Auto dismantling is the recycling of parts on automobiles for reuse. When a vehicle reaches its end of life, dismantling provides a service to source second hand parts back into functioning vehicles. Given that a vehicle contains over 3 million parts and more then 80% of a vehicle can be recycled, this has become big business. In the article below I will discuss where to find an auto dismantling company and how the auto dismantlers near me operate.
Map of Auto Dismantlers Near Me
For “auto dismantlers near me” or “vehicle dismantlers near Me” use the map below…
According to Wikipedia, 12-15 million automobiles reach the end of their use each year in just the US. While these vehicles may no longer operate, they can still offer value by having functioning parts stripped for reuse. After functioning parts are pulled, a car crusher will compress the automobile for efficient transport to a steel mill. There the metal will be melted down and used to make new products.
How Do the Auto Dismantlers Near Me Work?
Vehicle recycling and dismantling is a complex endeavor. It involves taking apart many pieces and safely handling hazardous waste as well.
At the vehicle dismantlers near me, the first step is a brief inspection of the automobile. They want to perform a parts inventory to see if there are any parts worth salvaging. As a baseline, they always pull the tires and rims, catalytic converter, and the battery.
Depending on the vehicle and condition of the parts they may even pull the motor, transmission, starter, alternator, and any electronics. This is only done if they determine these parts still have value and can be sold. Sometimes these parts are sent to a 3rd party vendor to rebuilt and then resold. Anytime these parts are pulled though, it is done by hand and since it is costly for labor, it needs to worth the effort.
Next they drain hazardous liquids. This involves draining of gas, oil, coolant, Freon, and wiper fluid. Other dangerous materials like mercury and sodium azide (the propellant in air bags) sometimes get drained. This process is required by the EPA to protect the ground water and the local eco-system. If these chemicals were to seep into the ground it could be disastrous for the surrounding communities.
Automated Vehicle Recycling Systems
One of he coolest innovations in vehicle recycling is the Vehicle Recycling System (VRS). This is basically an excavator with special attachments that can remove high value car parts fast and efficient. These machines increase the parts that get recycled, reduce the amount of human labor to strip parts, and help dismantlers earn a better profit.
When the automobile is done getting stripped by the VRS, sometimes the shell and frame need some human intervention. There may be some parts still attached that have value like wiring harnesses and the air conditioner evaporator and heater core.
Vehicle Crushing
Once the car is stripped of it’s valuable parts, what remains gets crushed. Different yards perform the task based on the equipment they have. In my experience at the auto dismantlers near me, they flatten the vehicles. Some yards squish a vehicle into a cube shape. The point of this is reduce the space the vehicle consumes and make transportation more efficient.
Final Dismantling Stages:
After a car is crushed or cubed, it gets sent to an industrial shredder or hammer mill. These machines are were the metal gets shredded down into small bits the size of your fist. Materials like rubber, plastic, and glass get parsed out and sent to a recycling facility. All the metal gets stored by type and then sold by the ton to a steel mill. The steel mill mill melt down the metal and use it to create new products.
About 80% of an automobile is recyclable. There other 20% is referred to as automotive shredder residue. That unfortunately goes to your local landfill. For more information about what happens after a car is recycled, read this.
How Do Vehicle Dismantlers Get Their Inventory?…
Dismantling yards get their inventory in a variety of ways. Some buy vehicles as scrap from the public, but they could come from auctions, junkyards, insurance companies, and/or junk car buyers. They are even aloud to claim an abandon vehicle on the roadside or left in a parking lot.
The vehicle dismantlers near me are direct junk car buyers. They offer you the scrap metal value for your vehicle only and then they strip it down and sell the parts and metal.
Automobile Dismantling Benefits
Recycled vehicles account for 14 million tons of steel per year for the steel industry. When steel gets recycled, it reduces the energy required to produce new steel and reduces the use of natural resources. Using recycled metal reduces the energy required to produce new metal by 74% and reduces the amount of oil used by 85 million barrels per year.
Aside from conserving natural resources like oil, the other big benefit for vehicle recycling is the environmental benefits. These dismantlers help keep 80% of each automobile out of landfills. When taken as a whole, that is about 14 million tons of steel alone diverted annually. Then add in another 800K in non-ferrous metals. Even more so consider really dangerous metals like mercury that get extracted and collected and diverted from the ground water supply and local eco-system.
The consumer also benefits from the process. Parts like car radios, catalytic converters, and tires are easy to sell second hand to buyers. Then also consider the savings passed on for used parts offered through your local junkyards.
Auto Dismantlers Near Me – Wrap Up
Many people think that dismantling is just crushing a car and shredding the metal. As you can see above it is a much more involved process and has huge impacts on the recycling industry. These businesses play a large role in environmental sustainability. They help reduce the use of natural resources and reduce the energy required to manufacture new parts. The consumer also benefits by saving money on recycled parts on the second hand market.
