Wilder Toyota Auto Repair Service

The Advantages of Picking Junkyard Parts

You should always take your car to a shop like us at Wilder Toyota Auto Repair Service in Port Angeles, WA for professional repairs. But, if you decide to fix it yourself, a junkyard can be a great place to find decent car parts at a great price. It can also be a great place to waste a lot of time and frustration if you’re not prepared.

The first thing to ask yourself is how much time and effort you want to put into your part search. If you go to a full-service salvage yard. You let them know what parts you need, and a worker will pull them from inventory for you. In almost no time, you pay and go off to fix your car.

The other option is to go to a you-pick lot, pay a small entrance fee, and start looking for what you want. This takes more time and work because you’re responsible for locating and removing the parts yourself.

Make sure you know exactly what you’re looking for, including what parts are included in an entire assembly. If you’re pulling a bumper, make sure to get any salvageable clips or brackets. Do you need the absorber? Get that too. You’ll only frustrate yourself by not getting everything the first time around. If you’re halfway through the repair and see that you forgot something, you may even be tempted to just pay retail for the missing part. That would defeat the whole purpose of going to the yard.

Get a good idea of what parts from other models are compatible with what you need. People who’ve worked on the same model as yours probably have some ideas. It’s worth checking the forums on car repair sites to see if anyone has posted about an alternative that fits and works. There are also online part search sites that let you know what items can substitute for the part number you need.

Take the right tools with you. If you forget your 10mm socket, you may have to bargain with another customer to use theirs. Or worse yet, you can run the risk of leaving to get the right equipment, only to have someone else scoop up the part while you’re gone.

Since you have to get the pieces back to your own truck, take along a cart or wheelbarrow. You should also remember to wear heavy shoes and take gloves. There’s no telling what rusted or jagged fragments are blocking the path between you and the piece you’re looking for.

A productive trip to the salvage yard won't guarantee that your entire project will go quickly, but it will be one less headache on the road to a beautifully repaired car.

 Wilder Toyota Auto Repair Service, 43 Jetta Way, Port Angeles, WA  98362 

Sources: Ask.com and YouTube