Overview: Junkyards & Salvage Yards
Scrapping a car here is partly an environmental job. In Ontario, nobody may crush or shred an end-of-life vehicle until the battery, mercury switches, fluids and tires are out. Most yards that store or take apart these cars must also register with the province's environment ministry.
Yards sell parts too, and rust changes what's worth buying. Salt eats brake lines, subframes and bolts long before engines and transmissions wear out. Self-serve yards let you pull parts with your own tools. Full-service yards pull, test and shelve them for you.
Selling a finished car has provincial rules. In Ontario, plates follow the owner rather than the car, so take them off before the tow truck leaves. Sign the vehicle portion of the ownership permit over to the yard by its business name. A car branded salvage there needs a structural inspection certificate before it can be rebuilt and plated again.
Our listings show what each yard says on its own website about parts, pickup and payment. The province and city lists lead to yards within reach.
Frequently asked questions
What do I do with my plates when I scrap a car?
In Ontario, take them off and keep them. Plates there move with the owner, not the car, so they go on your next car or back to a ServiceOntario centre. Hold on to the plate portion of your permit, since you'll need it to register the plates on another vehicle. Other provinces handle plates their own way, so check with your registry before the tow.
Can a salvage-branded car go back on the road?
In Ontario, a salvage car can, but an irreparable one never can. Once a salvage car is repaired, it has to pass a structural inspection to earn the rebuilt brand, and it still needs a safety standards certificate before plates go on. British Columbia and Quebec use their own brands. Price both inspections before you pay for the car.
Do used parts come with any warranty?
Many full-service yards give a short guarantee on tested engines and transmissions, while self-serve parts usually go as is. In Quebec, the Consumer Protection Act adds a legal warranty on goods a merchant sells: fit for normal use and reasonably durable, on top of anything the yard offers. Keep the receipt and the part tag, and remember the labour to fit it is yours.
What do I need to sell them my dead car?
Photo ID, the keys, and the vehicle portion of your ownership permit, signed over to the yard by its business name. Get a bill of sale showing the date, the price and who bought the car. Clear the glovebox of anything with your address on it. Then call your insurer the same day, because a car that's gone shouldn't still be costing you premiums.
What happens to the fluids and the battery?
They come out before the car is crushed. Ontario's end-of-life vehicle rules say no one may crush, shear or shred a car until the battery, mercury switches, fluids and tires are removed. Refrigerant has to be recovered too. A tidy yard shows it: drained cars, sealed drums and no rainbow sheen in the puddles.
