Cars don’t last forever even though some of the parts they are made from seem to do so. We have seen pictures of cars with trees growing out of them because of the metals that are present which do not break down with time or elements but can actually last forever unless they are put through the process of breaking them down. So what does happen to a car when it no longer runs and is not a model that anyone is going to try and restore or rebuild; let’s take a look at the death process of a car.
When a car comes into a scrap yard there are a variety of conditions that can be present to make the car more or less valuable. The first part of the process is to file the necessary paperwork to actually scrap the car, which is required so car thieves can’t sell off stolen cars for money to scrap yards. Once the documentation is in hand the scrap yard gets to work dismantling the car. If you thought the whole car would just go into the crusher you would be wrong, with so many different materials present its important for a scrap yard to break the car down and extract as much for cash as they can.
The first part of the dismantling process is to remove the battery and drain all the fluids. The battery can be recycles for the lead, plastic and acid present and the fluids can be resold and recycled for money. Whatever fluids are not recyclable end up in an absorbent material similar to kitty litter.
Once the fluids are drained a scrapyard will pull out parts that have intrinsic value and are not as valuable sold as U-Pick items. This is dependent upon the materials parts are made from, if the scrapyard can make more from recycling a part than selling it whole they will. Once a car has been picked clean by the scrap yard it typically goes to the U-Pick area for about a month to give time to be picked of whole parts by those working on their cars. This will typically generate more revenue than the scrapping of these parts will, which makes sense why a scrap yard will allow a vehicle to sit for so long without being processed. The tires are general sold in the tires shop on a lot or to a local company to refurbish them with new tread which is a great way for these items to be recycled and reused.
After the month long hiatus a car is then taken to be finally dismantled and crushed. If the engine is still present it’s taken out along with any other parts that need to be melted down or scrapped. During this process access is given to the wiring and electronics which are recycled separately from the rest of a car. Once this process is complete the car is simply a shell of its former self and is then loaded up to be compressed so it can be transported to a shredder.
At the shredder the car becomes what is no longer even a little bit of a resemblance of a car. A shredder can chew up a car at the speed of 200 tons per hour and the use of magnets and grates separate the materials to different bins for their proper recycling. As you can see once this process is complete the metal can be reused to become a different car at a factory somewhere far off. This process of destruction is certainly one way we are able to reuse the materials that are needed to make new cars on down the line.
If you are working on a restoration project or you feel you need to get rid of your car, this process is a natural one for a world that uses much of the metals found throughout the world. You might be driving a car that at one time was a classic of automotive history or even an old lemon that couldn’t quite make it but the fact that we recycle much of the materials cars are made from certainly means less of an impact on the planet and the resources present.
This post may contain affiliate links. Meaning a commission is given should you decide to make a purchase through these links, at no cost to you. All products shown are researched and tested to give an accurate review for you.