Your old, unsafe, and rusty car is taking up unnecessary space and costing you more money than it's worth, which is why you've made the decision to junk your car. However, you may be unsure where to start with this process, as well as what the important things are to take care of beforehand. Here is a list of things to do before you take the leap.
1. Check if there are any useable or valuable parts
Even if your car is beaten up enough to be sent to the junkyard, there may be some parts that are usable and salvageable. There could be a CD player that can be used in another vehicle, or fairly new tires that you could put on your next car. You may even manage to salvage engines in some cases. Maybe you spent a little too much money on seat covers and floor mats — take those along with you. There could also be rare parts that are valuable and that you can sell, so you won’t be cheating yourself out of extra money.
2. Empty the car of personal belongings
Over time, items tend to accumulate in your car as it can become your second home. You may have half of your closet in there, or even more expensive items such as jewellery or electronics. When cleaning the car, you'll probably find some spare change hidden away under the mats or in the glove box, but also keep an eye out for more valuable things. Once you take your car to the junkyard, there's no going back. So make sure to do more than one sweep of the car.
3. Cancel the registration and insurance
Cancelling your car's registration and insurance is one of the most important things to do before junking it. By cancelling both, you will no longer be paying money for the unwanted hunk of metal, and the transfer of ownership to the junkyard will be legal. You also won't be liable if the car somehow ends up going for a joy ride and possibly getting into an accident. Make sure to take off the license plates as well — you may want to transfer them to your new car.
4. Use up the gasoline
If possible, use up the gasoline that's left in the car. If driving the car one last time isn't possible, siphoning out the gas is also an option. After all, you've already paid for the gasoline! Go for one last Sunday drive with your trusted companion so that your car isn't costing you more money than its worth.
5. Remove non-metal parts of the car
Make sure to check with the junkyard beforehand to see if they require you to strip the car, because some won't accept cars that aren't stripped down to just metal. Things that would need to be removed are seat cushions, sun visors, cup holders, and the glove box. And don't forget to remove the car battery to be recycled.
You may feel overwhelmed by the number of things you have to do before junking your car. However, these are very important steps to take before sending it to car heaven. You may save yourself a bit of extra cash by removing valuable parts, or maybe you'll find those keys that went missing months ago. Selling your old car to a junkyard is the easiest and quickest way of getting rid of it, so do the work and it'll pay off — maybe with a new car!