Scrap car removal with a free tow

Removal is the part people worry about most, so here is how it actually goes once you accept an offer.

Before the truck shows up

We confirm three things on the phone: where the car is parked, what papers you have, and who will be there. The address matters more than you’d think. “In the alley behind the house” and “third level of an apartment garage” need different equipment, and knowing that ahead of time is what lets a pickup go quickly.

Take out anything you want to keep. Glove box, trunk, the spare-key hiding spot, the garage-door opener clipped to the visor. Once the car leaves, getting a phone charger back is not realistic. Our checklist on getting a car ready for scrap pickup covers the rest, including what to do with the plates.

At the pickup

The driver checks that the car matches what you described: year, make, model, and whether it’s complete. A scrap offer is built on what the car is made of and what is still on it, so a missing engine or a set of wheels that went to a cousin changes the number. If something changed since the call, say so up front. It’s a short conversation, not a surprise at the curb.

Then the paperwork. Illinois requires a scrap buyer to record the seller’s identity from at least two sources, one of them a driver’s license or state ID card, and to collect proof of ownership such as the title. Our page on scrapping a car without a title explains what counts when the title is gone.

You get paid, the car goes on the truck, and you’re done. Payment is cash, Zelle or Cash App, whichever you prefer, handed over at pickup.

Driveways, lots, streets and shops

Driveways and garages are the easy case. We also take cars off the street, from apartment and condo lots, and from repair shops that are holding a car the owner has given up on. For lots and shops, the owner of the car arranges access and lets the manager know a tow is coming.

Street pickups have a timing angle in the suburbs. Most villages near us ban overnight street parking and clear streets after snow, and a car that can’t move is the one that gets ticketed or towed by the village. The inoperable car rules for the southwest suburbs lays those out town by town, so you can see how much time a notice actually gives you.

Cars that are hard to move

A car with a dead battery, seized brakes, no keys or flat tires can still be removed. Tell us which of those apply so the driver brings the right gear. If the car runs but shouldn’t be driven, don’t drive it to us. That’s what the tow is for. If it doesn’t run at all, our page on non-running cars has more on that.

We serve Crestwood and the towns around it, from Midlothian and Robbins to the Palos towns, Tinley Park and Orland Park. The areas page has each one with its usual route from our lot on 135th Street.