Interior trim, plastic components, worn tires, and standard steel wheels have the least scrap value. These parts contain cheap materials with little recycling value and limited resale demand. Removing them before scrapping your car rarely makes financial sense.
Low-value parts not worth removing:
- Plastic interior trim and panels: Nearly worthless
- Carpeting and floor mats: No scrap value
- Worn or mismatched tires: $0 to $20 total
- Standard steel wheels: $5 to $15 each
- Side mirrors (basic models): $10 to $30
- Cloth seats (unless rare): $20 to $50
- Non-working electronics: Minimal value
- Cracked or damaged glass: No value
Time spent removing these items exceeds their value. A plastic dashboard trim piece might sell for $15, but it takes 30 minutes to remove, photograph, list, and ship. That’s not a good return on your effort.
Junk car buyers factor these components into their offers but don’t pay separately for them. The value comes from bulk processing. A yard can strip interior parts quickly as part of their workflow. You can’t match their efficiency on low-value items.
Focus your energy on high-value parts if you plan to sell anything separately. Learn which parts are worth removing to maximize your total payout.
