SCRAP CAR FAQ

Benfleet Scrap Co provides instant quotes over the phone. Online quotes are also available; once received, we will reply to your request. 

In order to price your vehicle, it will be matched against our database. This ensures that our customers receive an up-to-date quotation that reflects the true valuation of your car. We also use daily updated metal and used car market prices to provide a highly competitive price. 

Please be aware that all quotations are based on your vehicle being 'complete'. This means that no parts have been removed. If you deliver your car to one of our depots and we gauge that parts are missing, we will use our weighbridge to price your vehicle based on weight only.

Ideally we need your V5C registration document (log book) in order to issue your vehicle a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) through the DVLA

Your car doesn't need to be insured in order for us to scrap it. You will, however, need to arrange for us to collect your vehicle on your behalf as you will no longer be able to legally drive it to our depot. 

Our collection service is completely free and hassle-free.

Ideally we would like to know whether keys are available when collecting your car, but if you can no longer find your keys, we can still collect and quote a price that is unaffected by lack of keys. 

However, you will need to provide us with the V5 (log book) as evidence that you are the owner of the vehicle. Without keys or a log book, we are unable to scrap your car.

Usually it takes only 5-10 minutes for our driver to load your vehicle onto our recovery vehicle, but this does depend on location and accessibility. 

As the registered keeper of the car, you do not have to be present on collection. However, we do need someone to be available if you aren't – usually a relative, friend or neighbour. All we require is for someone to be there when we collect and they must have relevant ID. Please also be aware that it will be this person who will be paid, either by cheque or if a valid MOT is available, cash.

Yes. Once the DVLA has received notification that your car or van has been scrapped, you will automatically be refunded any unused, complete months' tax.

If you are delivering your car to our depot, there are three ways of payment – debit card refund, cheque or through our customer loyalty card scheme. If you are regularly scrap cars, metal etc, please enquire about our loyalty card as this will hold various benefits for you.

If Benfleet Scrap Co Ltd collects your car, there are two methods of payment. A cheque can be made payable to the person being met at your vehicle. Legally we are only able to issue cheques to the person that can provide photo ID. This means that if you are unable to be there but a neighbour or friend is, they will be the one that the cheque will be payable to. 

Alternatively, we can pay in cash on collection, but this is only possible with the relevant ID and a valid MOT for the vehicle. 

When collecting your vehicle for scrap, our driver will need to see identification – ideally a photo driving licence, although we can accept an in-date passport along with a utility bill dated within the last three months.

Yes. Once you have dropped off your car, or it has been collected for scrap, you will need to retain section 9 of the car's V5, complete and send to the DVLA.

Please notify us if you would like a receive a copy of your Certificate of Destruction. If we have received a log book, our agent will complete a CoD with the DVLA in due course. Receiving both will speed up the process at the DVLA. However, please be aware that it can take two to three weeks to receive your CoD.

If your car is no longer roadworthy, Benfleet Scrap Co can collect it on your behalf. 

Benfleet Scrap Co has built an exceptional reputation for our car collection service. We have four full time drivers covering the whole of Essex, collecting scrap vehicles on behalf of our customers. 

The only thing you need to ensure is that your car can be accessed in order to be loaded safely onto our lorry. During our initial contact, we will require details of any obstructions or height restrictions that may make recovering your vehicle a problem.

If it is a collection vehicle, any price will be based on a 'complete car', which means that no parts are removed. 

If a car is delivered to the depot and it is a complete car, we will price as such. If parts can be seen to be missing, your price will then be based on weight only, having been weighed on our weighbridge.

Our working days are:

Monday to Friday, 7:30am until 5pm

Saturday 7:30am until 12pm.

Usually, a CoD will take approximately 2-3 weeks to be issued. 

Please be aware that legally, you are unable to collect a Certificate of Destruction when your car is collected for scrap. It is only once the vehicle has been destroyed that a CoD can be issued. 

If a scrap merchant has promised to provide you with a CoD, the document will be fraudulent and the merchant will be committing a crime. However, Benfleet Scrap Co can write an intention letter if required. 

When you receive your CoD varies, but if you have not received it within 2-3 weeks, then call Benfleet Scrap Co and we will chase it up on your behalf.

You don't need to worry too much – basically it means that you need to prove that you are the owner of the vehicle before we can take collection of your car. 

If you don't have the V5, we will need some form of proof of ownership. This is usually either a recent vehicle tax reminder or SORN document. These need to be dated within the last three months in order for us to scrap your car.

A huge percentage of vehicles collected by Benfleet Scrap Co are no longer roadworthy – hence the need for scrappage! It really doesn't matter how long it's been out of commission – as long as we can safely recover your car, we can scrap it. 

Ideally you will need to produce the vehicle's keys, V5C and any other relevant paperwork, and, if your car has alloy wheels, the locking wheel nut key. By law we must also be able to take details of your photo driving licence. If that isn't available, it must be a passport and a utility bill dated within the last three months.

Simply go online to the DVLA website to fill in a V778 Retention Document. Once it is on retention, please then contact us to collect. Do not call us before you have filled in this document; once your car has been scrapped you will not be able to keep your personalised registration plate.

Yes we can. However, as your vehicle isn't registered with the DVLA, we are not able to provide you with a Certificate of Destruction (CoD) Instead we can send you an email confirming that your car has been scrapped, which, in most cases, will suffice. We strongly suggest that you check with the relevant authorities in the country of your car's origin in order to ensure that a confirmation of scrappage email is enough to satisfy their requirements.