Selling a car for parts

Last updated May 21, 2021

If you’ve got a car that has a low resale value or has been damaged, you may be considering selling it for parts or scrapping your car at a local scrap yard. Both of these options can help you to make a little bit of money out of an old car you no longer need, but before deciding on either of them, it’s worth getting a free online car valuation in less than 30 seconds by entering your registration plate below.

If your car value is too low for you to consider selling, read on to learn everything you need to know about selling a car for parts.

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How to strip your car for parts

Stripping down a car for parts isn’t a simple process, but it may be something you can do yourself depending on your understanding of mechanics and DIY skills. The process can also be time-consuming, so make sure you have the patience and enough time to adequately remove each part one-by-one before starting.

Stripping some parts such as seats may be a quick task as they’re generally secured in place by bolts and screws that can be quite easily removed before lifting out the seats. However, other parts of the process of stripping a car to sell its parts, removing the engine for example, can be much more complex.

You will need knowledge on how to drain all fluids from the engine, disconnect the exhaust, intake, and coolant lines, and how to remove the wiring safely. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this yourself, you could contact a trustworthy car garage to strip the parts on your behalf, however, you will need to ensure you can recoup the funds when the parts are sold to avoid the process costing you money overall.

You should always take care when removing parts from a car to ensure that they don’t get damaged, particularly with more complex parts such as the steering wheel and airbags. If you damage a part while removing it, you will likely find it much harder to sell on.

Where can you sell your car parts?

Once you’ve removed all of the salvageable parts from your car, you’re going to want to sell them for as much as possible with minimal hassle. If you want to avoid the hassle of selling the parts individually, you may want to consider selling the parts to a local scrap merchant who might be interested in buying the parts to resell themselves.

Alternatively, if you want to avoid middle-men, you could try to sell the parts all together or separately on an online marketplace such as eBay, Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace. Each of these platforms gives you instant access to potential buyers who are searching for the parts you’re selling. It is important to make your listing stand out amongst the crowd, which can be done by taking professional photos, writing compelling descriptions and ensuring your parts are priced to sell. However, there is no guarantee that your car parts will sell and you could be waiting a long time if your parts aren’t in demand.

How much will my car parts be worth?

The value of your cars parts will depend upon the demand for the particular make, model and trim. For example, you may have a part that an enthusiast has been trying to source unsuccessfully for a long period of time where you will be able to demand a higher price. On the other hand, if you have a part that is widely available at a low price and you may need to price yours at a price below the market average for it to sell.

You may make more money than if you were to sell your car for scrap, but it could take months or even years for everything to sell. You will also need to store the parts where they won’t get damaged whilst you are selling them.

Want to avoid the hassle of selling your car parts?

Selling your car for parts can be a long process which involves stripping the parts, listing them for sale and meeting prospective buyers. If you would rather avoid the hassle, you can sell your car to webuyanycar in less than an hour. Simply get a free car valuation in less than 30 seconds and book an appointment at one of our 500+ branches across the UK.