As the Cash for Clunkers program comes to an end, let us take a moment to reflect on the hundreds of thousands of clunkers that lost their lives this summer. By now, we know all about the great benefits of the so-called Cash for Clunkers program (officially titled the Consumer Assistance to Recycle and Save Act of 2009), but little attention is paid to the victims here – the clunkers. 

These cars clung on for dear life to get Americans from Point A to Point B (albeit, sometimes with the help of a tow truck) for decades, and then they were handed in for scrap metal. The bond between clunker and owner is a sacred one. Only the owner of a clunker knows the secret trick to get that passenger side window to go down, or at precisely what speed the windshield wipers will stop working, or exactly the right combination of swear words to get the trunk to close. Talk to any good clunker owners and, sure, they’ll probably have their fair share of gripes with their cars, but they’ll also probably have nicknames for them and at least some degree of sentimental attachment. 

After the injection of an additional $2 billion to the Cash for Clunkers budget, hundreds of thousands of vehicles were traded in through the program. But what exactly happens in the final days of a clunker?

As if being traded in for a younger, sexier ride weren’t humiliating enough, many dealerships decided to add insult to injury and spray paint “clunker” on some trade-ins and stick them out in the lot for the world to see. Others found it amusing to put the cars in dumpsters. Most clunkers, however, went straight to the executioner.

The Cash for Clunkers bill stipulates that all traded-in cars must be destroyed and recycled. Dealerships are responsible for destroying the engine before sending the cars off to the scrap yard. They did this by replacing the car’s oil with a sodium silicate solution (often referred to as “liquid glass”) and running the engine until it seized up. The liquid glass simulates years of wear and tear on the engine and destroys it in a matter of minutes. 

Once the engine had been destroyed, the car was completely drained of all liquids and taken to a scrap yard. There, the reusable parts were salvaged and the car compressed into a small cube for recycling.

For those who resisted the temptation and stuck with their clunkers throughout the summer, take solace in knowing the fate you saved your beloved from. Hopefully, your car will appreciate it too and maybe spare you a breakdown or two in the months to come.

By Elizabeth Wolfe