Wrecking yard owners...

northcreek

Original poster
Member
Jan 15, 2012
3,310
WNY
After a lifetime of dealing with these people, I swear, these guys are all the same.
I search on CarPart.com for a windshield for my 30 year old G30 van and find a guy in Pa. (150mi) who has a new one on the shelf. Guy has a great web site but, doesn't respond to emails call his phone several times and get: "I'm really busy, I'll take a look, Yeah I have it,call me back, I'll call you tomorrow (nope)".
These guys are great at finding/having junk they are just terrible business people.
Reminds me of the Harley parts guys (hoarders) I dealt with ....yeah they had the parts but, they were married to them.
Anyways.... my local glass people sent a seasoned glass technician out this time and now have the glass that they told me a few days ago "was no longer available" :confused:
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Some are better than others. I had found a hood for the Saab via Car-part near Rochester NY, called them up. I get the grumpy wife, we're real busy, yada, yada, yada. Keep calling and eventually get through to "the man". Yep, we have it. Asked if he wants me to give a deposit to hold it, he said nope, we'll hold it for ya. Great, I'll be down later this week to get it. Week does by, call them on the day before to be sure. Uh, we can't find the hood. What? Looks like one of our "employees" sold it. :mad: . I eventually found another one in Central NY but this time, I paid it in advance and told them to put a note on it that it was sold to be picked up. It was also a rinky dink operation but at least they kept it for me.

Most yards here are pretty good. Well organized and everything catalogued. Not too many of those mom and pop operations left. They're mega-businesses.
 
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aaserv

Member
Dec 1, 2019
408
N of Baton Rouge, La.
I dont find that their "all the same"....I find they all are run like s*** they just specialize in different forms of screw ups. U-Pull-it....Dont give a damn about anything, totally unhelpful and could care less if they ever got anything past the $2.00 entry fee. Called the main office once, surprisingly got thru and explained I was trying to make a few hundred dollar purchase and despite having 6-7 employees standing around doing nothing couldnt get any help with anything....They told me to go out in the parking lot and see if anyone was standing around and try to pay them to help me!!! WTF!! And dont know how they go about choosing when to take cars off the lot, apparently its totally random. Ive seen cars there with plenty of usable parts and go back the next week and their gone. See cars there with nothing on them that have been there for months.
LKQ here has a weird business model that I guess works for them. They have 1 yard where they originally bring the cars to. Their they strip them of good parts they think they can sell to repair shops and over the internet then send whats left of the auto to their public yard. I walked it last weekend and was shocked. You might could get an odd body part here and there but for the most part the cars were stripped.. Im the kind of guy who will go thru and buy something I may never use just because its there and looks usable....I left out of there with nothing....Doubt Ill ever go back. But I have bought a lot from them on ebay at decent prices and have gotten good parts with quick service.
There is a ' mom and pop" yard in another town maybe 35 miles from here. They are very helpful, good phone service, seems like they try really hard to help....They just dont have much...I guess being in a small town limits their supply . Acres of 80's and 90's pick up trucks but cars and suvs they have very small selection and most look like they've been hit by trains.
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Don't get me going on the u-pulls. I swear the majority of them are illiterate. Sure they list vehicles they have by rows and aisle # but half of them aren't there or are somewhere else. And I've seen the pre-stripped cars too in there. And when I'd see a TB on the "other side" of the yard, like a newer year, back when TB's were rarer, they never wound up on the public side. Just the older rusted out junkers. Now, that's improved since 08-09's are now considered old.

I do have one good story, sort of. I needed a shifter for my Caprice from a G8, which are rare themselves. Found a G8 in a U-pull about 4 hours away in Oshawa. Called them up and asked if they could check if the shifter was still there because I'd driving a long way. They called back later and said it was there. Drove there next day. Shifter was there, and nothing else since it was a stripped shell. And also partly missing parts. Grabbed it anyway but had to get to the bolts from under and it was sitting on the ground. Guy came and jacked it up for me. They were nice enough and helpful there. And I also found an '06 TB EXT that I grabbed the brake caliper brackets from.
 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,047
Brighton, CO
Theres a yard north of me that I tried getting parts from, I think it was called Riverside.. Anyways, I called, they had the part, it was in great condition, and I pre-paid for the part. Told them I would be their Saturday morning. I get there, part is still on the car, manager is mad at me because he think I am rushing him. I come back some 3 hours later, they were just pulling the part off... Only for them to ruin it. Bent the dog leg on the fender bad, cracked and pealed the paint off. I wanted this part because it was the right color, with the right side skirt. I paid a premium for that. Then he didnt want to refund the money for the part that was "not as described". I called my wife on the phone, pretending it was the credit card company, and asked for the Fraud Department. He refunded the money.
 

gmcman

Member
Dec 12, 2011
4,656
I went to a local "U-pull" a few years ago to get a RR tail light housing. They had an 03 XL and said part is $25, just go grab what you need and pay when you leave.

I walked over and the liftgate was locked and there was no battery installed.

I went back in and asked if they could put a jump box on the terminals so I could unlock the liftgate to access the lens housing screws.

They said yeah we can but it will be a $15 charge.

:confused: :eyebrowhuh:


Ebay had one. :cool:
 

Mooseman

Moderator
Dec 4, 2011
25,257
Ottawa, ON
Nowadays, you can sneak in one of those lithium booster packs. Hell, you can even crank and start an engine with those so it would be useful for checking engines.

 

TollKeeper

Supporting Donor
Member
Dec 3, 2011
8,047
Brighton, CO
I wonder if its the same fused power locations on a GMT360?
 

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