Quality used Autp Parts – Yes
Getting quality auto parts at a junkyard is not only possible, it's smart for the do it yourselfer. It is a good way to save a lot of money and keep your vehicle in good repair at the same time. Owners of older model cars may even find that there is no other source for many of the parts needed to restore or maintain their older car.
All businesses have their good and bad elements and auto junkyards are no different. The best of them place customer service and satisfaction as a top priority and will go the extra mile to ensure you're happy with the part you purchase from them These yards test parts when they are removed and offer a limited warranty for a specified period of time. Usually these are the largest yards, and have the appearance one would expect of a professional business. They do not like to be called junkyards, preferring to be called salvage yards or auto parts recyclers. Many now offer online parts searching and UPS or Fedex delivery so you don't even need to make the trip to the yard. On the other side of the coin is the the junkyard that deals in just that...junk. These yards tow the junk and wrecked cars in and place them in disorganized jumbles on their property. They do no testing, take little care in removing parts and generally offer a 30-30 type warranty... 30 seconds or 30 feet out the door, whichever comes first. However, this is the type of yard that is fun to spend a Saturday morning in, just wandering around and checking out all the old cars and finding parts for your car that you probably didn't even know you needed. Pricing at these yards can be very good, and are almost always negotiable if you're quoted a higher price than what you had in mind. Some of the smaller yards even have sales. One in my area offered an "all you can carry in one trip" special on Saturdays, a good deal if several smaller parts were needed.
It is always a good idea to be prepared when dealing with auto parts recyclers and know exactly the year, make and model of the vehicle you're looking for parts for, but don't be surprised if the part they hand you is labeled for a different car than yours. Salvage yards have interchange lists making it possible for them to know what other years and models used the same parts as yours. This helps in your quest for quality parts because it allows them to stock only the latest model, lowest mileage parts in most cases.
