Scrapping a car that won't run

A car that won’t start is where a lot of scrap sales begin. Sometimes it died last week. Sometimes it has been under a tarp next to the garage for years.

Why “doesn’t run” doesn’t kill the offer

Scrap value comes from what the car is made of: steel in the body and frame, aluminum in the wheels and engine parts on many models, copper in the wiring, and the precious metals in the catalytic converter. None of that cares whether the starter turns over. That’s why a dead car still has a price, and why the questions we ask on the call are about completeness rather than whether it starts. Our guide to how scrap car value works walks through each part of the number.

What can lower an offer is missing material. An engine pulled for a project, a transmission sold separately, four wheels swapped for bald spares. Tell us about those up front. A car that’s complete but dead is worth more as scrap than a running car that has been stripped.

The common situations

• The engine is gone (seized, thrown a rod, overheated). Still a complete car by weight. The engine block is metal either way.
• The transmission failed. Same story. Repair quotes on transmissions are often what makes people decide to scrap.
• Dead battery and it has sat. The car rolls, the tires might not. That’s fine.
• No keys. We can still load it. If the steering is locked, the driver plans for it.
• Electrical gremlins. If it won’t stay running or the dash lights up like a holiday display, it’s a scrap car the day you decide it is.

Getting a dead car out of a tight spot

A car that can’t move under its own power has to be pulled, winched or lifted. On the call we’ll ask whether it’s on a slope, whether there’s room behind it, and whether the tires hold air. A car in a one-car garage off an alley takes a little more care than one at the curb. It’s all doable. We just want to bring the right truck the first time.

Before a village notice runs out

Leaving a dead car in view can get you a notice in most towns near Crestwood. Crestwood’s own code treats an inoperable car left in public view as a nuisance and schedules a tow on the tenth day after notice. Neighbouring villages give different windows, and our inoperable car rules guide compares them. If you already have a notice on the windshield, say so when you call.

The removal itself works like any scrap car removal: free tow, papers checked, paid at pickup. If the car is dead because it was in a crash, our page on wrecked and totaled cars covers the insurance side.