If you have recently sent your car to be scrapped, you are likely wondering what will happen to it. Images of the dismantlement of a well-loved vehicle flashing through your head might evoke feelings of loss or pity, and you may want to know if your brave sacrifice will contribute to the wider world of motor trading. Or perhaps you are just intrigued about what a scrapyard worker does in their job.

Whatever the reasons for your curiosity, this article will aim to explain what happens after you scrap your car...

Taking it apart

When you send a car to be scrapped, it is taken to a trusted, professional car breaker where it will be first drained of oil, fuel and coolant. These pose a human health hazard if left inside but are also valuable resources that can be sold back to road users.

The car will then be stripped down to its shell, where any working parts from the tyres and battery to the engine and internal stereo system will be carefully inspected and potentially put aside for resale. Any dead or faulty pieces are removed and sent for recycling. The shell is then compacted by a crusher to make recycling easier.

Pricing

After all material has been categorised, an industry professional will be asked to reassess the working parts and provide a suitable price for reselling. They will then be put on the second-hand market, where they will be purchased by repairers, motor refurbishing companies and private buyers.

Just think – your car could be living on in the bonnet of another car or project for many years forward!

For anything of less value, the car breaker can still dispose of them sustainably by sending parts or metal to larger metal recycling plants, where they will be divided into two categories, ferrous and non-ferrous. Ferrous metals are quite common, hence less valuable non-ferrous metals are used to make car shells and will naturally be higher in price.

When scraping a car, the value of the car is determined by its weight. For this reason, it is beneficial to let professional recyclers dismantle your car rather than trying to strip the parts yourself.

Contact Motorwise

Recycling is now further advanced and, by scrapping your car, you can be certain that your vehicle will take on a different form in a later life different from its last. For an instant quote on how much your scrap car could be worth, get a quote today!