People keep junk cars on their properties for all kinds of reasons. Maybe your junk car was supposed to be used for parts for another project, or maybe you simply felt attached to the car long after it was last functional. No matter the reason, it can be difficult to let go of a junk car. If you need to let yours go for any reason, it helps to understand what will happen to the car after you agree to sell it. This article covers what happens after a salvage yard agrees to buy your junk car.
Junk Car Removal
Although you can tow your junk car to a salvage yard to sell it, many salvage yards offer pickup services. Simply give a local salvage yard a call, and an employee will come pick up your junk car with a tow truck. You may need to answer questions about the drivability of the car before pickup. If your car doesn't have tires or can't move on its own for any reason, the scrap yard will need to use a flatbed truck rather than a wheel-lift truck. Generally, these pickup services are offered for free, but you may be able to negotiate a better price for your car if you offer to tow it to the salvage yard yourself. The salvage yard should pay you for your car before taking it away.
Scrap Yard Assessment
Once your car is at the salvage yard, technicians will assess its value to their potential customers. Although they already have a general idea of its worth based on your description of it and a cursory inspection before buying it, this assessment is used to find valuable parts hidden within the engine and interior. Unlike scrap yards, salvage yards sell non-metal parts like seats, trim pieces, and tires.
Parts And Fluids Processing
Your junk car is valuable to salvage yards for its parts and its fluids. Before handling any parts, employees typically drain the oil, coolant, washer fluid, and transmission fluid from all vehicles. Most of these fluids are recycled, providing some revenue to the salvage yard. Employees then either remove valuable parts and offer them for sale or place the whole vehicle in a self-service lot. In self-service lots, customers pay a small entrance fee and use their own tools to remove valuable parts from junk cars.
Transfer To Scrapyard
Once all of the valuable parts have been removed from your junk car or the salvage yard needs more space for incoming junk cars, your junk car will be sent to a scrapyard. The scrapyard will make full use of the metal in your vehicle. Your car will be crushed down and the metal in it will eventually be recycled.
If you ask yourself, "what happens when a scrapyard buys my junk car?" remember the above steps. This will help you understand if selling your junk car is the best route for you.
