Short answer. Check the paperwork, clear the car, sort the plates and registration, and take a receipt. Most problems after a scrap sale come from skipping one of those.
Once you have decided to scrap the car, the day it leaves is the one that matters. This is a checklist you can tick through. For the wider process, see how to sell an old car for scrap. ScrapTrade is itself a scrap marketplace, and that gives it a commercial interest here.
Before the buyer arrives
- Find your proof of ownership and registration, since wreckers generally want to see you can dispose of the car.
- Clear out personal items, including the glovebox, boot, toll tags and any spare keys.
- Photograph the car, the odometer and the VIN plate.
- Confirm the pickup time, the access for a tow truck and whether the car can be moved.
At handover
- Check the buyer's name and business details match the quote.
- Agree how you are paid and confirm it before the car goes. See how you are paid for a scrap car.
- Decide about the plates. In NSW, if you sell the car without plates you cancel the registration and return removed plates to a service centre.
- Take a receipt with the buyer's details, date, vehicle identifiers and amount.
After it leaves
- Lodge any notice of disposal your state requires, as in NSW when plates go with the car or in the ACT, where the seller lodges it.
- Tell your insurer and cancel cover once you have the receipt.
- Keep the paperwork.
If the car will not start
- Tell the buyer, because it affects what truck they send.
- Check the tyres, handbrake and keys, since a car that will not roll is harder to load.
- Make sure the tow truck can get close.
Easily forgotten
- Child seat anchors and aftermarket accessories you want to keep.
- Toll tags and electronic permits.
- Stored documents such as service books.
- A spare key, which the buyer may want.
What we could not verify
- Plate and notice rules outside NSW and the ACT.
- Whether each wrecker accepts expired registration.
- Insurance cancellation terms, which are between you and your insurer.
Frequently asked questions
What do I need to scrap a car?
Proof you own it and details of its registration, plus the buyer's receipt. Requirements vary by state.
Should I remove the plates?
It depends on your state and the buyer. Ask.
Do I tell my insurer?
Yes, once the car is gone and you have a receipt.
Sources
- NSW Government and Access Canberra pages on notice of disposal, as summarised in search results.
- Industry guidance on plates and proof of ownership, as summarised in search results.
General information only. Rules differ by state.