How to Prepare Your Car for Scrap Pickup

Scrap pickup is quick when the car is ready for it. Here's the checklist we run through with every seller, and the mistakes that slow things down.

Have the ownership ready

You'll sign the transfer portion of the vehicle permit at pickup, so have the green slip somewhere you can find it. If it's buried in a drawer somewhere, dig it out the day before, not when the truck is idling.

Take your plates off

Licence plates stay with you in Ontario, not with the vehicle. Pull them off before pickup. You can move them to another car or return them to ServiceOntario for a refund on unused validation.

Empty it completely

People leave surprising things in cars. Check the glove box, trunk, under the seats, the spare tire well and every door pocket. Sunglasses, change, toll transponders, insurance slips and garage door openers are the usual finds.

Cancel the extras

If the car has a transponder for tolls or a subscription tied to it, pull that out and cancel it. Same goes for the insurance once the vehicle is gone.

Make it accessible

Our truck needs to reach the vehicle. If it's in a garage, back it into the driveway if it rolls. If it's in a tight spot or behind other vehicles, tell us when you book and we'll plan the approach. Nose-out makes the winch work much faster.

Leave the keys in it

If you have them, leave the keys in the ignition or hand them over at pickup. Not required, but it makes loading quicker. Don't worry about the fuel level. A near-empty tank is easier for us than a full one anyway.

That's the whole list

Ownership, plates off, belongings out, accessible spot. Do those four things and the pickup takes about half an hour, end to end.