Top Reasons Cars Get Scrapped

As a professional scrap car removal company that has been buying scrap cars across the Lower Mainland since 2005, we have seen it all when it comes to junk vehicles. From cars with blown transmissions to brand-new hybrids with major collision damage; every vehicle we buy comes to us for a different reason.

One of the more commonly asked questions by customers who are considering scrap car removal is, “How do I know if I should scrap my car?”. This question is usually followed by, “what are the most common reasons that people scrap their cars?”. And while every vehicle we buy has a different ailment, there are, without a doubt, some issues that are more frequent than others.

Today’s blog post is going to take an in-depth look at why people scrap their vehicles, what the most common reasons for scrapping them are, and what you should do if you think your car is suffering with major mechanical or electrical problems.

How Do I Know If I Should Scrap My Car?

Every vehicle is different, so discerning whether it’s time to scrap your car isn’t as black and white as you might think. While some vehicles need expensive repairs, those repairs may be worth it in the long run, depending on what other issues the vehicle does or does not have.

Other vehicles are fairly new with virtually no mechanical or electrical problems but have extensive collision damage. Collision damage can often lead to safety concerns like structural integrity, ability to maneuver or brake, and functionality of the air bag system.

Whether your vehicle is faced with a long list of upcoming repairs, or collision damage that has rendered it inoperable (or close to it), there are several things to consider before scrapping your car. We will get into more detail about this later on in this blog post.

The Top Reasons Why People Scrap their Vehicle

1. Dead Engines

Nothing says “scrap car” like a vehicle with a dead engine. Which is why this is the most predominant ailment that we see in the cars, trucks, SUVs, and vans that we scrap across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

When you live in the Lower Mainland, you are subject to such adverse weather conditions that can change on a dime. From one minute to the next, we Vancouverites are faced with every season. It can snow in the morning, then rain or hail in the afternoon, and by dinnertime we are enjoying a meal on our patio in 30-degree Celsius weather watching the sunset. All of these varying conditions are just as hard on vehicles as they are on humans. In fact, sometimes harder.

The extreme cold that we face in the winter can often lead older vehicles to end up with a cracked engine block. However, in the summer months, when we are hit with forest fires and outrageous heat, engines are prone to overheating. Particularly when you live somewhere like New Westminster or North Vancouver and spend most of your time on the road climbing hills.

Signs Your Engine Needs Replacing Include:

• Check engine light is one
• Knocking sound coming from your engine
• Frequent overheating
• Poor or worsening performance
• Decreased fuel economy
• New or unusual vibrations
• Burning or leaking oil

It’s a combination of weather, conditions stemming from it, the stop-and-go driving that we do in Metro Vancouver (and parts of the Fraser Valley) and driving an aging vehicle that can all lead to a dead engine. No wonder we always pay MORE cash for cars with dead engines, hey?!

This is because many people lease or finance vehicles, and while it may seem like they would be subject to fewer mechanical issues, poor engineering and mass production has caused an increase in transmission failure in the automotive industry.

Failed transmissions are the second most common issue that we see as a professional scrap car removal company in the Lower Mainland.

Aside from much older vehicles presenting this ailment, we have noticed a huge increase in vehicles ranging from 2006 all the way up to 2016.

While you might think that purchasing a newer vehicle will avoid needing to fork out big bucks on something like a transmission, you may be wrong. Plus, the cost of a transmission on a newer vehicle has also skyrocketed. Subsequently, this is why so many people choose to scrap their car when the transmission is toast. Regardless of the age of their vehicle.

3. Failed Timing Belt

Timing belts are another common issue that turn a perfectly good car into a scrap vehicle. Although the failure of the timing belt itself isn’t the exact reason for scrapping a car. The actual problem is the damage that the vehicle’s engine incurs when the timing belt (or timing chain) goes, and the vehicle continues to drive.

When your timing belt goes, the engine will not run correctly. The timing belt is responsible for exactly what its name states; timing. When the belt goes, your engine’s valves and piston are no longer running in sync and collide as a result. This then causes your valves to become damaged or bent.

Once that happens, an engine replacement usually follows suit. With such a major repair bill (a lot of it stemming from the labour involved with this kind of repair), many people end up scrapping their cars instead of repairing them.

Signs Your Timing Belt Needs Replacing Include:

• A constant ticking noise when the vehicle is running
• Difficult starting the vehicle (or unable to start your car at all)
• Prominent exhaust smoke coming from your tailpipe
• New and very noticeable vibrations (especially while accelerating)
• New and worsening oil leaks

If you’re noticing any of the above symptoms on your vehicle, it might be time to get your timing belt serviced. You can visit our friends at Blackwell Transmissions. Whether your vehicle requires a rebuild, a reseal, or a new install, our well trained staff …will accurately diagnose and repair your vehicle … (black-well.ca) to see if your vehicle needs a belt service, replacement, and to investigate any potential damage done to your engine if it has failed.

4. Electrical Problems

Aaahhh, a mechanic’s worst nightmare, but also their best friend. While repairing electrical problems is tedious because of how vast the electrical system is on a vehicle, it is also a gold mine for many mechanics because the labour costs are typically through the roof. This is why so many people end up scrapping a vehicle with electrical problems.

Electrical problems on a car can be quick and easy to fix in some cases. There are many instances where all that’s needed is a simple fuse replacement, a wire replaced, or a new alternator installed. However, other times it can be a complete nightmare for both you and your mechanic.

Signs Your Vehicle Has an Electrical Problem Include:

• Difficulty starting the vehicle
• Flickering interior or exterior lights
• Needing frequent headlight replacements
• Loss of power
• Frequently blowing fuses
• Smell of burning plastic (or burning in general)
• Battery not holding a charge

As mentioned a moment ago, your car’s electrical system is not only vast, it’s complex. Finding the source of a short or malfunction can take multiple visits, various diagnostic tests, and you may still not get to the bottom of it. Why? Because sometimes there is more than one electrical issue going on inside your vehicle.

However, despite our best efforts, sometimes safety concerns aren’t the product of poor construction, but rather caused by an accident of some kind. It can even be the result of improper vehicle modification that leads a vehicle to be deemed unsafe to be operated on BC roads.

Aside from the usual safety concerns like failing brakes, random stalling (especially while turning left at a busy intersection), and possible engine fires, there are other issues that can arise.

A bent vehicle frame, improperly installed lift kits, and illegal lighting systems can all become a safety risk on the road.

Usually after a car has been in a major accident, there is potential for structural impairment. Hence why ICBC is quick to write off a vehicle that has damage to its frame, or trucks that have damage to their long box between the cab and box area.

6. Collision Damage

As we just mentioned, collision damage is a major player when it comes to reasons that vehicles get scrapped. In Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley, there is a lot of traffic and naturally, accidents happen as a result.

When vehicles get major collision damage, it isn’t always a bent frame that prompts ICBC to write the vehicle off. If the damage incurred during the accident costs more to repair than what the vehicle is worth, they will generally write it off as a total loss.

Other Reasons that People Scrap Their Cars in Metro Vancouver

Although the reasons for scrapping a car that are listed above are great ones, they aren’t the only reasons that people have for wanting to scrap their vehicle. With so many different types of vehicles on the road, and so many varying ways that people use them, there is a whole host of reasons why it might be time to scrap your car for cash.

Other Reasons for Scrapping a Vehicle:

• It gets really poor gas mileage
• It has been sitting too long (inside or outside)
• It has extensive body damage or rust
• It has corrosion or rotten portions
• Interior leaks that have led to mould or mildew
• It needs a complete brake job
• It needs serious exhaust system work
• It has been modified and can’t pass inspection
• It has severe issues pertaining to the powertrain
• It has more than one mechanical or electrical problem
• It is an older vehicle that simply isn’t being used

Even if your vehicle isn’t suffering from anything on this list, if you think you need scrap car removal, chances are you do need scrap car removal. Get in touch with one of our scrap car removal team experts and they can help you discern if you should repair your vehicle and sell it, or scrap it with us for MORE cash.

Is Your Car Ready to Be Scrapped?

If your vehicle is suffering from any of the issues listed above, or simply no longer serves a purpose in your day-to-day life, it might be time to consider scrap car removal. And when you choose the scrap car removal services of More Cash For Scrap, you’ll always get MORE cash for scrap cars in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley.

Even vehicles that don’t need a big expensive repair may be destined for the scrapyard instead of the mechanic. We purchase plenty of scrap vehicles that are still running but have extremely high mileage.

We also buy vehicles that don’t have keys, wheels, or registration. As well as vehicles that came from other provinces or other countries and can’t pass the BC vehicle inspection. Without passing inspection, the vehicle can’t be insured or even sold for the purposes of daily use.

What Type of Scrap Vehicles Do We Buy in the Lower Mainland?

Anything that’s drivable, and anything that’s not! As long as you are the registered owner, we’ll offer you MORE cash for scrap cars in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley. No other scrap car removal company can offer as much cash for scrap cars as we can. Furthermore, they don’t offer the same level of customer service that we do.

We Are Always Looking to Buy:

• Scrap Cars – We happily accept all types of domestic and foreign models of cars in any age and condition. Even if it’s been in a few accidents, has rusted paint, or covered in dents, we’ll pay you cash for your junk car.
• Scrap Trucks – We purchase every kind of scrap truck including pickups, large and small work trucks, and even 1-ton moving type junk trucks. If it was once a truck, or still is, we pay cash for it too!
• Scrap Vans – We take vans of all types, ages and sizes including minivans, 15 passenger vans, and even camper vans and moving vans.
• Scrap SUV’s – We love SUVs and crossovers with collision damage, mechanical or electrical problems, and even ones filled with mould or mildew.
• Scrap Buses – We purchase scrap buses, big and small, converted to mobile homes or not. Any bus, any condition.

No matter what kind of vehicle you are scrapping, no matter what reason you have for selling it, you’ve got a buyer here at More Cash For Scrap. We always pay MORE!

How Much Is My Car Worth?

Every vehicle has a different value, because as mentioned above, every vehicle has a different ailment and different reason for being recycled with our scrap car removal services. To find out what your vehicle might be valued at, simply reach out to one of our scrap car removal specialists through phone, text, email, or even through one of our various social media platforms.

Provide us with the make, model, year, condition, and location of your vehicle. If the vehicle is in need of repairs, or if you have recently performed any, let us know that as well. We will then make you an instant cash offer right over the phone. We won’t even have to sell your vehicle before making you an offer on it!

If you accept our offer, we’ll send out scrap car removal service to come pick up your scrap car, truck, SUV, or van from anywhere in the Lower Mainland. We offer this service entirely for free, and we won’t deduct from our offer once we arrive. What we offer is what you get!

Call More Cash For Scrap Today and Scrap Your Car for MORE Cash!

Getting an old car, rusted, unwanted, or damaged vehicle out of your life has never been easier than when you use the scrap car removal services of More Cash For Scrap. We pride ourselves on making the process of scrapping a car quick and easy.

This is why we offer our scrap car removal services 7 days a week, from 7:00 AM-11:00 PM. We even buy junk cars on most statutory holidays! All of this is in an effort to make scrap car removal as simple and convenient as possible for our customers.

If you want MORE customer service and would love MORE flexible scheduling to have your junk car picked up, as well as MORE cash for scrap cars, then scrap your car with More Cash For Scrap. We always pay MORE!