Used parts networks

Ebay is probably still best. Except so many listing things for a specific model that isn't for it - seems to have got a lot worse lately.

I have used 247spares.co.uk, with success. I had a couple of good experiences with breakeryard.com, as well, so it isn't all bad.

Good hunting.

I've found these people OK but not used them for a couple of years.

Thanks everyone. In the interests of fair competition, I've fired off requests to all three suggested - so we'll see what happens.

Theo

Is the right answer.

Neither of Parts Gateway, 247spares or breakeryard.com found anything. For a not-unusual car that I can see dozens of on copart.

breakeryard gets the incompetence prize yet again - this time for a different reason. They closed my request with:

"We apologise as our system is currently showing that you had no quotes from our Car Breakers."

Which is not too surprising when the request was posted Saturday evening and they sent this on Sunday at 23:00.

Sigh.

Theo

That's a shame. A couple of years ago, they got me two really good and cheap parts, a complete headlight assembly and a sump, but then could not find a driver's door card for the same car.

You pays your money and you takes your chance.

Why would this not show the parts being in stock or not?

If they knew the parts were in stock, they could show availability rightaway - like Amazon for parts. There would be no need to request quotes, you could just search.

But the PartFinder service doesn't do that. They send some kind of email to their breaker network, saying something like "Do you have a ? Customer wants a from it". The yard then goes and finds the vehicle, checks the part is in saleable condition/takes a picture/makes up a price and then responds with a quote. Which obviously isn't going to happen on Sundays when most yards are shut.

Theo

You'd think .. That if they could get their bloody act together they could clean up with this sort of service, i.e. thats everything listed on a database that can be queried and the results obtained be sent back in a very short space of time but it means getting all the potential suppliers organised and computerised and i reckon thats the big issue here.

There is a firm over near Ely in Cambs thats OK except that you have to go there to see if they have what you want.

And that's not how it ought be:(....

Listing all the parts on the vehicles they have in the yard is a pretty big job, particularly if some of them don't sell so well. So I accept that they'll have to do quotes on demand, but I'd have expected they would actually be geared up for that (and, if the punter isn't interested, you've already done a quote so throw it on ebay where people /can/ search).

Which reminds me, I probably ought to try the 'breaking - this auction for a wheel nut, contact me for other parts' listings on ebay. Essentially you end up sending the kind of round-robin email that Breakeryard does, only by hand and through ebay's interface that is designed to stop you emailing sellers. And lots of those listings encourage phoning, which is not what I want for a part that can easily be posted and I don't care which of a hundred sellers it comes from.

There's nothing wrong with yards where you can go round and remove parts yourself, for a lower price. Though at the very least I'd expect a stocklist so you can see what vehicles they have before enquiring.

Theo

I often lament the loss of those old scrapyards where you just wandered round and removed what you needed, and haggled with the owner as you left. Back in the early '70s, there was a wonderful yard near Leicester, which had cars like a Lea Francis and old Singers just lying around.

You mean like this one in Derby?

Sadly the society we live in now makes that sort of establishment impossible to run. They would go bust just with the cost of the broken finger nail claims!

Chris

Well, there are also the customers who remove the rearview mirror by smashing the windscreen with a sledgehammer...

Though it gets rather tedious to describe 'I want the following 17 pieces of wiring loom' when it would be much easier to go in person.

Theo (I now have a couple of quotes from 'ebay breaking wheel nut' people. Best described as 'hilariously high')

Odd, isn't it. Saw a post from someone asking if any bits were wanted off a car which was going to be 'weighed in' in a few days. Asked about some minor electrical parts and was quoted more than I'd expect to pay new. And high postage too for something which could go by letter post.