Is there an easy way to search for a "car" in a salvage yard?

[Egz]

Sites like car-part only tell you if a salvage yard has certain parts, and the parts I'm looking for are unique enough to not be listed. Short of cold calling every salvage yard in 200 miles, is there a way to see if a certain type of car is on their yard?

[shwak23]

Well you could go there.... and look... or call a psychic hot line.... or ask a wizard....

Seriously what were you expecting for an answer here?

Sent from my DROID X2

[Egz]

Well you could go there.... and look... or call a psychic hot line.... or ask a wizard....

Seriously what were you expecting for an answer here?

Um, yea? TCL knows of some good sites that might have access to salvage yard inventories, like car-part.com, but for an entire car.

[mike02467]

Sites like car-part only tell you if a salvage yard has certain parts, and the parts I'm looking for are unique enough to not be listed. Short of cold calling every salvage yard in 200 miles, is there a way to see if a certain type of car is on their yard?

How is that a cold call? Do you even know what a cold call is? Maybe tell us what part you are looking for so we can have some sort of clue what you are talking about.

[Egz]

How is that a cold call? Do you even know what a cold call is? Maybe tell us what part you are looking for so we can have some sort of clue what you are talking about.

Okay, cold call may not be the best word. Just going through a list of yards in the area and calling every one.

Looking for an 8th gen Civic hybrid to get the underbody panels. I can get the from a dealer, but I rather not spend that much cash for a very small improvement.

[BetterByDesign]

Get a name of a person at the salvage from your body shop or insurance company. Often there is someone at these places that has the entire inventory in their head.

As opposed to a 'cold call' and your at the whim of whoever you happen to be bothering.

[ANSAracingb]

I don't know if you have Pick and Pull yards in your area, but if you visit their website they have an inventory thing where you can select your location and the model of vehicle you are looking for. Results will show up in the different yards, and not only give the years of the models, but the location within the yard itself.

For the most part, I have found their inventory thing to be fairly accurate...

http://www.picknpull.com/check_inventory.aspx

edit: BetterByDesign, what's up? Small world!

[rimtrim]

One of my many theoretical business ideas has been to start a service called Junkyard Alert, where you can sign up, set up a list of cars, and get an email when a car on your list shows up at a nearby self-service yard. How the logistics to make this possible would work, I have no idea. If somebody wants to figure that out, you're welcome to take the idea. I'd sign up.

-Andrew L

[barry2952]

Junkyards have been linked for many years. They have a national organization that sends out parts requests. Just go to a yard and ask. If it's a foreign car try to find one that is foreign car specific. In the Detroit area we have Michigan Imports. Most cities have a specialist.

[bigev007]

The underbody panel on my HCH II fell off/wasn't put back on by a garage at some point, and I didn't notice a difference. Rocks sound a bit different when they hit the bottom, that's all. What did make a difference was the 4-6mpg I lost when I replaced the LRR tires with Pirelli P4's. I put every tank into fuelly and pay very close attention to changes.
In short, I can't help you find a car, but don't bother getting the panel.

Edit: Not sure which of the panels you mean. The big under the body panel is the missing one, and I have gone a few weeks without the under the engine one. I like having the under the engine one for protection, but neither made a noticeable fuel economy difference.

[Fe2O3]

I don't know if you have Pick and Pull yards in your area, but if you visit their website they have an inventory thing where you can select your location and the model of vehicle you are looking for. Results will show up in the different yards, and not only give the years of the models, but the location within the yard itself.

For the most part, I have found their inventory thing to be fairly accurate...

http://www.picknpull.com/check_inventory.aspx

edit: BetterByDesign, what's up? Small world!

Same with these guys:
http://pullapart.com/

[damion16v]

I don't know where Tappahannamontanock is, but you may look and see if there's a recycler's assocation. In Ohio there's oatra.com, which searches all member yards in the state.

[DowNnOuTDubin]

I want to hijack this thread here..

How do you go about contacting insurance companies to acquire parts? I never see mk4 GTI's in the salvage yard and I need a part off a seat that no one wants to separate. Do I contact them directly??

[BetterByDesign]

BetterByDesign, what's up? Small world!

[1Point8TDan]

http://www.car-part.com/

[dopaz]

Not sure which of the panels you mean. The big under the body panel is the missing one, and I have gone a few weeks without the under the engine one. I like having the under the engine one for protection, but neither made a noticeable fuel economy difference.

Looking for an 8th gen Civic hybrid to get the underbody panels. I can get the from a dealer, but I rather not spend that much cash for a very small improvement.

Because he said "improvement", I would guess he is trying to retrofit all those panels on a non-hybrid Civic. There's one large one under the engine, but there are other ones that pretty much cover the entire bottom of the car. They might not fit with the LX / EX exhaust, the hybrid has a tiny exhaust pipe.

Like bigEV said... if you're trying to improve the mileage on a non-hybrid Civic you might just want to get low rolling resistance tires for a much easier upgrade (you've gotta replace your tires eventually anyways), and more bang for the buck.

[V8Star]

I want to hijack this thread here..

How do you go about contacting insurance companies to acquire parts? I never see mk4 GTI's in the salvage yard and I need a part off a seat that no one wants to separate. Do I contact them directly??

Most yards will not bother with small stuff. They will want to sell you the whole seat.

Mk4 Gti is still a new enough car to be pretty uncommon in pick a parts. Most go to specific parts recyclers

[jettagli1991]

One of my many theoretical business ideas has been to start a service called Junkyard Alert, where you can sign up, set up a list of cars, and get an email when a car on your list shows up at a nearby self-service yard. How the logistics to make this possible would work, I have no idea. If somebody wants to figure that out, you're welcome to take the idea. I'd sign up.

-Andrew L

That's a great idea. I'm at junkyards weekly and always see oddball cars that I know someone would do anything to get parts from. I've put the word out on local sites and have made some peoples day, but that's a limited audience. Lots of parts go to waste because the right people don't find the cars in time.

[Aseras]

Try calling this place

Hilltop Honda Auto Salvage
(423) 232-9494
202 Furnace Rd, Johnson City, TN

they only deal in Honda's and can tell you who has what nearby.

I tracked some parts for a Civic HX down through him. Those things are like unicorns.

[patrikman]

Well you could go there.... and look... or call a psychic hot line.... or ask a wizard....

Seriously what were you expecting for an answer here?

Sent from my DROID X2

Oh hai. I see you are new to "The" TCL. If asked properly a person can get literally any car related answer obscenely fast.


My advice? Ask somebody on regional forums, they will likely know where there are parts cars sitting. Judging from my own experience with VWVortex as well as NASIOC other people will be glad to help.

Junkyards have been linked for many years. They have a national organization that sends out parts requests. Just go to a yard and ask. If it's a foreign car try to find one that is foreign car specific. In the Detroit area we have Michigan Imports. Most cities have a specialist.

And this.

[shwak23]

Well since he had already been on car part.com there really isn't a better solution other than calling junkyards or asking around on forums. All of which he had tried. Beyond those things wizards and magic are the only way.

I am hardly "new" to tcl.

Sent from my DROID X2

[FastDriver]

Sites like car-part only tell you if a salvage yard has certain parts, and the parts I'm looking for are unique enough to not be listed. Short of cold calling every salvage yard in 200 miles, is there a way to see if a certain type of car is on their yard?

I dealt with an online salvage auction www.easyexport.us. if I'm not mistaken it is a copart broker or something. But I bought the car not for parts but to repair it (it had a flood damage), I didnt get it if you're looking for a car or just for parts. Anyway what I like about online auctions is that you may look at cars, see the pictures, the damages and specifications etc and they also provided shipping as I was outside US

[patrikman]

I am hardly "new" to tcl.

Then you should know better. It is a vast wealth of information and knowledge on literally any car. ANY CAR. If you know how to ask properly.

I dealt with an online salvage auction www.easyexport.us. if I'm not mistaken it is a copart broker or something. But I bought the car not for parts but to repair it (it had a flood damage), I didnt get it if you're looking for a car or just for parts. Anyway what I like about online auctions is that you may look at cars, see the pictures, the damages and specifications etc and they also provided shipping as I was outside US

GTFO spammer.