Step 1
A customer calls Midwest Metals or submits his/her information online to us. One of our customer service representatives explains our process and provides an estimate for their vehicle. Once our cash offer is accepted, a date/time that is convenient with the customer is arranged. We typically require the Title/Ownership and keys for the vehicle being purchased.
Step 2
The day that your vehicle is scheduled to be removed, we will call you to confirm pickup. The tow truck operator arrives at your location and the amount of cash our customers were quoted is then paid out and then your vehicle is placed safely on the tow truck.
Step 3
Once your vehicle is towed to Midwest Metals, it is placed on a hoist where all the following is removed from the vehicle:
• Battery
• Tires
• Glycol’s (Coolant/Antifreeze)
• Transmission Oil
• Fuel * Engine Oil
The vehicle is now prepared to safely be compacted without having any hazardous materials contaminate the earth.
• Batteries are recycled for lead and plastics – all acids are neutralized and disposed of.
• Tires are dismounted from the wheels and are recycled for rubber to be used for various applications (i.e. asphalt, new tires, rubber floor mats…etc)
• Coolant is typically filtered and reused.
• Transmission Oils/Engine Oils are filtered and recycled to be reused in many industrial and residential applications (i.e. clean burning furnaces)
• Fuel is separated and safely contained.
Step 4
Once the vehicle is prepared and compacted, bundles of 16-26 compacted vehicles are typically shipped off to large metal processing plants where they are shredded and separated. Around 76% of the average car, by weight, is made up of metal. Most of this percentage is sheet metal. The overall metal content, however, has declined in the past few decades due to the introduction of non-ferrous metals and plastics incorporated into vehicle design. Of metals used presently in vehicles, approximately 98% is recycled and recovered by shredding operations which is then developed by the steel industry and re- smelting facilities. Other materials commonly found in vehicles (Plastics, Lead, Aluminum, Copper…etc) are typically separated and recycled for a variety of uses. Using our process roughly only 2% of a vehicles total materials are sent to land fills.
How you get paid?
We follow a strict payment matrix that brings us to the exact amount that we are able to pay for your vehicle.
• Each year in North America, close to 12 million vehicles reach the end of their useful lives and are taken out of service.
• 75% of your old car can be recycled
• 42% of all new steel in this country comes from recycled metal
• Using recycled metal saves up to 74% energy and 40% water consumption. It also reduces air pollution by about 86% and water pollution by 76%