Auto salvage in Atherton

Motor Salvage Group buys damaged cars in Atherton: Category B, S and N write-offs that you own, accident damage you chose not to claim for, and cars hit by flood or fire. Send the registration, the category if there is one, and photos of the damage, and we reply with a price that counts the undamaged parts as well as the metal.

Collection in Atherton is free and done with a recovery vehicle, so a car that cannot steer or roll is not a problem. Payment is by bank transfer. As a rule, the cars we buy go to a licensed Authorised Treatment Facility for parts recovery and recycling, and when a car is scrapped the ATF issues the Certificate of Destruction and notifies the DVLA.

Atherton is about 300 miles from our Fort William base, and collections here are grouped with other north-west and Cheshire collections, including Crewe, into scheduled runs that come round less often than our Scottish ones. We agree the date when you accept the price. Tell us where the car is parked and how close a truck can get. Postcodes, districts and how collection runs in Atherton are on our local page.

Write-off categories and what to tell us

Write-off categories are set by insurers after a claim: A for cars that must be crushed whole, B for cars whose shell must be crushed but whose parts can be reused, S for structural damage and N for damage that is not structural. A car with a car park dent that nobody claimed for has no category, however much the repair would cost. We buy B, S and N write-offs that you own and uncategorised damaged cars, but Category A only for crushing. Still weighing up whether to hold on to a Category S or N car? Expect the insurer to reduce the settlement by its salvage value, and get a salvage price to put beside that reduction first. Declare the category when you send the reg, because it stays with the car.

Photos that get an accurate salvage price

A salvage price rests on what survived the damage, so show us the good parts as well as the bad. A front-end collision may leave the gearbox, interior, rear panels and wheels untouched, and those all count. Send wide shots of all four sides, close-ups of the impact, and pictures of the seats, dashboard and engine bay. Note the mileage, the category from any settlement letter and whether the airbags deployed. If the car is at a garage or compound in Atherton, ask whether someone there can take the photos. The more we can see, the less chance of a surprise when the driver arrives.

When your damaged car is not at home

Collecting from a business site in Atherton is straightforward if the paperwork is sorted first. Most garages and compounds need to know the car is being released on your instructions, and some ask for a reference number or signed note. Some sites charge daily storage, so ask before the bill grows. A car on hire purchase or PCP belongs to the finance company until it is settled, and after a write-off the insurer's payment normally goes to that company first, so mention anything still owed when you ask for a price. Tell us the name of the site, its address and the times it is open, and whether the car is inside a building or in a yard. The driver loads it on a recovery vehicle, and as a rule, cars we buy go on to a licensed treatment facility.

Read our full guide to auto salvage, see what happens after you send the reg, or get your price now.