Scrapping in the yard...

[Rahmota]

Ok I had a load of scrap to take to the yard today and ran into someone who most definately had never set foot in a scrapyard in his life and apparently did not know much about cars. So why was he at the yard today? He was looking for a part for his son's car. I didnt catch what kind of car it was but apparently it was a project car of some sort and he was sent out here to get the part as this yard was the only one in 50 miles that supposedly had the part for the car. Now this yard does have some older ehciles sitting in the back so it is possible but they are also not on the web so it must have been word of mouth advertising or something.

This guy apparently owned the brand new lexus out front. He was dressed in business khakis and dress shirt and leather dress loafers all he needed was the sweater around the shoulders and he would ahve fit the perfect yuppie dress code. He was arguing with the yard guy about who was goign to go back and get the part. (The way the yard works is you get the part yourself or you pay an extra fee to have them go get the part. I always go grab the part myself as I dont mind the adventure of wandering aroud the place. Its almost like being on a d&D quest.)

But this guy wanted them to go get the part and not charge him the take off fee as thats not what the parts store does. But this is not a part store this is a scrap yard. Which he doesnt seem to understand and is getting quite agitated about is that these guys dont care. Which they tell him in no uncertain terms what he can do with his part, his cheapness and his attitude. I would repeat the conversation here but since there might be sailors in the room I'll refrain.

Suffice to say he decides that it must not be what he wanted and says "Fine I'll get it off ebay." And off he storms. Good luck on that. Unfortunately he got the guys at the yard ,upset, and so I just decided to drop my load get paid and get out without bugging them any further. So I have no idea exactly what all the deal was about. If I did I'd thought about getting the part and putting it up on ebay for a bit of a profit.

[protege]

I bet the scrapyard guys would have liked to see his Lexus get crushed...with him in it

Growing up, my father and I spent quite a bit of time in scrapyards. That's what you get with a VW Beetle-based kit car, and later the MG. I remember going through some yards, *full* of 1950s and '60s cars, lots of VWs, and other interesting tin. Too bad most of that has since been crushed

Around here, it's impossible to "look around" in a scrapyard. Too many lawsuits from people doing stupid things put an end to that.

[Jadedcarguy]

I would have LOVED to see that! The yuppies who know nothing about cars tend to be the worst SC's.

[Jadedcarguy]

Around here, it's impossible to "look around" in a scrapyard. Too many lawsuits from people doing stupid things put an end to that.

Most around here won't let you look around either, altough there are a couple who require you to pull your own parts. They won't even do it if you pay extra.

[Rahmota]

Protege: Yeah I can imagine. There where a few comments about what part he had been pulling and where he could carry the part if you know what I mean

I've only dealt with th local "smaller" yards so apparently liability lawsuits havent made there way this far out yet. Out of the three I deal with they all do pretty much the same and if you want them to get it you pay, otherwise you go get it. And yeah generally the only way to get in there is if you have business getting back there, no tours....

[Gurndigarn]

Pissing off your local junkman is almost as bad as pissing off the guy who prepares your food. Most of them are independent, frequently have attitudes, and don't really need your business. You need them more than they need you.

[Jadedcarguy]

You need them more than they need you.

You ain't kiddin'. If the part they have that you need is popular, most likely there are three or four people lining up behind you for it.

[solemnwarning]

Why would someone not want to go get it?
I would find the part unless it was somthing too heavy for me to move like a full engine/gearbox :\

[Acolyte]

Yeah, the way our scrapyard works is that you go back there with your tool of choice (ratchet sledge, plier set, screwdriver kit, 10-pound sledge...), get whatever you need, bring it to the front and say 'how much?'

[DGoddessChardonnay]

Most around here won't let you look around either, altough there are a couple who require you to pull your own parts. They won't even do it if you pay extra.

We have one like that just a couple of minutes from my house.

U-Pull-It is the name and they've got quite an assortment. Best day to go is on Thursday, where it's half-price day.

So far, I've picked up a couple of door handles (one inside, one outside), a pair of sun visors, and a radiator for the Toyota earlier this summer (and no, I didn't pull off the parts myself - I had the family mechanic with me.)

Total spent: around $18.00. My wallet was most happy with that.

[Gurndigarn]

So far, I've picked up a couple of door handles (one inside, one outside), a pair of sun visors, and a radiator for the Toyota earlier this summer (and no, I didn't pull off the parts myself - I had the family mechanic with me.)

Total spent: around $18.00. My wallet was most happy with that.

How did you manage to score a radiator, let alone the rest of the stuff, for $18?

[Jadedcarguy]

How did you manage to score a radiator, let alone the rest of the stuff, for $18?

Pick-a-Part places are usually REALLY cheap. The ones close to me have set prices for certain parts, regardless of what kind of car it came off of. If you can remove the parts yourself and know what you're looking for, they are a great place to get parts.

[Rahmota]

Oh yeah. U pull it yards are usually 1/2 or more what a dealer/shop would charge. Unless its somethign totally mission critical I'll grab from the yard first.

And how you get it cheap is ,at the yards I go to at least, to have a good attitude. Copping an attitude with them usually adds a surlyness charge of 10% or more.

[Gurndigarn]

Pick-a-Part places are usually REALLY cheap. The ones close to me have set prices for certain parts, regardless of what kind of car it came off of. If you can remove the parts yourself and know what you're looking for, they are a great place to get parts.

Yeah, but that comes to $10 or less for the radiator. When I was in the business, you were looking at $30 and up, no matter who was pulling it, and you were lucky if it was in the $30 range.

My attitude may have been spoiled a bit, though, because our local places charge quite high. Part of that is because of the scrap value of the cars-- I got over $200 for a van I was done with (tranny dying, two doors didn't open, no heat or AC, etc) just for the value of the steel and aluminum in it. Some of the places aren't even bothering to pull many working parts much any more-- just shipping them for scrap.

And the time I was qoted a higher price for a door handle assembly than the dealer charged ($45 for a scrapyard one; $35 from the dealer), I decided that there at least one local place I wouldn't be returning to, period. No, I'm not making that price up. $45 for a rear door handle for a Ford Aerostar-- you pull it.