Do you recycle cars that don't run?

Yes. A car that won't start, won't move or has sat for years is exactly what scrap car recycling is for. We tow it at no charge.

How soon can you pick up a scrap car?

Same-day pickup is often possible. We set the time with you on the call when we make the offer.

What happens to my car after you tow it?

It's drained, stripped of reusable parts, crushed and shredded, and the metal is sorted and sold to be melted again. Here's the full chain.

Scrap car recycling in Chicago

Smart Scrap Metal Buyers buys scrap cars across Chicago and sends them into the metal recycling chain. Tell us the year, make, model and title status, hear the offer, and we tow the car away for free and pay you at pickup. Same-day pickup is often possible.

Get a scrap car offer

Any vehicle, any condition. Two short steps; free towing, paid at pickup.

What does scrap car recycling in Chicago involve?

Scrap car recycling means selling a car at the end of its life so its metal can be used again. In Chicago you send the car's details, accept an offer and hand over the title or proof of ownership at pickup. The car is then drained, stripped of reusable parts, crushed and shredded, and the steel goes back to mills.

That's the whole job from your side: one form, one phone call, one pickup. Everything after the tow truck leaves is handled down the line by dismantlers, shredders and mills. As Chicago scrap metal buyers who also sell processed metal, we see both ends of it, which is why we're happy to explain where your car ends up.

Cars we take for scrap

We buy junk, wrecked and scrap cars. In practice that covers:

Cars that won't start, won't move, or failed on the road and never got fixed.
Wrecked cars, including ones an insurer has written off.
Cars rusted past the point where a repair makes sense.
Cars that have sat in a garage, alley or side lot for months or years.
Cars without a title: tell us what papers you have, and we confirm on the call which ones work under Illinois rules.

Trucks, vans and SUVs count too, and so do fire-damaged, flooded and stripped vehicles. What we don't take is loose parts or piles of metal. If it's a whole vehicle, send it through the form, and list them all if there are several.

Three stripped cars with missing wheels and panels parked on a gravel lot

The paperwork for scrapping a car in Illinois

Bring the title if you have it. Title gone missing? We can still help. List the papers you do have, like a bill of sale, the registration or an insurance card; Illinois rules settle which of them count for a scrap sale, and we confirm it with you on the call. Choose the matching option in the form's title box so the offer reflects it.

Illinois keeps a paper trail on scrapped cars. Under 625 ILCS 5/5-401.3, a licensed scrap processor records the vehicle identification number and a proof of ownership for every car it takes in, and keeps those records for three years. When a processor or parts recycler receives a title for a junked car, it sends it to the Secretary of State with a Junk Vehicle Notification within 15 days, and the state won't issue a title for that car again (625 ILCS 5/3-117.2). That's the point where your car officially stops being a car.

Where your car goes next

After pickup, the fluids are drained and the battery, wheels, tires and catalytic converter come off. What's left is crushed flat, run through a shredder and sorted: the steel is the part a magnet sticks to, and it's sold to mills that melt scrap. We wrote up what happens to junk cars after pickup step by step, with sources.

What changes the offer

Two cars that look alike can get different offers. The model and year matter, and so does what's still on the car: the engine, the transmission, aluminum wheels, the catalytic converter. Scrap metal prices move too, so an offer is worked out for that car when you ask, and once we've quoted it, it doesn't expire. Scrap car prices in Chicago breaks down each factor.

Scrap car recycling questions

Do you recycle cars that don't run?: Yes. A car that won't start, won't move or has sat for years is exactly what scrap car recycling is for. We tow it at no charge.
Do I need the title to recycle my car in Chicago?: The title makes it simplest. Title gone missing? We can still help. List the papers you do have, like a bill of sale, the registration or an insurance card; Illinois rules settle which of them count for a scrap sale, and we confirm it with you on the call.
How soon can you pick up a scrap car?: Same-day pickup is often possible. We set the time with you on the call when we make the offer.
What happens to my car after you tow it?: It's drained, stripped of reusable parts, crushed and shredded, and the metal is sorted and sold to be melted again. Here's the full chain.