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I'm hoping to start a discussion not a snipe-fest. Let's stipulate that a yard does not require oil to be drained. Would you consider overfilling an engine with used oil as unethical? Any other practices that would fall under "unethical"? If you are a yard owner/employee, please specify that. If you disagree with a poster, please state your reasoning.
When I have some extra oil to get rid of (quarts not gallons) I have put an extra 2 or 3 quarts in the engine of the next car out
I wouldn't do it on a normal basis
If you have alot of oil to get rid of, Consider checking with some local repair shops that heat with used oil.
If you have 55 gallon drums filled with it, they will purchase
Smaller supplies they will take for free
Honestly in my opinion, I dont think so. My Dad owns his own shop as well as his uncle and he has a waste oil burne. So whenever i come across waste oil i just run it over to my dads shop.
I wouldnt feel comfortable taking it to my yard just by the fact of getting that extra dollar. It would make me feel as if i cheated them in a way... and by the possibilty of them not knowing and shredding it or whatever and having the oil spill all over the place or bad dispoasl of it. Just my .02 cents
My gut reaction when I read this was that it was shady, but looking at it a bit more, you're actually adding to the scrap yards bottom line. Used motor oil is a commodity worth over $1.00 per gallon (in bulk). In Ontario, the government also will reimburse licensed collectors from the eco tax they levy on all new oil sales. Dirt or water would definitely be offside.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick
We get paid for our used oil. 0.15c per liter. I drain all my scrap cars. Works out to about 100-150 bucks every 6 months.
I wouldnt do it, only because I dont see a difference between this and water in the fuel tank. Alot less volume, same principle.
I have never scrapped a car before. I dod ask about fluids at one yard that takes cars and they said that none of the flids have to be drained. So knowing that I would think that the yards drain all fluids themselves and make money on it. So extra oil i dont think would be a problem. Adding water or sand into the gas tank would be unethical.
I also never understood when a few people here have stated they add metal in the cars they scrap with the ok of their yard. I thought that yards buy autos according to the curb weigh of the vehicle which can be found on the door sticker?
I would have to think that, in this day and age, if a yard takes vehicles with oil in them, it HAS to be because they have the equipment to remove the oil and expect to do so. I doubt anyone can take a car full of fluids and just smash the heck out of it, spraying anti freeze and oil all over the ground. Instant EPA superfund, anyone?
Further, as suggested by Otto, the oil is a saleable commodity, so by adding oil you are not financially harming the yard.
So my vote is that adding oil is OK, but might be easier to just pour it in a drum and sell it yourself. Or USE IT yourself, for shop heat or clean it up and use it in a diesel pickup. Using it yourself is where you start to make the real money by avoiding buying heating fuel or diesel.
If you have to sell it, then you need to do the math for your area as oil is about 8 lbs per gallon and you need to calculate if metal is priced more than oil.
My 2 cents Canadian!
Jon.
Most yards pay by weight, scale your trailer and truck on the way in and on the way outQuote:
Originally Posted by BRASSCATCHER
Difference is the weight of the vehicle
The door sticker does NOT have the curb weight of the car
That weight on the door sticker is the most your car should weigh loaded with passengers and stuff
Maybe some go by the sticker but I think most like my yard have you drag it across the scale and pay by the pound. Some yards may pay a little more then shred for cars so guys take advantage of that. I get shred price for cars so I just throw in what I have laying around to consolidate the trip and it is all unloaded in one fell swoop.Quote:
Originally Posted by BRASSCATCHER
As for fluids I have to drain everything. If a yard does allow fluids I guess topping off would be ok but over filling or adding the wrong fluid to a tank would be a no-go. If a battery is shot for sure I take it as is but if the battery is only a few years old I add water and try and charge it before sending it packing.
I think if they take them with fluid then it is ok to fill up the fluids. I wonder how much liquid weight there could be? If you had extra or old fluids I could see topping off. Fill up raidator, battery, break fluid, transmission fluid, windshield washer, oil, gas tank (with old gas).
I dont scrap vehicles but I cant see where you would really benifit by it. you do get rid of the extra fluids but most shred scales are in 20 pound increments. you would have to be at the highend of the next 20 # increment for it to push you over.
I do not do many cars maybe 2-5yr just whats in somebodys junk i am cleanning up, but check for buyers near you. i do a lot of mowers and things and for mixed oil I get 50cents a gallon, I am sure its lower but I do not want to haul this or gas to higher paying places in 55gal barrels in the back of my truck just waiting to go wrong lol lol. also save the old gas in these as well and treat it a bit and sell along with older crappy mowers that run I do not sell a lot of gas though its just a nice selling point when I offer 1-5gal of gas with a mower.
I'm of the same mind as BC. If the yard allows you to leave the oil in, then..I'll leave the oil in, an toss in a couple quarts. I don't do cars, but if did an the yard allowed it, then I would. Water, sand, whatever..no. That would be eff'ing with them, an not cool. Afterall if their equipped to remove it, an their selling it...it's more money in their pocket. Key being...they allow it. If they don't then I wouldn't. simple as that. I also wouldn't fill a car with plastic or other non-metal crap, if they didn't take said crap.
Just me. YMMV.
Sirscrapalot - Attack the post, not the poster.
List of Different Types of Vehicle WeightQuote:
Originally Posted by JohnC4X4
When you're comparing vehicle weights, it's very important to understand the different ways weight is measured. The chart below can help you understand which measurement you want to use when comparing vehicles or deciding on how much cargo your vehicle can carry.
•Gross vehicle weight (GVW) - This weight includes all your cargo, extra added equipment, and passengers aboard.
•Curb weight - This is the weight of your vehicle with all fluids and components but without the drivers, passengers, and cargo.
•Payload - The payload is the weight including passengers, equipment, cargo, and anything being towed.
•Gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) - This is the maximum total weight of your vehicle, passengers, and cargo in order for you to avoid damaging the vehicle or compromising your safety.
•Gross combined weight - This weight includes the vehicle and a trailer, if you are pulling one. The gross combined weight should be determined while the trailer is attached to the vehicle.
•Maximum loaded trailer weight - This amount is much like the gross combined weight, however, it includes a fully loaded trailer.
•Gross axle weight - The gross axle weight is the amount of weight that is supported by each axle, both front and rear.
•Gross axle weight rating - The gross axle weight rating is the total weight each axle is capable of hauling.
Mick I'd go for it, it originally came out of a car. My yard is full of crap and I stuff cars all the time, oil would be no different.
Good lord, really? A quart of oil weighs about a pound, so you're getting another dime? IF the scale even weighed in one pound incrementa, which they don't.
This is a non-question to me.
That's how I bust my main seal in front of salvo auto parts. It was costly. Not smart. I'm banned from changing my own oil. Over 20 plus years. :(
Youneed to start tacking your cars to the crusher KZ they dont require fluid draining. Its awesome to watch them punch the tank with a pick axe and drain the gas out too :)Quote:
Originally Posted by KzScrapper
Don't think anyone is saying do it for the extra money burly. It's the fact of it being allowed or not for me. I can sit on the old oil an hope I get enough to eventually sell, or put it in the car an let the yard profit quicker then I will off the oil...IF THEY ALLOW IT. I don't care about the extra money on that. I'D be happy just cause they allow it an make more on it. If I ever do a car I'll be sure to ask them thanks to this topic. Then again I try not to take a lot of non-metal in when I visit the yard. Ha ha!
Good topic. For those of us learning about scrapping vehicles.
Sirscrapalot - Easter is on 4/20 this year...I see a huge spike in chocolate bunnies and peeps. Ha!
If you get enough oil to fill barrels look for a buyer. I found one that pays $.25/ gallon for oil, or fuel. Company recycles it to make lubricants.
Thats not bad to put oil in the engines, I've heard a lot of storys of how people put liquid cement into the engines, into the gas tanks and even put them in the tires somehow. Then also about water. Taking the gas out of the tank and refilling it with water and all that crap. Putting cinder blocks in the trunk too I've heard. All those unethical ways.
Iv seen a guy load anb old cast iron fireplace full of bricks. All I hear is "ohhh sh*t mr whoever put cinder blocks in a fireplace again!"Quote:
Originally Posted by Kochy
I still wonder the total weight of fluids in a vehicle. What is the average? Gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid, antifreeze, wiper fluid, etc....
i honestly dont thin it is going to make much of a difference.What does a quart weigh say 1 lbs.Well that got you a extra $0.12 lol.Oh lord you may get rich by doing that lol.
Very unethical. We are entrepreneurs of class and decent standards, at least I thought. If the yard was good to me, I wouldn't do it. But if the yard nickels and dimes, hell yea. To break even, I may have filled a 40 gallon water heater with water, I'm just saying, maybe.Quote:
Originally Posted by Mick
People who cheat the system get caught! Bricks and cement will do that!!!!!
The fact that this is even a question baffles me. I work for a family owned recycling yard, while we do not require autos to be "dry" we do require the gas tank be removed and empty. We still purchase the tank, just keep it empty. You are not "lining our pockets" by adding extra fluids. Depending on where you are located you can resell used oil, under pretty strict guidelines, ultimately it becomes negligible, doesn't make or break a yard. However, we are not fortunate enough to have this service available to us, too far away, fuel price negates any profit, therefore we are forced to pay for someone to come remove our used fluids. All of this is however not the biggest concern. We're regulated by laws from the EPA, if that overfilled car leaks into the ground and the EPA shows up (they don't announce their visits) we can be slapped with a huge fine, not to mention can be ordered to shut the doors. We don't make the customer drain all the oil because we want to make it easier and better for you, draining all the oil takes time, especially if you do it the proper way, we do that part for you, we consider it a cost of business. To try and sneak more in is deceitful at best. It isn't about the money, it's about not taking advantage of someone that may be helping you.
Not at all the yard should realize that their policy allows for extra money they have to shell out for non metal. With this knowledge they can change the real at anytime but for the time being they are accepting it so why not make more money???
The yard i take vehicles to is a pick and pull. The owner is quite a business man, I would not be surprised if he is making money off scrap tires.
Because I have a friend that is a mechanic, I know there are companies that buy used fluids for recycling in the area. Waste oil furnaces are also a big thing in the auto shops around here.
I think this falls into the category of it depends on how your yard handles the fluids. I get better than shred price with fluids intact.