4 Top Tips for When You Are Scrap Recycling a Vehicle

If you are here on this page, then there is a good chance you have a vehicle that needs to be scrapped, and you want to make the most out of doing it. After all, cars are expensive, and you can make a decent amount of money back on scrapping your old car if you know what to do and what to look out for.

If this is something you feel you need to learn about, then read on to find out more.

Why Scrap Your Old Car?

Depending on how your old car has reached its ending, it can be tempting to leave your car abandoned or have it sat on your drive rusting away, but this is probably the worst thing you can do. Not only are you wasting the potential for earning some money and putting some of the parts to good use again, but it also much, much better for the environment to recycle and scrap your car properly.

There are a few reasons why you might want to scrap your car. This could include it being written off in a car accident, being far more expensive to repair than the car is worth.

It is a good idea to scrap a car if it is unsafe to drive, especially as you will want to put others at risk or sell it to someone else unfairly or illegally. Another reason might be if your car is old. It could be in relatively good working order, but it is difficult to sell because it is an older model! You might have no need for it anymore, so that means it could be taking up space too.

1. End of Life Vehicles Directive

It used to be a pain to scrap old vehicles. Not only was it a faff, but you could also end up paying for the privilege. This was scrapped when an EU law was introduced to encourage recycling, which means either your car will be scrapped for free or even gain money from the exchange!

2. Strip Your Car for Parts

Your car might not be worth much as a working vehicle, but it might offer a good chunk of change if you are able to strip it down and sell the different working parts off.

There is plenty of information on the internet that can guide you in what parts you might want to sell on and how to strip your care safely down to get these parts ready. Taking this route will definitely take up time and energy, and perhaps more inconveniently, space.

It can take a while to shift parts, sometimes months, so it is important that you have enough space in which you can store them safely away from any weather damage and the like before they are given to their new owners.

There is plenty of information on the internet for those who want to give stripping parts a go themselves, or for those who are less experienced in recycling scrap vehicles, go to a trusted professional and have them do it for you.

3. Find a Reputable Company

Be sure to do your research when looking for a company to hand over your car for scrap. The difference between picking the first company you see and doing some well thought out research could be a significant amount of money – so it is always worth putting that extra effort in to find the right place for you.

Other tips include being sure to read the fine print of any contract you sign and getting a detailed price quote before any agreement, so you can’t be blind sighted with less than you agreed with or short-changed!

Make sure the company who you want to scrap your car has an authorized treatment facility, so everything is above board, and remember, if they only take cash, then do not deal with them.

4. Make Sure You Have the Right Paperwork

You will need the right paperwork in order for a reputable company to scrap your vehicle for you, such as a Vehicle Logbook (V5C) which proves that the car you are trying to scrap actually belongs to you. This prevents anyone from unlawfully taking a car that does not belong to them and scrapping it.

You should also get a certificate of destruction (CoD) in the post within the following week, so you have a legal acknowledgement that the car has been recycled to your knowledge.