What you/your car need to have in order to scrap a car?

JustAnotherSaver

Been a long long time since I last scrapped a car but am probably now going to have to scrap the old one.

First off - as far as the documentation goes, I have the old style V5C as in I bought the car in 2008. Something tells me I got a new V5C for it around 2015 though. I'd need to find it and check. It's unlikely i'll be there for the autowrecker coming to collect so is there anything i'd need to fill out in advance or can i pretty much just leave it with my mother which is where the car is kept and she can just hand it over, job done?

As far as the car goes, what is actually needed to be with the car? This will be a collection and not me taking it there to be scrapped. I know i can remove the bulbs (they're LEDs and not cheap ones so don't want to just bin them) but these are something-or-nothing. I'd be pulling the switches as since they were LED converted I know these sell. I'm talking about more serious things - such as the steering wheel for example. The one I have comes from the higher end models and still sells but i have no replacement to swap over and to sort one would make it pointless.

The battery isn't that old either. Though if push comes to shove i think i may have an old one to switch over if needs be.

I know once it gets there they'll not really be driving it around, they'll probably spear the fuel tank and then just fork lift it around the yard so it's more the getting it on to their carrier really.

Rolandtheroadie

I use cartakeback for the best price, which is normally Copart round here.
The car needs to be complete, but I'm pretty sure they wont check for bulbs etc. 
 Missing steering wheel might be an issue tho. 
 Last one, I didn't have the V5c. This didn't affect the price, as my original quote was with V5c. Losing it didn't make a difference. 
Surprising as it may be, they may be looking to sell it on again as a fixer upper.

JustAnotherSaver

Rolandtheroadie said:

I use cartakeback for the best price, which is normally Copart round here.
The car needs to be complete, but I'm pretty sure they wont check for bulbs etc. 
 Missing steering wheel might be an issue tho. 
 Last one, I didn't have the V5c. This didn't affect the price, as my original quote was with V5c. Losing it didn't make a difference. 
Surprising as it may be, they may be looking to sell it on again as a fixer upper.

No they actually wont. (sell it on). I remember putting in my dads car to them after he died and it was in better nick than my old one and worth more. They just scrapped it all the same.

My old car will be 20 this year. If it didn't have any of the issues it currently has then it'd be worth about £400 very tops. It has up to this point been incredibly reliable but ATEOTD only I know how it's been. To anyone else looking at it it's a 20 year old car with not so great bodywork (scratches, stonechips, rust on the arches) and 183k on the clock.

Another I didn't ask about was the speedometer unit. The one I have has a plasma dial mat installed which now sells at 150EUR new  as well as needle illumination for 20EUR . I know that's brand new prices but all set up with the wiring and gluing in to place already done, plus the fact I can set the mileage to whatever you need it to be and I should at least get something for them so i'd rather not just bin these either if i'm able to pull them before it's picked up.

Rolandtheroadie

Charge on fella, can only pass on my experience. 

AdrianC

This might sound a radical thought, but why not... ask the scrapper in advance? <shrugs>

Sure, you can part-strip it and then flog all the odds and sods. Yes, it might hit the amount they give you for it. But they'll take what's left...

Yes, every car had a new red V5C issued around 2013. THAT is your correct, valid V5C. The old blue one is just scrap paper for recycling.

JustAnotherSaver

It was half 11 at night and i wondered if there was just some universal kind of thing so thought i'd just ask anyway.

With the V5C though, as i said - do i need to do anything myself ahead of collection or can i essentially just leave it with my mother and the scrap guy will just take it or whatever? I'll be at work whenever it's collected so i'll not be there. What i don't want is a phone call to say this guy can't pick it up because you've not done XYZ with the paperwork.

sheramber

Have a read
https://www.gov.uk/scrapped-and-written-off-vehicles

colino

Most end of life car buyers will expect it to be complete, have a battery, cat and alloys (if appropriate).  You can discuss major components you want to hang on to, but expect them to disproportionately reduce their offer. If it is a scrapper, make sure they sort out the Certificate of Destruction or do the V5 just as usual if you are selling the car into trade to make sure you don't get tickets in the future. 

JustAnotherSaver

colino said:

Most end of life car buyers will expect it to be complete, have a battery, cat and alloys (if appropriate).  You can discuss major components you want to hang on to, but expect them to disproportionately reduce their offer.

If i was selling it on to Joe Bloggs to repair or use or sell on himself or whatever then I wouldn't even be here asking if it needs XYZ. I would assume they would be expecting things like lights, instrument cluster, steering wheel etc. It wouldn't enter my mind to ask if they'd want these things as i'd expect it.

colino said:

If it is a scrapper

It is. That's what I'm here asking about as it's what I opened the thread with. Since it's just scrap, I wouldn't have expected them to want a lot from it. The metalwork yeah. As far as interior pieces go then correctly or incorrectly i wouldn't have imagined they'd be overly bothered about it. It'd get stored on top of a pile of other cars for a while (or underneath or whatever) and then crushed up.

AdrianC

JustAnotherSaver said:
...It'd get stored on top of a pile of other cars for a while (or underneath or whatever)...

And that's where they may be bargaining on making their money.

They aren't just stored, they're being used as sources of used parts.
Some yards will strip cars and store the parts they think will sell, then crush the rest.
Some yards will store them whole, and strip them as parts are required/sold.

If they're bargaining on making £x from your car, so offering you £y for it, then they're bargaining on a profit of £x-y.
If the potential for £x revenue goes down, because the car is already part-stripped, then they won't offer £y any more...

sheramber

Most scrap yards sell on parts  salvaged from cars that come in for scrap.
With older cars my husband would go to the scrap yard for some parts before buying new.