The Pitfalls of Car Scrapping: Common Mistakes Owners Make and How to Avoid Them

Car scrapping can seem intimidating, to somebody who has never needed to do it before. There are several things that you, as the vehicle’s owner, need to do, and failing to complete these tasks can actually have some pretty serious consequences.

Forgetting to inform the DVLA that the car has been scrapped, accepting cash as payment (yes, that’s illegal!) or even something as silly as not filling in paperwork correctly can land you in hot water. Not every mistake will have legal repercussions, but some will – substantial fines and even PRISON TIME! Don’t panic; we’re going to cover everything you need to know in this blog post.

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The Legal Requirements When Scrapping Your Car

There are some things that you must do when scrapping your car (or to be more specific, selling it to a scrap buyer). If you’re caught out failing to do these things, you could face a hefty fine and even time in prison. Let Scrap Car Comparison clear things up:

Get a Certificate of Destruction

The Certificate of Destruction (CoD) is a document that acts as proof that your car has been scrapped. There is no law that specifically states you need to have one, but if you don’t have one, and your car is seen driving around after it is supposed to have been crushed, you’ll have no way to protect yourself from punishment for any future driving offences committed in your old motor.

For more info on this important document, see here.

Don’t accept payment in cash

This could seem like a strange one – cash is still legal tender, of course, even though some businesses now refuse to accept it – but when it comes to the buying and selling of scrap metal, including cars, cold hard cash is off-limits. This is because the Scrap Metal Dealers Act was introduced in 2013 which aimed to prevent the sale of stolen vehicles as scrap metal. Before 2013, it was very easy for thieves to steal a car, take it off to a scrap buyer, and sell it. Once it was sold, the car disappeared and so did the thief, without a paper trail to lead police to them or the vehicle. Payments that go through a bank account can be traced.

Want more information on cash payments in the scrap metal industry? We’ve got that here for you.

Tell the DVLA you’ve sold your vehicle

Informing the DVLA when you’ve transferred ownership of your vehicle to somebody else (even if that’s for it to be scrapped) is very important. It allows them to keep track of the car and ensure that the right person receives any letters, documents, emails or even fines that the owner might be due to receive. If you don’t tell the DVLA that you’ve sold your car, not only might you be responsible for any fines for driving offences – like speeding – or not MOTing or taxing the vehicle, you’ll also face a fine of your own simply because you forgot to tell them. That fine could be up £1,000!

Use an ATF to scrap your vehicle

An Authorised Treatment Facility will operate within the law, meaning they will dispose of your vehicle in the proper, legal way. An ATF will recycle the vast majority of your car’s parts (at least 95% of its total mass) and the storage and processing of the materials, including hazardous waste, will all be done safely and in an environmentally-friendly way. Scrap your car with an unauthorised vehicle buyer and they probably won’t follow those rules. You’ve probably heard that if you pay someone to take some rubbish to the tip and they end up fly-tipping it, you will be fined – the same rules apply here. If you scrap your car to an unlicenced cowboy who gets in trouble with the authorities, you will also face some form of punishment. This will most likely be a fine, but could even be prison time!

We’ve gone into more detail about why cutting corners when scrapping a car is a terrible idea here.

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Other Requirements To Scrap Your Car The Right Way

We’ve cleared up all of the things that you legally need to do when scrapping your car. Now let’s talk about the things you should do – but aren’t required to by law – to ensure the process goes smoothly and that you get the highest amount of money possible for your old motor:

Remove personal belongings and rubbish

You’re selling your car so that it can be recycled. This process involves dismantling your vehicle, typically with the use of an enormous crusher. Unless your vehicle is being saved for salvage, it’s probably not being taken apart with a delicate touch. So, anything you forget to remove before the car is sold – items of clothing, electronic devices, etc. – will be lost forever once the car is no more.

Also, the buyer is recycling your car, not old plastic bottles or cans or any other waste that you’ve left in there. Here at Scrap Car Comparison, our buyers don’t expect the vehicle to be squeaky clean, but if there’s an unreasonable amount of rubbish sloshing around in the footwells, you may be asked to remove some of it first.

Make sure you’ve got the keys

It is possible for your car to be scrapped without keys, but it makes life a whole lot easier if you have them. Getting your car onto the back of a truck will most likely require some manoeuvring of the vehicle; perhaps the steering wheel might need to be turned, but at the very least, the handbrake will need to be taken off. If the car can’t move at all, a specialised collection vehicle can be used, but if you’ve got the key to hand and the vehicle can, at the very least, roll in a straight line, the collection will be much more straightforward.

And on the topic of simplifying collection…

Make sure the car is accessible

This is an important one, but it’s also often overlooked by customers. Any competent scrap car collector (like the ones Scrap Car Comparison work with) will go above and beyond to help their customers. However, this can sometimes lead to customers expecting collectors to do the impossible. If your car is in a location that is simply not accessible for the tow truck/vehicle transporter, and the car itself can’t be moved, the collection will be tricky. Letting your collector know ahead of time that their may be some logistical difficulties will allow them to plan for the situation and bring a different type of truck or specialised equipment to get the job done.

Find the proper paperwork

As we mentioned earlier, it’s crucial that the proper paperwork is completed when a vehicle changes hands. The V5C log book is the most important document there, and finding it makes informing the DVLA of the scrapping really easy. But what if you’ve lost the log book? Don’t worry, it’s not uncommon. The simplest solution here is to apply for a new one via the DVLA. There is a charge of £25, and you’ll have to wait anywhere from one to six weeks for the replacement to arrive.

But if you don’t want to shell out the extra cash, or have your broken down old write off sitting on your driveway any longer, you can tell the DVLA about the car sale with a good old fashioned letter. You’ll have to include all of the important details about your car and the buyer, but it is possible.

It goes without saying, though, that finding all the documents you need (including the V5C) is the best course of action.

‘What To Do’ Checklist

Here’s an in-brief breakdown of what you should be doing to ensure you scrap your car legally, easily, and for the most amount of money available:

• Sell with Scrap Car Comparison – Scrap Car Comparison will put you in touch with high-paying buyers who can be trusted to collect and dispose of your car the proper, legal way.
• Get paid by bank transfer or cheque – Don’t accept cash when selling your car, as this is not legal. A respectable company will pay the money you’re owed directly into your bank account.
• Gather all documentation – Get all of the paperwork that you’ll need (like the V5C), but also don’t forget to keep hold of any documents you’re given, including the Certificate of Destruction.

Sell With Scrap Car Comparison

Get a quote for your scrap car with Scrap Car Comparison’s online service, and we’ll present you with a guaranteed price in seconds. Selling your car as scrap has never been simpler than when you let us find you the highest-paying buyer in your local area! Collection of your vehicle is included for FREE and your money will be paid directly into your bank account once the car’s on its way to the crusher. Find out what your old banger is worth as scrap by getting a quote today!

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