Wrecking at Works: Vehicle's Final Resting Place

How To Maximize Your Junk Car Sale Profits

16 February 2023 by Gerald Boyd

That old rusty car lying idle in your backyard is an asset that can fetch you good money. You can sell it to a junkyard and earn a profit depending on your car's weight and general condition.

But what if there are ways to fetch an even higher profit from the sale?

Here are a few simple yet helpful tips to get more from your junk car.

Sell Choice Parts Separately

A junk car–buying company calculates the value of a car based on its weight and the value of the metal. While this standard can fetch you a handsome amount, you can get more by selling some parts separately. For instance, if you bought a new alternator before the car broke down, you can sell it separately.

Some other parts you can sell separately include:

• Car battery
• Stereos
• Amplifiers
• GPS units
• Speakers

You can also make more money by selling removable plastic parts separately. Remove parts such as fluid tanks, bumpers, dashboards, and handles, and sell them individually. You can market them on online spare part markets or sell them to friends.

Clean Your Car

Most junkyards clean cars before dissembling them for sale. Cleaning it yourself reduces the amount of work the junkyard owner would have put into it. This way, they won't deduct cleaning charges from their offer.

If your car has gathered surface rust, use an abrasive wheel or sandpaper to rub off the rust. Follow this with a paint job, and then buff the surface to blend the finishes. 

You can also clean up your car's interiors to increase its value. Remove all the trash, and clean the seats with inexpensive cleaning agents. Use a soapy water mixture or a vinegar and water mixture to remove stains on the seats.

Empty the Fluid Tanks

Environmental laws require businesses to drain all fluids from junk cars before crushing or reusing the parts. The fluids include air conditioner refrigerant, gasoline, transmission fluid, oil, brake fluid, and wiper fluid. The junkyard will deduct the draining charges from the offer. However, you can increase your car's value by draining the fluids. 

Draining the fluids requires knowledge of how to dispose of them legally. You cannot pour them into trash cans because they pollute the environment. These fluids are hazardous to the environment, considering that oil from just one oil change can pollute up to a million gallons of fresh water.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has guidelines to abide by when disposing of fluids. If you need help with disposing of the fluids, ask a mechanic to help you.

Contact a company like Cash For Cars to learn more. 

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