Thinking about scrapping a car? Did you know you’ll face legal ramifications if you do it improperly? Worse yet, you might lose out on some valuable goods.
Don’t worry, we’ve all the details listed below, so you can junk your car the right way. So, when you’re ready to learn the steps every vehicle owner should follow, so you can avoid a fine, read on.
Table of Contents
Clear Out Personal Belongings
Before you get rid of your old junk cars, be sure to conduct a thorough search for your belongings. If you’re wondering how to scrap a car the right way, do more than checking the back seat. Investigate all the nooks and crannies.
- Under the seats
- In the boot
- On either side of the central console
- In the glovebox
- In the ashtray
Once you turn in a car for scrap, there’s no going back. The fluid is removed from the car, and it’s crushed into a small cube ready for easy transport. Once that happens, you can’t retrieve anything inside without a hefty blowtorch and a pair of sturdy welding goggles.
Submit Change of Ownership
Whenever you get rid of a vehicle, your government wants to know about it. That’s why they require you to fill out a TM16 Application Form, otherwise known as a “change of ownership.” You only need a few pieces of information to complete the form.
- Your name, address, and email
- Your vehicles registration number
- The recipient’s details
Though the form is 3 full pages, it takes most people only a few minutes to fill out. Note: You use different forms for a “change of owner’s rights” and “change of name.”
Remove Anything of Value
When you sell your car for scrap, the scrap yard is buying the vehicle, so they can resell the scrap metal. In other words, they value only the resale price of the metal in your car. They don’t care about fancy speakers or how much tread is left on the tires.
That doesn’t mean those things don’t have value, quite the opposite. You can remove items like stereo equipment and batteries and resell them yourself. Be sure to get more information on the up-to-date value of car parts, so you can remove the valuable parts and leave the rest.
Unscrew Your Plates
Though it’s illegal to drive without both front and back number plates, it’s important to remove your private number plates before you junk your car. Why? For two reasons.
The first is that when you’re getting rid of a car by scrapping it, those plates transfer to the scrap company along with the vehicle. Unfortunately, scrap yards don’t care about plates. They get scrapped along with the rest of the metal, and the DVLA doesn’t re-issue plates that have been on vehicles.
In other words, nobody else will have the chance to use those plates again. If, however, you’d like to use the same number plates on your next vehicle, you can remove them and do so.
Theft is also a consideration. Salvage yards rarely have tight security. Though uncommon, it’s easy for thieves to sneak in, remove plates, and reuse them on other vehicles for nefarious purposes.
After You Finish Scrapping a Car
Scrapping a car is a simple process if you follow the steps listed above. Even if you avoid everything else, submit the change of ownership form, so you can avoid a fine.
If you’d like to learn more about scrapping and other car-related topics, hop over to our huge digital library full of auto and motor articles built for people just like you.