A friend told me he heard that the junkyards no longer communicate with those squawk boxes, or at least there are better ways for them, and even me (a mere consumer), to find who has a particular part. We're looking for an unusual part. Is there another way? (I suppose it involves the net?)
Thanks a lot.
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In rec.autos.makers.chrysler on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 15:14:21 -0400 "Daniel J. Stern" posted:
Great. Thanks a lot. The page gave one yard about an hour from here with 6 of the steering boxes we need.
It bothers me a little that they are all $125 in Maryland when some places in Virginia want $250. OTOH, aren't most pickup truck steering boxes likely to be in fine condition? (My friend's didn't fail until he had 350,000 miles on it, and it only leaks fluid now.)
When they list parts from different years, have they already consulted the replacement list to see that they all fit?
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In rec.autos.makers.chrysler on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 19:35:27 -0400 "maxpower" posted:
No. Actually it's for a '97 Nissan pickup truck. In a recent thread here, someone asked a Mazda question since he said you were more supportive than the Mazda group. This was less OT because it was about used parts in general. :) I hope I haven't misled anyone too much.
If I read too many groups at one time, I can't remember to check all the right groups. :(
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In rec.autos.makers.chrysler on Sat, 13 Aug 2005 20:31:27 -0400 "Daniel J. Stern" posted:
Let me limit it to just this general question. If a yard in Maryland has 6 of them (whatever them is) that presumably fit, including one that is the year of the car, but they only want 125,
And some of the others are all the way in Virginia but cost 250, would you think the ones for 250 are better, because they cost more?
The first ones have the advantage that they have more than one, so if the first is bad, they can exchange it** instead of a credit slip. Also, they are only 45 minutes away, and even if the first one is shipped, if it's no good, after installation, we could drive up ando exchange it for the other in less than a day. Virginia we'd have to ship it back/wait for the second one***.
**Come to think of it, what does happen when a yard only has one, and it turns out bad? I had the feeling they don't give the money back, just a credit slip or something. Is that what happens?
***Or would they eagerly ship the second while we shipped back the first? Charging a second time, I guess, and reversing the charge when they get the first one back? Oh, yes, another advantage of staying in state is that it's much much easier to sue in state. I bought my computer from an out-of-state guy at a computer show, it gave me loads of trouble, and because he was out of state, if I had wanted to suing would have been totally impractical.
Embarrassed a bit: It's a 97 Nissan 2-wheel drive automatic transmission pickup-truck steering box.
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The yard with six of them at $150 has lots of them - so they are common as dirt, and priced accordingly. The guys in Virgini' only have a few, so they are scarce as hens teeth - at at $250, are priced accordingly. It's supply and demand - or charging what the traffic will bear.
If you want a REAL good one, I'll sell you one for a grand. It'll take a little while, because I'll have to do a web search - find the yard with six, have one shipped up here to me so I can send the overpriced part to you. If you feel better because you paid more for it we're both happey, eh??
They are expensive tho, $40 for an A2 VW side glass??? I am spoiled by growing up in western PA where there were tons of 'yards with decent prices I guess. Had to drive 30 miles out of my way and pay twice as much here!
That may be more of a sign of the times rather than a difference in location, Nate. If it's like around where I live, the scattered mom and pop junk yards have all gone out of business and things have consolidated to larger "efficiently run" salvage yards - so - yeah - you drive further and pay a higher price for a more systemitized control and inventorying of parts. It ain't all bad. Things like
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and shipping parts instead of having to go get them has some advantages.
Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')
In rec.autos.makers.chrysler on 13 Aug 2005 21:43:55 -0600 Joe Pfeiffer posted:
I'm not talking about a warrantee beyond the first hour, but I've never heard of a yard that doesn't replace parts that don't work when installed, whether installed by a garage or by a shadetree mechanic. Going back 40 years.
I think the only time this has come up was a radiator for my mother's '76 Cordoba, which I bought personally, but the yard iirc first exchanged it and then tried to fix the second one. They found the leak and did iirc. (I thought a radiator was a bad part to buy used, but there were special reasons to do so.)
(I'm sure there are some times when it looks like the buyer broke the part after he got it, or when they can't decide what they think, and the policies in those cases probably depend on what the part is, what the odds are, and even then they vary from yard to yard.)
I'll ask the next few junkyards I go to for details, like what happens if they only had one box and it turned out to leak, and I'd also be interested in what the yards you go would say.
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We have a junkyard in Kansas City called U-Wrench-It. You pay a dollar to get in, and you remove what you want from the car. All parts are very inexpensive compared to other junkyards. Fuses, bolts, nuts and other little bits and pieces are free. Starters and alternators are usually $20, mounted tires are $5 or $10 depending on size, transmissions are around $100 for trucks and vans or $75 for cars. Sometimes they have sales to reduce inventory. I bought a transmission and torque converter for a minivan last year for a total of $75, including tax. They sold me the rear axle of a Toyota pickup on another occasion for $19 during a big weekend sale. Everything has a 30 day no-questions guarantee for a full refund. The only disadvantage is that they do not keep track of inventory, so you can't call to see what they have. But they do have a big yard full of vehicles, and it costs only a buck to get in and see if they have your part. I have a friend who goes to U-Wrench-It occasionally to see if they have a Mercedes in the yard. When they get one, he pulls all kinds of stuff off because it is all the same price as anything else, whereas Mercedes parts cost an arm and a leg at any other junkyard.
Yep - we have those too - another sign of the times - inevitable, just like WalMarts. They occasionally run radio ads: "This weekend only - all body parts $15" (instead of the normal $25 or $35). Doesn't matter if it's for a '94 Cadillac or a '86 Subaru. If you have an older car that you want to fix up on the cheap, and you happen to spot a twin in good shape (epsecially if it's the same color), you can make out quite well.
Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my adddress with the letter 'x')
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