It’s a sad moment when a cherished family car finally reaches the end of its economic life.
The MOT tester rubs his chin and shakes his head. He finds it hard to tell you there’s no way it’s going to make financial sense to keep it alive. It’s probably too old to be worth much, even if you could part exchange it…
Its next destination is evident – it’s heading for The Great Car Park in the Sky. In other words, the scrap yard, or scrap car recycling centre as they’re called these days.
You Can Scrap Your Car Online
However, the good news is that the process of scrapping your car has improved beyond recognition in recent years. Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s when scrap metal prices were low you generally had to nurse your ailing vehicle to a scrap yard and enter into negotiations with the owner – an experience which could feel intimidating for a woman on her own.
Now however sorting out your scrap car can be done from the comfort of your own home by going online. By entering your car registration number and postcode into the CarTakeBack.com website you’ll be given an instant online quote with the option of either delivering your car to the recycling centre or having it collected. Prices range between £100-£300 depending on the type of car and its location.
Make a Clean Break
We all know how messy splitting up can be – and how important it is to make a clean break. It’s exactly the same when it comes to scrapping your car. When a car is scrapped the DVLA needs to be notified using a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) which can only be issued by scrap car recycling centres known as Authorised Treatment Facilities (ATFs).
Avoid Dodgy Dealers
It’s important to avoid dodgy dealers when scrapping your car. They can offer unrealistically high amounts for your scrap car – but then drop their offer dramatically on collection. Since the Scrap Metal Dealers’ Act of 2013 it’s been illegal to pay cash for scrap cars in England and Wales, so if anyone offers to do this it’s a red alert.
Remember Recycling
We’re all so used to separating out our household rubbish so that paper and glass can be recycled and other items properly disposed of. It’s even more important to make sure that scrap cars are disposed of correctly. If not, hazardous materials such as oil and batteries can end up damaging the environment. You should only scrap your car at a recycling centre with an ATF Licence – the licence requires businesses to invest substantially in the necessary equipment and buildings required to recycle cars properly.
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This is a Guest Blog from CarTakeBack.com, the biggest scrap car recycling company in the UK and has a nationwide network of recycling centres which are all fully licensed and have a secure electronic link to the DVLA database meaning that they can both promptly contact the DVLA on your behalf and provide you with a CoD.
NB: Customers that scrap their cars through CarTakeBack are entered in a prize draw to win a new Mitsubishi Mirage worth £10,999.