How Vehicle Recycling Works

A car that's done driving still has value: reusable parts, precious metals in the converter, and a lot of steel and aluminum. Here's what happens to it after you sell it, step by step.

1. 1
   Offer and pickup

   You answer a few questions about the car's condition and get an offer. When you accept, you pick a pickup day and time; running cars may be driven away, others are towed.
2. 2
   Paperwork

   The title (or the documents that stand in for it) transfers ownership so the car can legally be dismantled. In South Carolina the title is signed over at pickup; see the title guide for lost titles and liens.
3. 3
   Depollution

   Before anything is taken apart, the car is made safe: fuel, oil, coolant, transmission and brake fluid are drained and collected; the battery is removed; A/C refrigerant is recovered with certified equipment instead of being vented.
4. 4
   High-value parts come off

   The catalytic converter is removed for its platinum, palladium and rhodium. Tires, wheels and other valuable components are pulled.
5. 5
   Reusable parts are salvaged

   Engines, transmissions, doors, lights, modules and other good parts are inspected, graded and listed so they can go back on the road in another vehicle.
6. 6
   The shell is recycled

   What's left is crushed and shredded. The shredded material is separated into steel, aluminum and other metals, which are melted down and made into new products.