There is a growing trend to die cast structural automotiveAutomotive components from scrapScrap aluminumAluminum sources to reduce embodied energyEnergy and cost. However, the ability to include most post-consumer scrapScrap is severely limited due to the sensitivities of current industrial high pressure die cast (HPDCHigh-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC)) Al alloysAl alloys to Fe impurities introduced during the recyclingRecycling process. This study characterized the surface to centerline microstructural heterogeneity in HPDCHigh-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) plates of Al-7Si-0.5Mn-0.2Mg-xFe (x = 0.18 and 1.0 wt. %) alloys. It was shown using scanning electron microscopy and synchrotron x-ray diffraction that macrosegregationMacrosegregation during HPDCHigh-Pressure Die Casting (HPDC) enriches secondary phases including Si and (Fe, Mn)-rich intermetallicsIntermetallics at the surface. The microstructureMicrostructure evolved with increased Fe impurity, but the evolution was non-uniform in the plate cross-section. Gulliver-Scheil solidificationSolidification calculations using nominal alloy compositions predicted the experimentally observed phases, but as expected, those calculations could not capture microstructural heterogeneity. The increased fraction of secondary phases and finer microstructureMicrostructure due to more rapid cooling rates at the surface led to higher surface hardnessHardness compared to centerline.