What Happens To Your Car When You Recycle It

Posted on: 4 August 2015

If you have an old car sitting around on your property that you do not use anymore, instead of letting it sit there and deteriorate further, you should recycle your old clunker. Here is what happens to each part of your vehicle when you take it to an auto recycling center:

Body & Door Panels:

If the body and door panels on your vehicle are still in good condition, the auto recycling center may resell these panels to auto repair shops to be used to fix damaged vehicles that are similar to yours.

If the body and door panels are damaged and cannot be reused on other vehicles, the parts will be sent somewhere where they can be melted down and the basic elements that comprise them can be reused.

Tires:

If your tires still have enough tread on them, they will be resold to people in need of a cheap set of tires. If the tires are completely worn down, they will be sent to a tire recycling facility where they will be melted down and used to create new products.

Rims:

If your rims are in good condition, they will be resold for others to use. If they are damaged, they will be sold to a scrap metal facility where they will be melted down and repurposed.

Fuel:

The staff at the auto recycling center will create a hole in your fuel tank so that they can drain out the fuel. Generally, the do not resell the fuel; they just use it themselves to fuel their equipment and vehicles.

Anti-Freeze:

Any remaining anti-freeze is drained out of your vehicle. If the anti-freeze is in good condition and is not filled with debris, the auto recycling center may repackage it and resell the anti-freeze. If the anti-freeze is full of debris, it may be sent to a professional factory where it can be cleaned and then re-used.

Freon:

Any Freon or other refrigerant in your air conditioning system will be drained out with extreme care. The fumes from the Freon can be dangerous to the atmosphere, so a skilled mechanic will extract these fluids and make sure that none spill out. Generally, Freon is sold to companies that will repurpose and reuse it.

Washer Fluid:

Just like the anti-freeze, the washer fluid will be drained from your vehicle and either resold, or sent to a professional factory where it can be repurposed.

When you take your vehicle to an auto recycling facility, almost every part of the vehicle will be taken apart and reused in one way or another. Your vehicle will not have to sit in a landfill for years, rotting away. Your vehicle will have a second life as it is turned into brand new products. For more information about used cars, contact a company like Auto Max.

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Having worked as a mechanic for about twenty years, I have learned a lot about what cars are better than others. This blog was created to help provide you with the information that you need to know to buy a car that will run well without spending too much in repairs over the first few years. I will show you all about finding the right car, how to know that the car that you are buying is in good condition and what you can do if the car that you purchase isn't quite what you had hoped that it would be.