Do you have an old or damaged car rusting away in your backyard and you don’t know what to do with it? Take it in for repairs? That is certainly out of the question because it’s either too battered to be repaired or the cost of repairs is too high, perhaps even higher than the car’s present value.

What next?

Below are the 5 things to do before selling your scrap car

Use up the fuel

If your car is still in working order why not use the fuel still left in the car that will save you money? Scrap yards often don’t use up the fuel so why leave it? Fuel is not cheap having a full tank might cost you about $80 and a scrap car is worth $150 depending on the make, model, and condition. One thing we suggest NOT doing is to take out the fuel. It is dangerous and can often cause serious harm rather just drive it around or perhaps use that fuel and take it to the scrap yard. Some scrap yards such as Elite car removals offer $50 extra if you take the car to them, It saves them towing costs.

Remove the Registration Plates

Selling a car to scrap yards is different compared to selling to a car dealership. Before handing over the car to the scrap yard you need to remove the rego plates. They’re scrapping your car so don’t leave your number plates. It needs to be returned back to RMS for cancellation. Whereas if you are selling a car to a dealership they might want to buy the car with registration, therefore, the rego plates are essential to leave on the car. There are forms required to be filled often scrap car yards have them ready for you, It’s similar to a car transfer receipt. Never ever leave your license plate when selling your car to scrap yards.

What’s the value of parts from your car

There are a lot of demands for parts from a particular vehicle and if your car is one of those then why not take out some parts before scrapping? Parts are expensive but it really depends on the type of vehicle. Beware if you take out the engine or gearbox parts then the scrap yard might not take it and you would leave with a junk car unless willing to pay someone to get it removed. If you have expensive rims then perhaps exchange them and sell them for cash. There are demands for stereo and navigator, Perhaps it’s a good idea to take it off and sell it on Gumtree.

Prepare yourself before the sale

Before contacting a scrap yard it is recommended to get the paperwork ready. You need to have the current registration paper, ownership, keys, and your driver’s license. If you have finance owing on the vehicle then have the current balance up to date and get a copy. If the scrap yard is not worried about the ownership of the car then you must be worried. There is some scrap yard where they buy cars and use them for negative purposes.

Remove Your Belongings

It is important to check the car for your belongings before giving it to scrap yards. Any valuable things might get destroyed if you leave them. They often crush down scrap cars and everything gets destroyed. If any belonging left you might not get another chance to remove it