It is not impossible to scrap a vehicle without tires but it certainly is a herculean task, which most scrap yards are unwilling to undertake. The reason is that a car without wheels is incredibly difficult to move. It is bulky and too big to easily maneuver around a scrap yard. The scrapper would need to use the crane to even move the vehicle from one place to another and for that, they are likely to cut the purchase price in half. So, if your car’s tyres are missing at the time of selling, chances are that you won’t get the full price for your vehicle.
In this article we will cover
Why is it so difficult to scrap a car without wheels?
Car wreckers use a recovery vehicle, which may or may not have a crane, to move an end-of-life vehicle from point A to B. But to do that smoothly, they need a working set of tyres, so that they can easily roll the car onto the platform.
Unfortunately, punctured or missing wheels can pose a lot of problems for car removal companies. Most breakers don’t have a crane at their disposal, and even if they can arrange one the process of attaching the vehicle to the crane, lifting, and dropping it on the platform takes a lot of time. The extra time translates to increased overhead costs.
Moreover, keeping the mobility aspect aside, wheels are also highly valuable to a scrapper. If you remove tyres from the equation, all that is left is a ton of metal that is immovable. Plus, removing the wheels from the equation reduces the overall vehicle weight, and since most scrap yards pay you based on the car’s weight, you are at a disadvantage.
But if your vehicle genuinely does not have its wheels, you should be clear about the situation and talk with the scrappers beforehand. If you are honest, you can save your and their time.
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What if I want to sell my aftermarket alloy wheels?
Oftentimes, people remove the wheels from their vehicle before scrapping, thinking they would sell the rims separately at a premium price. It is a common practice that we see every day. But you are never guaranteed a handsome price when you are looking to sell parts separately.
First, you would have to put extra effort into selling the wheels, by taking pictures, posting ads, dealing with potential customers, and dealing with the finances. Even if all of that goes well, there is no guarantee that you will get a higher price than you would get when you get cash for cars and sell to a wrecker.
We understand that attractive aftermarket alloy rims are hard to come by and they aren’t cheap as well. But what is the point in hustling so much to gain a few extra dollars when you can deal with scrappers and sell your entire car to them hassle-free? You might be tempted, but the money is not worth the extra effort.
If you still decide to remove the alloy wheels, ensure you put the genuine wheels back on the car. This way, not only will your vehicle be movable but it will also match the original curb weight, resulting in a good price from the breaker.
What if it’s just the tyres that are damaged or missing?
It doesn’t matter if your car’s tyres are missing, punctured, or damaged. The scrapper is only concerned with moving your vehicle from one point to the other. As long as the car can be rolled onto the recovery vehicle, you won’t hear a complaint. Yes, the vehicle would lose some value, but that is about all the disadvantages you would face. If you are willing to absorb that, there is no harm
in selling your car without tyres. The damaged wheels would still add to the total weight and you would still get a decent amount.
