Summer is here to stay and that means many of you will be cleaning up your yard/property. For those of you who plan to get rid of an old vehicle (or two, or three...), here are a few friendly reminders to make the process go as smoothly as possible:
Don't Forget the Title
To accept a vehicle, we need its title. If you are unable to locate the title, you can visit your local Secretary of State office and ask for a duplicate. If you present them with a bill of sale, vehicle registration, and/or any other pertinent paperwork they should be able to help you get a duplicate title straight away.
We CANNOT Accept Applications for Titles
When you apply for a duplicate title from the Secretary of State they will give you a white sheet of paper—this is the Application for Title. We CANNOT accept this form. You will have to be patient and bring us the actual title when you receive it.
Be Sure The Title is Signed Off
All titles need to be signed off by the person(s) whose name is printed on the title (aka. the vehicle's owner). This person(s) will sign on the line that says ‘Signature of Seller’—located on the front of most Michigan titles about three quarters of the way down the page.
Liens/Loans Need to be Paid in Full
If there is any money due on the vehicle, you need to have the bank sign off that it has been paid in full and/or have the bank give you a letter (on bank letterhead) stating that you currently do not owe anything on the vehicle.
We Do NOT Accept Tires
If you bring in a vehicle that has tires on it, you will be taking rubber home with you. This means that we can either:
1.) Lift up the vehicle a couple inches off the ground so that you can break loose the lug nuts and take home the existing tires and rims. (We do have a couple 4-ways here that you can use, if need be. Otherwise, please bring your own tools if you plan to take your tires and rims home.)
-OR-
2.) We can give you scrap tires (cut in half, off the rim) that are the equivalent size/weight of the tires you brought to us. This is very much like the 'give a penny, take a penny' container that you see at the counters in gas stations...you give us tires, you take tires home in exchange.
If you Want to Keep Parts Off Your Vehicle, Take Them Off BEFORE You Get Here
If you need the battery to drive the vehicle into our yard and you would like to take that battery home with you, that’s OK--it's easy, and relatively quick for you to remove your own battery.
-BUT-
We will NOT lift up, turn over, or otherwise manipulate any vehicles so that you can cut off mufflers, converters, rear ends, doors, etc. Nor will we remove any of these parts for you. It is just NOT safe! If you want to keep any parts off your vehicle, they need to be removed before you get to our yard.
Don't Forget Your Personal Items
We know it sounds like it would be common sense, but we get many calls from folks who have forgotten something of value in their scrap vehicle. Save yourself a bit of worry and extra stress and please, don't forget to remove any cell phones, keys, license plates (if you are transferring them to a new vehicle), CDs, etc. from the scrap vehicle.
