I’m sure we all cherished the first car we ever had, or that birthday gift you got when you turned 18. Sadly, these vehicles do not always remain in their best shape, even with routine maintenance. It reaches a point where your car is no longer safe to drive, or is too expensive to maintain due to its age, which comes with frequent visits to the mechanics. At this point, selling the car to another driver may prove difficult, and this is where scrapping the car may be your only option.
Scrapping Your Car for Cash
If you are looking into selling your car for scrap, then you might have come across the abbreviation ATF. But what does it mean? ATF, or Authorized Treatment Facility, is a government-licensed organization that helps with cars’ waste disposal.
There are some rules and regulations that govern how you dispose of old vehicles. In the UK, the ATFs operate based on the environment agency and end-of-life vehicle guidelines. The mandate of these ATFS breaks down into four primary roles:
- Removing potentially harmful waste, such as car batteries from the vehicle
- Properly disposing of the vehicle, and issuing the certificate of destruction to the scrap car seller
- Supplying metal to meet recycling and recovery goals
- Proper storage of the materials dismantled from the car
How Do You Choose An ATF?
When selling your car for scrap, you must choose the right facility. This way, you can be sure that you followed all the required guidelines. But, how do you select the best scrapyard? Below are some guidelines to make the scrapping process a little simpler to manage…
- Choose the ATF close to your location – Whenever scrap car dealers offer to pick up your worn-out car, they will compensate for the inconvenience of this pickup. So, to reduce the total deductible amount, it would be better to find an ATF near you, so you can easily get the car to the facility.
- Find one that guarantees a price – Sometimes, you only get to interact with the drivers who come to pick up your car from your location. And while some may be honestly doing their job, you might encounter one who tries to haggle on price. To avoid such a nuisance, make sure you find yourself an ATF that provides a final guaranteed price before pickup.
- Go with the ATF offering the best prices– All factors considered, you should get the most out of your scrap metal. That is why you should consider the different prices provided by ATFs, and sell to the highest bidder.
When you have found the right treatment facility, you need to have identification documents ready, and the car’s registration document to sell. Once you have sold the car, do the following:
- Get a certificate of destruction from the servicing ATF
- Report the sale to DVLA
- Claim any full month road tax not spent.
Remember, failure to report your car’s sale could result in a fine of up to £1,000. You also risk being held responsible for the car indefinitely. So, in case the vehicle is found dumped in an illegal location, you will still get fined. Finally, when you sell your car for scrap, insist on getting paid through bank transfer or by cheque. Cash payments are illegal.
A scrap dealer we would recommend is ukcarmovement.co.uk – you can check them out by visiting their official website here.