If you are planning on recycling an old car that you have in order to try to recoup some of its value, you might not know how to begin. Here are some tips for getting started in the world of automobile recycling so that the process is as profitable and as smooth as possible.

1. Pull Out Whole Pieces First

Your first step is to pull out whole pieces of your vehicle. If you have an engine that is in almost perfect condition, even if it is old, you can sell it someone else for more money than it would be worth if you had just scrapped it and sold the metal. Go through your vehicle and detail each item that you could feasibly pull out and sell, as well as how long it would take you to pull out the piece. Then, go online and see what people were able to sell those same pieces for in your area. If the price for those pieces is high enough to cover the labor that it took you to get them out, take your car to a recycling center and have them remove them for you for a fee instead of removing them yourself.

2. Thoroughly Sort Your Scrap

Once you've pulled out all of the whole pieces that were worth selling, start pulling out all of the metal that could be worth something. Before you take it to a recycling center, be sure that you use a magnet to separate all of the ferrous and non-ferrous metals so that you don't get dinged for bringing in a dirty batch and are therefore paid less. Use a flat-bladed saw to remove any steel that might be coating your copper pieces because copper pieces are often worth more money by themselves.

3. Consider a Donation

Finally, if the effort of removing stuff from your car is too much work for too little reward, you have options. You can always sell your car whole to a recycling center that specializes in auto recycling. Or, you could donate your car to a charitable organization that knows how to scrap cars quickly and efficiently. They will give you a figure that your car is worth to them and it counts as a charitable donation. Then, when you are filing your taxes for that year, you can write off your car and get a small tax break.

For more information, talk to a company that specializes in recycling automobiles like Miamitown Auto Parts & Recycling.