I ordered some fenders a few days ago from a salvage yard in Arizona. I could have actually bought the car for less than what the sum of the individual parts I wanted would cost in total, but the shipping expense would double on the thing and made it out of reach. Has anyone out there utilized any of these yards for parts? I hope what I get is in good shape and worth the effort. I've never dealt with them before and wanted to hear about anyone else's experiences. When I get the parts I'll post a report on the conditions and the like. Thanks.
A local expediting company called today and wanted to schedule a delivery appointment for next Monday for my parts from Arizona. Being as they were only about ten minutes away I opted to drive down and pick them up in person, thus saving the headache of trying to meet their truck at the house. Not to mention the fact that I get my fenders earlier this way. The box was pretty good sized but not very heavy at all, just kind of bulky. I unloaded it into my garage at the house and left to come back to work. I'll unpack them tonight and let you know what I find...
Was the yard in Tucson? If so, I may know it. I grew up there and know most of the folks that run yards down there.
The yard was in Phoenix, a place called Desert Valley Auto Parts at 23811 N. 7th Avenue. From what I've seen of the parts they look to be fine. I'm going to try to completely unpack them tonight if time permits. Unfortunately the contractor who is working on my home has fouled up (and fouled wasn't the word which came to mind initially...) something else and I've been looking into the situation since I got home. I'll let you know more when I find out more myself. Have you ever heard of these folks or dealt with them at all? And if you have, what is their reputation? Truthfully, I wanted the entire car from them, but the shipping expense was more than I could handle at the moment.
I finally got out to the garage to check out the parts I'd ordered. The parts themselves were fenders for my Bobcat hatchback. They were packaged in a large box that was securely closed. The fenders were wrapped in bubble wrap utilizing the larger bubbles to protect the parts. The parts were in great shape, not a hint of rust or moisture on them; they weren't packaged in such a fashion that would distort them or put any undue stress upon them during shipping. By all appearances the holes for screws and the like were undamaged when the fenders were removed. I don't know if this is the norm for fenders, as I've never ordered them before, but they included the headlights with them, still attached. At some point the fenders will need to be painted, but I couldn't be happier with my purchase. The yard was very careful to explain their return policy as well, so no one can say they were taken advantage of or didn't know what they were supposed to do. They tell you to inspect your parts immediately as there is a limited window date-wise on returns. So far so good.
flyer, DVAP is one of our better yards, they deal in old cars only. I live maybe 5-7 miles from them, they had alot of things i could use but nothing ive needed. (seats,AC) but as i said they are worth the money you spend there. =) glad they got to help ya