What to do with core MAF air flow sensor

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So I was able to replace the MAF on my son's Saab 9-5 and make the check engine light go out quite easily thanks to the modern miracle of you tube and a saab owner's bulletin board. Now what do I do with the old MAF? I hate to just throw it in the garbage, as it probably has some platinum in it. Do you think Auto Zone or some other chain parts store would take it? I am trying to do the right thing for the environment.
 
The amount of metal in newer MAFs is very little now if any. I recycle as much as I can from basic iron/steel to CATs. But never heard of anyone doing anything with MAFs or even O2 sensors.
 
Are you trying to get money out of it? There's not enough platinum to be worth it, reclaiming platinum is a complicated process, so you would essentially be seeking a general recycler of metal/plastic(?) hybrid waste. Autozone might be worth a try but even if they take it, it may at a later date just be thrown away. Not everything is recycle-worthy.
 
I am not interested in making money on it. I just want it to be recycled properly if that is possible. Many other automobile components do get recycled, including throttle bodies.
 
Originally Posted by atikovi
Assuming it's 99.9% plastic, can you put it out with the other plastic items you normally dispose of?

Only if it has the Recycle Triangle and only if it has the correct Number in it.
The Recycler collecting in my Town only collect #1 and #2 plastics.
That leaves a lot of plastics NOT collected (even if they ultimately could be recycled).
Reduce …… Reuse …… Recycle

OP has a good question and more people need to be concerned.
As another poster has said, possibly where they collect 'electronics for recycling'.
 
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Smash it up. If you can't tell what number it is then it likely doesn't get recycled.

I'd throw the bits of metal in with our metal trash as it is more likely the residue after iron is magnetized out and the aluminum is alutrified away will be sold to some specialty metal extractor.
 
The body is all metal--appears to be machined aluminum. The cross wires are where the platinum is, I assume.
 
Hang it on the garage wall or save it till you get a bunch of other parts and make your own art.

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Originally Posted by Malo83
Hang it on the garage wall or save it till you get a bunch of other parts and make your own art.


Looks very nice! I like it.
Did you make it or found the pic somewhere?
 
Update: I called Gold Wing Auto Wreckers in Upstate New York (tremendous resource for Saab owners, by the way. ) I offered to mail it to them no charge. They were really nice, and told me that they had stacks of them on the shelves and would probably not use it for many years. Maybe I will make a sculpture out of it.
 
Originally Posted by OilUzer
Originally Posted by Malo83
Hang it on the garage wall or save it till you get a bunch of other parts and make your own art.


Looks very nice! I like it.
Did you make it or found the pic somewhere?

Found on the net.

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Originally Posted by PeterGreen
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I Do like it! If I see one in a garage sale I will buy it but don't tell my wife
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we are trying to get rid of junk!
 
Is this the very first time you replaced an auto part? You have never thrown out a broken household item before? Seems like a awful lot of discussion about what 99.99% of people would toss in the trash and never look back.
 
Last time I had to replace a MAF I had to pay a core charge (1990 -91 circa) for my Nissan ZX.
The new on that I got was rebuilt by Cardone if I recall correctly, I guess they no longer rebuilt them.
 
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