you embark on this journey, you need to be prepared to go all the way. In this case, it’s best to leave it to experienced amateurs or professional mechanics.
6. How much will I get for my car?
As the price of scrap metal fluctuates, so do the prices that scrapyards are willing to offer for your damaged cars. You can get a quote online to measure the value of your car. There are even scrap comparison sites like scrapcarcomparison.co.uk that offer a selection of registered scrap dealers for your vehicle.