When a vehicle is severely damaged, malfunctioning beyond repair, or not worth fixing, the owner may sell it to a junkyard. In some cases, if a disabled car cannot be left in certain areas, the owner may pay a wrecker to remove it. Salvage yards purchase wrecked, derelict, and
abandoned vehicles from auctions, police impound lots, and insurance tow yards. A salvage yard provides car removal services for disposing of old, non-functional vehicles. Vehicles can be towed or driven to the yard, where they are arranged in rows and stacked. Some yards maintain inventories of usable parts and locations of cars. Many yards use computerized inventory systems. Approximately 75% of a vehicle can be recycled for other purposes. Satellite part finder services are now commonly used to contact multiple salvage yards from a single source. In the past,
call centres charged premium rates for calls and sent faxes to salvage yards to inquire about parts availability. Today, these services are web-based, with parts requests instantly emailed to salvage yards. In high-demand salvage yards, popular car parts are pre-removed and stored in the
warehouse for immediate customer access. Some yards offer self-service options where customers can remove parts themselves at a reduced cost. This model is commonly known as a "You Pull It" yard.
Customers typically call salvage yards to inquire about the availability of specific items. If the requested item is in stock, customers are asked to leave a
deposit and pick up the part later. Customers or their
mechanics usually install the part, but some salvage yards offer installation services. Salvage yards typically dismantle vehicles to resell parts such as
light assemblies, seats,
exhaust components,
mirrors, and
hubcaps. Late-model vehicles may have body sections removed and stored as inventory.
Engines and
transmissions are often sold to auto-parts companies for rebuilding and resale.
Windshields and
windows in good condition can be resold. Some salvage yards sell damaged but repairable vehicles to hobbyists or collectors who restore them for personal use or resale. These individuals are known as "rebuilders". Once vehicles in a wrecking yard are stripped of usable parts, the remaining hulks are typically sold to a scrap-metal processor. The processor
crushes the bodies on-site using a mobile baling press, shredder, or flattener. Final disposal involves a
hammer mill that smashes the vehicle remains into fist-sized chunks. These chunks are sold by the ton for further processing and recycling. ==Gallery==