jimg.allentown
Well-known Member
So as not to hijack the previous thread that was headed this way, I will start this one about junkyards.
Self service junkyards are relatively recent in this area. Most are secondary to the main full service yards.
One yard has cars that are within 10 years old, and is a full service yard. You talk to the counterman, he takes your order, and you pick up your part once their crew takes it off. Once the cars in the yard start getting too old or too picked over, they go to the "back" yard. This is the self service yard. You pay admission to get in, bring your own tools, and take off your own parts. You also sign a waiver holding the operators harmless in the event of injury. Once you get the part(s) you need, you go to the checkout and the cashier prices your selection and you basically pay and leave.
Previous to this, the yards around were all full service. They only started going self service about 15 years ago. There are three outfits that I know of within 75 miles of here that are operating self service yards. I can only assume that they have checked out the legalities and liabilities of these operations before letting Billy Bob and Bubba loose in their yards. So far, after over 10 years of operations, there have been no major "mishaps" that have caused them to have to reconsider the whole self service thing.
One thing to note is that in the self service yards, the cars are older and get picked over quickly. There is still a high demand for used parts for older cars. Typically, cars last 20 years or more in this area in terms of being drivable and not completely rotted out.
Self service junkyards are relatively recent in this area. Most are secondary to the main full service yards.
One yard has cars that are within 10 years old, and is a full service yard. You talk to the counterman, he takes your order, and you pick up your part once their crew takes it off. Once the cars in the yard start getting too old or too picked over, they go to the "back" yard. This is the self service yard. You pay admission to get in, bring your own tools, and take off your own parts. You also sign a waiver holding the operators harmless in the event of injury. Once you get the part(s) you need, you go to the checkout and the cashier prices your selection and you basically pay and leave.
Previous to this, the yards around were all full service. They only started going self service about 15 years ago. There are three outfits that I know of within 75 miles of here that are operating self service yards. I can only assume that they have checked out the legalities and liabilities of these operations before letting Billy Bob and Bubba loose in their yards. So far, after over 10 years of operations, there have been no major "mishaps" that have caused them to have to reconsider the whole self service thing.
One thing to note is that in the self service yards, the cars are older and get picked over quickly. There is still a high demand for used parts for older cars. Typically, cars last 20 years or more in this area in terms of being drivable and not completely rotted out.