“What’s my scrap car worth”?
It is probably the most common question we hear from residents in the Romford area. There are so many variables with scrap cars that there is no quick and easy answer. If you follow some simple guidance it is easy to maximise the value from any scrap car or scrap van starting with your location.
Not many people know that the best price paid for scrap cars usually comes from the closest dealer to you. Some scrap car facilities don’t have a network of drivers and vehicles available to collect end of life cars, so they rely on a network of driver-owned collection agents that usually subcontract the work. A whole new network have tried to dominate the internet by advertising in your town or city claiming to be the biggest recycler in the area, when in fact they sit in an office and instruct a driver to collect meaning there are more people in the profit chain which usually ends up with you getting a lower valuation for your scrap car or van.
If you choose a locally based company specific to your area like Essex Scrap who have there own fleet of recovery vehicles and drivers, you can be sure that you will get a fair price for your scrap car.
What affect the scrap car prices?
There are many different factors that will affect the price you receive for your scrap car or scrap van. First, you must identify the vehicle to the dealer by giving them the registration number make model and the mileage. Once the dealer has identified the vehicle they will ask what’s wrong with it. If your car or van has suffered a total engine failure this will usually greatly reduce the quote because the engine is usually the most profitable and reusable part. If your car is still running but has failed an MOT test or has a flat battery then you can usually expect a higher value.
Some scrap cars and vans are more valuable than others if they are manufactured in Germany or Japan as these vehicles can be exported abroad. Make sure to tell the dealer exactly what problems your car has and what condition it’s in because you will only fall out when the driver comes to inspect and collect a supposedly running car only to find out it’s been stripped to a shell. Always avoid the temptation to strip parts of your scrapper especially the wheels, if the wheels have been removed it will make it a lot harder for the car to be collected unless the dealer has a Hiab lorry which lifts the car off the ground.
Typically BMW, Audi and most Japanese vehicles will command higher valuation as the components used are of high quality and can be recycled again. Another more obvious factor to take into consideration is the size and weight of your scrap vehicle because a little Ka won’t bring much cash for scrap as large heavy Land rover will.
A dealer will also take into consideration the body condition such as the body panels and bumpers, these items can be removed from end of life vehicles and sold on for cash.
Scrap metal is a worldwide commodity and is subject to change on a daily basis. Steel, copper and aluminium are the common metals that have the highest values, as these fluctuate up and down they will have a small impact all the way down the chain to your vehicle, it won’t be much and it’s not really something for you to worry about.
What prices can Essex Scrap offer you?
Prices above are for illustration only.
When scrapping your car or van you will have to notify the DVLA that your no longer the keeper and that you authorise your vehicle to be scrapped, over a million cars and vans are scrapped every year in the UK but according to the EU commission between 3-4 million vehicles go missing across Europe as unregistered scrap dealers buy and sell illegally on the black market which means over 55 million tonnes of waste fluids like engine oil and air con gas go unaccounted for damaging our environment, some vehicles are lost to paperwork grey areas and some are exported to the middle east for illegal dismantling.
In Denmark, car owners pay a minimum annual recycling fee of €11, which accumulates over the car’s life. The final owner gets the money when the car is scrapped with a legitimate dismantler.
Poland tops the charts with a whopping million cars a year reportedly missing, following closely behind France and Spain have half of that amount to which the government have no clue as to where they have gone. Germany has an outdated system contributing to the problem when a car has not been used for 7 years it is automatically removed from the system but still exist in physical form.
To reflect manufactures will all have to collaborate in the future to form a system that will track cars from source through ownership to recycling maybe following the Dutch idea of rewarding owners for responsible ownership and responsible recycling, if they don’t then we could see the problem getting a lot worse when 2020 comes around and manufacturers stop manufacturing diesel and start giving car owners incentives to buy electric vehicles.
It can be a stressful time when you decide to scrap your car or van, thankfully Essexscrap.co.uk make this process as easy as possible.
When your car or van fails its MOT or has just come to the end of its life, a quick search on google will show a list of dealers that will collect your vehicle free of charge. Make sure you choose somebody that has a valid scrap car and waste collectors license and has good feedback from previous customers on a reputable website such as Google or Facebook reviews.
Most online scrap car collection companies will have valuation software on their websites so when you input your details it will automatically generate a quote, once you receive this and have booked a collection they will send either a driver or a recovery vehicle depending on the size and weight of your scrap car or van. Usually, the process takes no more than a day from booking to collection providing you have good access the driver will load your car and fill out the yellow slip of the V5c or logbook, never hand over all the logbook as you will still be liable for the vehicle. Cash for scrap metal was banned in 2012 it’s now illegal for a dealer to pay you in cash unless the vehicle is salvage.
Has your scrap car snapped its cambelt or maybe the clutch has failed and you don’t want to spend any more time and money on it?. Most scrap vehicles will be over the age of about 7 year’s old and over 100,000 miles although it’s not uncommon to see low mileage examples that have started to develop running issues and owners just can’t or won’t repair them.
If your car isn’t worth that much and you think it’s going to fail the next MOT test its then probably more economical to scrap It and buy a new one. Has your car or van been involved in an accident or started smoking from the exhaust then its time to go. Remember you can earn extra cash out of selling your vehicle to a scrap dealer.
Make sure you notify the DVLA when selling or scrapping a vehicle, you can do this by filling out the V5c in the new keeper’s details or online. As soon as you have notified the DVLA they will refund any road tax that is still remaining this usually comes through the post in the form of a check providing it’s in your name and you still live at the same address. If you fail to notify the DVLA they will send you fines and penalties.
Make sure you remove all your belongings because when the car has gone it can be very hard to get them back once it’s seen the inside of the crusher, organise all your paperwork and keys prior to the collection that way your not rushing around at the last minute. No need to clean your car before collection as its only going in the bin.