ANSWERS TO COMMON QUESTIONS FROM OUR SELLERS.

Many large national junk car websites advertise “guaranteed” or “instant” quotes online. While these quotes may look appealing, customers are often surprised when the final price changes at pickup.

Here’s why that happens — and how Rhode Island Junk My Car does things differently.

Most national junk car websites are lead-generation companies, not local buyers. They collect your vehicle information online, provide a preliminary quote, and then send the job to a third-party towing or scrap company in your area.

Because the quote is generated automatically, it often does not account for key factors, including:

• Missing or aftermarket catalytic converters
   
• Cut or hollowed-out converters
   
• Emissions components removed or replaced
   
• Incorrect assumptions about vehicle condition
   
• Scrap value fluctuations at the local yard
   

When the third-party driver arrives and discovers the vehicle does not have a factory catalytic converter, the price is frequently lowered on the spot — or the pickup is canceled entirely.

Factory catalytic converters contain valuable precious metals and can significantly impact a vehicle’s scrap value.

If a vehicle:

• Never had its original converter
   
• Has an aftermarket replacement
   
• Had the converter stolen or removed
   

…the original online quote often no longer applies, even if it was labeled as “guaranteed.”

This is one of the most common reasons customers tell us their price was reduced at pickup by other companies.

That means:

• We ask the right questions up front
   
• We explain how missing catalytic converters affect value
   
• We don’t send a random third party to renegotiate
   
• The person you speak to is the person handling your vehicle
   

Our quotes are based on real Rhode Island scrap prices, not national averages or automated systems.