Once the truck pulls away, most people never think about the car again. It’s worth knowing what happens next, mostly because the first part involves paperwork with your name on it.
The paper side comes first
Illinois tracks scrap cars from the moment they change hands.
- The weight ticket. Under 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3, a scrap processor records each vehicle purchase on its weight ticket, including the seller’s identity from two forms of ID and, when a title or similar document is handed over, the vehicle identification number. The processor keeps those records for three years.
- The title goes to the state. A scrap processor or parts recycler that receives a properly assigned title has 15 days to send it to the Secretary of State with a Junk Vehicle Notification (625 ILCS 5/3-117.2).
- The car is retired for good. Once a vehicle is junked, 625 ILCS 5/3-117.1 says a certificate of title “shall not again be issued” for it, and a junk vehicle “may not be driven or operated on roads and highways within this State.”
That last point is why a scrapped car can’t quietly turn up for sale later with your old title attached. It’s also why you still have a couple of jobs of your own after the sale, covered in after you scrap your car.
Draining
Before a car is crushed, the fluids come out. Wikipedia’s summary of the process lists engine coolant, oil, transmission fluid, air-conditioning refrigerant and gasoline among what’s drained. Mercury-containing parts, found in some older cars, are removed so the mercury doesn’t escape during shredding. The battery comes out too.
Parts come off
Anything with resale value can be pulled at this stage: engines, transmissions, body panels, wheels, the catalytic converter. Which parts come off depends on the car’s age and what’s in demand. A newer wreck might give up a lot of parts. A twenty-year-old car with 250,000 miles might give up almost none before it goes to the crusher.
Crushing and shredding
The stripped shell is crushed flat or into a cube so more of them fit on a truck. At the shredder, a hammer mill tears each one into roughly fist-sized chunks.
Then the pieces are sorted. Magnets pull out steel and iron. Other separation steps recover aluminum, copper and other nonferrous metals. What’s left, a mix of plastics, glass, rubber, foam and dirt, is called automotive shredder residue, and Wikipedia’s summary notes it mostly goes to landfill, though some sites sort it further.
Where the metal goes
The recovered steel is sold to mills and melted down to make new steel. Wikipedia’s summary of the process cites recycled metal as using about 74 percent less energy than making metal from ore. That demand from mills is also what sets scrap prices, and why they move. We explain that side in how scrap car value works.
What this means for you as the seller
Hand over clean paperwork and you’re done with the car for good. The weight ticket shows who sold it and when, and the title is reported to the state. The only loose ends are yours: the plates, the Seller’s Report of Sale and your insurance. Our scrap paperwork guide explains what to bring to the pickup, and the scrap car removal page explains the pickup itself.