PETALING JAYA: It is an uphill task for legitimate car recyclers to take possession of apparently abandoned cars or even wrecks found in public spaces if their owners did not formally deregister such vehicles, says the Malaysia Automotive Recyclers Association.
Its vice-president Cho Chee Seng said such vehicles, no matter how beaten up they may appear, should not automatically be treated as vehicles that have been scrapped.
He said an inactive vehicle could still be owned by an individual or company while awaiting repairs, dismantling, buyers or simply left idle for other reasons.
Cho said owners wanting to dispose of such vehicles should ensure they are properly deregistered with the Road Transport Department (JPJ) before they can be scrapped or recycled.
“This ensures the owner’s legal responsibility for the vehicle is properly terminated while preventing future misuse of the vehicle’s identity,” he said in response to questions from The Star.
He said there are two ways to deregister a vehicle, namely through JPJ’s e-Dereg system using an Authorised Automotive Treatment Facility (AATF), or manually at any JPJ branch.
He said the vehicle must have a valid record and no active blacklists, caveats or unresolved issues with JPJ, police or the Customs Department.
“There must also be no outstanding ownership claims, such as an active hire-purchase loan, while any administrative details of such vehicles, including roadtax, must be cancelled or settled.
Cho said owners using an AATF will have their ownership documents verified before surrendering the vehicle to be broken up for material recovery, after which the facility will issue a Certificate of Destruction.
For manual deregistration, the owner must submit the required documents to JPJ before surrendering the vehicle to an AATF.
Cho said although there is no comprehensive national figure on vehicle abandonment, it is well known that a good number of old vehicles are never formally deregistered.
Some remain parked on private property, roadsides, workshops, factories, housing areas or vacant land for extended periods.
This situation is not unique to Malaysia. Many countries face similar challenges because the lack of awareness, cost, inconvenience or uncertainty surrounding disposal procedures can discourage owners from completing the formal process.
This is precisely why industry stakeholders are advocating for a more structured end-of-life vehicle ecosystem that makes responsible disposal simple, transparent and attractive to vehicle owners, Cho said.
“Improvements are being made but there is still space to simplify the process further,” he said.
Among the hurdles of the process, he noted, are uncertainty over AATFs, documentation requirements and a lack of financial incentives for owners to dispose of unwanted vehicles.
Cho said there are currently five licensed AATFs in the country, with the industry working with the Department of Environment and the Malaysia Automotive, Robotics and IoT Institute on the development of an end-of-life vehicle ecosystem.
He said that at an AATF, vehicles undergo depollution, with fuel, engine oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, batteries and refrigerants safely removed before dismantling.
Cho said reusable components such as engines, transmissions, alternators, starters, air-conditioning compressors, wheel rims, doors, bumpers, fenders and lamps may then be recovered depending on their condition and market demand.
“The remaining structure is then processed for material recovery with the aim of maximising reuse and recycling to reduce landfill waste,” he added.
