Auto wreckers (also known as scrap yards, automobile dismantlers, or junk yards) are services that buy scrap cars from people for cash, and salvage them for usable parts.
Once the usable parts are removed, the rest of the car is recycled and sold off. Auto wreckers buy cars in all kinds of conditions, from mildly damaged, to wrecked cars.
They buy cars that can no longer be driven, and car with parts missing.
If you have any old cars or junk vehicles that you want to get rid of, an auto wrecker is one of the best alternatives available to you. If you have an old car wasting away in your garage, you can get it to an auto wrecker near you and get paid for it. Even if the car isn’t so old, but it doesn’t make sense, money-wise, to fix it, you can get a good price for it at a local auto wrecker. These are ways to get the best scrap metal prices at a salvage yard. [2]
Before you agree with an auto wrecker on exchanging your junk car for cash, however, there are some things you must keep in mind;
-
Be Forthright in Describing Your Car’s Condition
The more damaged your car is, the less money you’re likely to get from its sale. However, do not let that tempt you into giving false information about the exact condition your car is in during negotiations. If you do, you are inadvertently opening up a loophole through which you may be taken advantage of. Once an auto wrecker sees that your car is not in the condition you said it was, all previous agreements are null, and you will be lucky to get fair value for it.
If the car is no longer running, tell them. If it is so bad it has no salvageable parts, let them know. There is nothing to be gained from being fictitious. In truth, it will only lead to loss on the part of the seller.
-
Remove Valuable Parts That Can Be Sold Separately
Auto wreckers offer good rates for junk cars and anything valuable in it. Despite this, there are some parts that may bring in more money if sold separately. Before an auto wrecker appraises your junk car and how much the parts left in it are worth, you may want to remove those parts that have good resale value on the street. If, say, you have a new battery in the car, you may want to remove that. Same for new tires, the stereo system, rims etc.
Please note that these parts can only be removed before appraisal. Once the auto wrecker has assessed your car’s value with those parts present, you can no longer remove the parts.
-
Look Through and Remove Personal Items
No matter how long a car has been sitting idle, there are bound to be some personal items in it. The trunk and the glovebox, especially, are prime real estate for old personal items.
Firstly, remove your registration and insurance papers, but aside those, look through the car for things like old watches and items with sentimental value, or old documents you must have stuffed in gloveboxes years ago. You’ll never know, some of them may hold sensitive information.
-
Do Not Sign Your Car Over Before Payment
In the excitement of getting paid for a junk vehicle you initially thought had no value, do not get carried away. There are some shady auto wreckers that will look to play the old bait-and-switch on you. Be guided, do not sign your car over until you have received full payment for it.
If you make the mistake of signing your title over too quickly, a shady auto dismantler can go back on the already agreed terms, and since the car’s title is no longer in your name, you would have no option but to agree to the new and surely lower terms.
-
Towing Should Be Free
All good auto wreckers have towing services included in their offers. What this means is, the wreckers will send a towing vehicle to pick up the junk car from wherever you have it parked. Do not pay the towing service, it should be free; well, auto wreckers like to claim that the service is free. In truth, however, it is not free, the charge has already been deducted from the payment you stand to receive from the auto wrecker for your car.
Therefore, except in cases where your auto wrecker did not make an arrangement for towing, towing service is free. Friendly advice: do not sell to an auto wrecker that doesn’t provide towing services to customers.
-
Cancel Your Insurance
It goes without saying, but once you have transferred ownership of your vehicle to an auto wrecker, cancel the insurance you had on it.
