If you haven’t done it before, scrapping your car can feel like a daunting process. But gone are the days of it being hard work.
In recent years, new rules have been brought into place to make it easier for you to scrap your car when it has been written of by the insurance company or isn’t worth the cost of repair.
In turn, the problem of abandoned vehicles littering the UK countryside has reduced, because owners no longer consider doing that, rather than pay for their car to be destroyed.
Once a vehicle has been written off, it should be taken to an Authorised Treatment Facility (ATF) which has been registered by the DVLA. The company will often come and collect the car free of charge and the owner can also get money back in return.
So if car scrappage is on the cards, we’ve put together a ‘scrapping your car checklist’ to help ensure you have everything you need.
Get an online valuation
It’s no longer necessary to drag your car over to a scrapyard and haggle over costs when you’re there. And long gone is the myth that you will be paying through the nose to have it taken off your hands.
Remember, scrapping a car doesn’t have to mean the whole thing is going on a big scrap heap. Often parts of the vehicle, such as part worn tyres and engine components that are still in good working order can be removed, thoroughly checked and sold on again as spares.
So, when you want to get an idea of how much your car could be worth, all you need to do is use an online calculator such as ours, which will give you a quote in minutes – all from the comfort of your own home.
Get your documents together
When scrapping your car, it’s useful to have the following:
- Vehicle’s V5C registration certificate (log book) – for proof of ownership
- Proof of identity and address
- The keys to the vehicle (it can be costly if they’re not there)
- Owner’s manual (when looking into parts that can be recycled, it’s useful to be able to see what there is and how it works).
- Service history – to give more of an idea of the parts that might be worth salvaging.
- Receipts for work done – again, it gives an idea of the history of certain parts.
- After the vehicle has been handed over, make sure you are given a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) – this will mean you are no longer responsible for the vehicle.
Another important reason for scrapping your car at an ATF is to ensure that potentially hazardous parts, such as oil and batteries are disposed of correctly, this way you will be doing your bit to avoid damaging the environment. An ATF is bound by law to invest in the kind of equipment that will ensure every part of a vehicle is disposed of or recycled correctly.
And finally – avoid selling off parts separately unless you’re an experienced professional, who knows what they’re doing. It’s easy to believe that this will end up making you more money than selling the car as a whole, but in reality it can be a tricky process that can take a great deal of time, for no real return.
When you need to scrap your car, get a valuation quickly using our online form. We offer customers a choice of free collection or local drop off, can handle all admin/paperwork, are DVLA approved and will provide you with a destruction certificate when the process is complete. Contact us today for more details.