Ok, so he hasn't written it yet but I think he should! I have never been to a pick-n-pull yard and don't know what is appropriate and how not to get ripped off. Some questions I have are:

1) How are prices determined? It would suck to go out, spend an hour pulling the dash vents from a BMW, take it to the desk and have them tell you, $700.

2) How does wiring work? Lets say I want to grab a door lock switch from a Lexus and I want the pigtail and plug to make it easier to integrate into my project. Will they say "Oh, you cut the wiring harness and have to buy the whole thing. That'll be $1500 and since you already cut it you bought it."

I'm sure there are other tricks of the scavenger. Oh Clokker, won't you share with us the wisdom of your years? (and thats a LOT of wisdom! )

 

I'm not Clokker, but prices are usually listed in the main office (which you usually have to go though to get to the yard), or in the yard. Places that have a website will typically list the prices there as well. I've always seen prices determined by part type, not where it came from. Ie a dash is a dash, either from a BMW or a Kia. Sometimes the problematic part is that switches and things are not considered a part of the dash.

Wiring is usually "free", ie if you cut a few extra inches off to whatever is attached to the part you are pulling, its always been fine in my case. Pulling half the engine harness with a ton of unrelated plugs for one sensor is probably not going to fly. Most yards don't care about small stuff either, I've never been charged for extra bolts, or fuses, or a connector with an inch of wire.

 

The yards around here usually have a price listed posted at either the entrance or the money window. In my experience, the parts are priced independent of make/model.

If you have wires dangling from the part, as long as they are attached properly, the price hasn't changed for me.

Fuses, nuts, bolts, fasteners, relays, etc ... into my pockets, even if I don't buy anything.

If you enter with a toolbag, be prepared to have it searched beforehand and sometimes after. Take out the unnecessary stuff like zip-ties, tape, measuring tools, clamps, etc. Only take the tools you need to remove parts.

 

the prices depend on the yard, lately most yards will want to charge you for every nut bolt and extra plastic attached to a part. some yards still just view the basics and charge you for the basic part.

so if you know the yard is going to charge you for everything attached to the basic part, quickly you will just strip down everything you need.

ie, years ago most yards wouldn't go out and charge you for a complete UIM. these days they will hit you for the throttle body, the spacer, linkages, intake pipe, sensors, etc.. some yards want the crap gone versus lost sales. i've even had some yards charge for nuts and bolts... and they stopped seeing me.

wiring is best to just pocket, it's just going to wind up at the crusher anyways and it's not worth listening to the clerks want to charge you for "misc hardware".

even on ebay, same deal. i called one wrecker about a used turbo "intake manifold", i asked if it was a complete upper and lower with ACV and throttle body. after a few minutes she came back and said "it's just a manifold, there is no upper or lower and it is just the manifold with nothing bolted to it. the throttle body is separate", i said "thanks" and hung up. i'm not paying top dollar for the basics and 5 bolts/nuts removed to get it off the block. the best deals are still in the for sale section here, $100 plus shipping for whatever half they feel like sending isn't in my dice.

 

Baggy pants and the lack of any Gentalia help..(sorry don't steal..)
..
Some pick and pulls post prices,so you can judge how much money will be spent right away.
If you are not sure just ask.

 

You have confused "etiquette" with "procedure", so I shall address both.

My primary yard is in a state of flux, all the old guys are gone and it's kids running the show.
In times past, there were hazy guidelines for large items (trannys, diff, etc.) but everything else was at the discretion of the counterman.
I never argued price- sometimes I thought it a bit high, sometimes lower than expected and occasionally, free (they didn't feel like writing up a ticket)...but I didn't bitch and always paid up.

Now they've tried to computerize and fix all the prices but it's a joke, there are just too many pieces to make a really granular list...so there's still some leeway.
"Random plastic" is a category that many of my purchases fall into (like the dash vents).

How they handle wiring is a direct response to the price of copper.
When it was sky high @5 years ago, they were stripping harnesses before putting the cars on the lot, then the price fell and pretty much anything that plugged into the part you were buying was free.
Now they actually measure the length and charge by the foot.

Ben's story of the intake is what I'm seeing from these guys locally now, too.
About 3 years ago I snagged a complete intake from a LT1 Vette (and I mean complete- all the injectors/fuel rails, wiring harness,, every sensor, throttle body and bellows...all the hardware) for $45.
I can't imagine what they'd want today.
After some cleaning, the intake and all associated parts were put on our engine where they worked perfectly. Might be the best junkyard deal I've ever done...

I consider any hardware that fits in my pocket to be mine.
I have no moral justification for this other than knowing that they never gave a crap about it before (early on- like fifteen years ago- I did lay out a pile of hardware in front of an almost offended counterguy), so I guess I'm ethically compromised...like Walter White.

Nowadays I check with a counterperson to get a ballpark price before going out to seek whatever I'm after.

As for "etiquette"...

-Don't be that dick who destroys everything in the path to what he wants. Someone might really need that POS widget that is in the way, don't ruin their day whilst making yours.

-I always loan tools when asked, I've sure appreciated it when someone helped me out.
I only carry junk tools in the yard anyway (some of which were found under seats and in trunks from that very yard), so it's no great loss if one gets away.

-If someone is working on a car, I consider it theirs unless they say otherwise. I was once pulling a diff/trans for my 240Z and someone thought they'd help themselves to the trans as I freed the diff. I did some 'splainin and we came to an agreement ("Go **** off, *******!").

The only- and main- trick of the scavenger is to completely ignore make/model/intended purpose and only look at parts for what they are.
It's a difficult concept to explain but a semi-relevant example might be the Volvo fan relay, which would make a bitchin headlight relay setup if you were wiring from scratch. Or the Acura window trim on my door. Or the Subaru cupholder. Or the...

 

lol, had those guys before. they figure anything laying around is free for the grabbing. i sometimes catch guys looking at my salvaged parts like a bargain bin at the grocery store. once i give them the "eye" they usually leave without any question. (i'm told i have a "i'm gonna kick your *** look" even when not scowling)

 

I was told by the yard i go to that they arent allowed to charge for nuts and bolts for liability reasons or something along those lines. Also, every time i go i grab fuses and relays and speaker wiring if its in good shape. This has proved convenient time and again.
Who else has people at the yards all day that work for mechanic shops waiting on good stuff to come in, so that they can strip them down and re-sell or use on cars in their shops?

 

My yard has crews that I think literally live there.
Two groups in particular are quite well provisioned, they have wheeled carts with a generator and compressor and lots of big tools.
They're the guys who can halfcut a whole car in about an hour and pull motors in a snowstorm , there's usually one guy with a cell phone taking orders for parts, a few pulling stuff and a few more dragging the **** away and (presumably) delivering it.
As soon as a car hits the ground, they're all over it.

Sometimes I go to the yard and just wander around looking at stuff, getting ideas.
Good weed helps.
I'll just go around gathering hardware (I'm always looking for good hardware...6 and 8mm in particular) and any other odd widget that looks interesting. Rubber bits-plugs, formed hoses, etc.- are a high priority item also.
Some of this stuff I've had for years...it keeps popping up and I'll consider it for whatever I'm working on (brackets are typical in this respect- and I can usually find just what I'm needing.

The junkyard is my playground.

A few more tips:

In the summer, I try to go as early as possible. It gets incredibly hot in a large dusty lot with lots of baking metal around.
Winter is tough, the cold makes it nasty and snow hides everything but if the ground is clear and just frozen, it's not so bad.

Get a tetanus shot.
You will end up bleeding sooner or later, no need to die of sepsis trying to harvest some stupid car part.

Wear long pants and long sleeved shirts...there are snakes and other varmints lurking about and lots of sharp twisted metal hungry for flesh. Heavy soled shoes are good.

Finally, if you're serious, you must go often.
Once a car hits the lot, I figure you've got maybe 24 hours- max- to get anything worthwhile off it. Do not hesitate, the part you might want won't be there when you finally decide (this happened to me twice lately).
The early bird gets the T2 diff...

 

Stanley poly tool box (size small) on a two-wheel dolly. Several bungie cords strapped to the dolly. Channel Locks. 9mm. 10mm, 12mm 13mm 14mm 17mm 19mm, combinations and 3/8" sockets. 3/8 ratchet and 1/2 ratchet w/3/8 adaptor. 3" and 6" extension. Small pipe to extend ratchet handles. Vice-grips. Trim tool. Combination screwdriver (phillips 2 sizes and standard 2 sizes).

Zip ties. Several plastic ziplock bags and sharpie to keep the nuts and bolts organized.

Side cutters. Hacksaw. Hammer. 12" crowbar. Chisel. Punch. Knife. Box cutter.

Gloves, straw hat for sun protection. Bottle of water.

Simple Green and paper towels in the truck.

Don't wear expensive clothes, or shoes or sunglasses. Don't dick around with your Iphone in front of the staff. Don't wear your 'Rotary's Rule' **** either, or your BMW ball cap. Show up unshaved. Look poor, or at least don't look affluent.

Check in with the clerk, ask him "How much for alternators?" or fans, or whatever is the object of your hunt. If the guy asks for what kind of car, ALWAYS say "Dodge Caravan". Nobody gives a **** about Caravan parts. These guys figured out the Taurus fan craze and upcharged. Caravan fans were $10. Taurus fans were $40. Same with Lincoln fans, Fiero fans etc.

Keep your stash of money in your left pocket. Put the money for the items in your right pocket once you are out in the yard. Use your head be discrete. If he said $15 for the part, put about $18-20 in your right pocket; a couple of fives and the rest ones. You can often price the object of your trip, add lots of other stuff, switches, brackets etc. "So how much for this other stuff?" Sometime they say don't worry about it, sometimes they will clean you out of your other money. If they say $10 bux for the rest and you have $7, most of the time they say good enough. The extra stuff usually doesn't end up on the ticket and the $1 bills don't end up in the register.

 

^ This is very important. I often run into this on FC's at the junkyard. Just recently I opened up an 88' GXL and noticed a broken idiot cluster surround... AND the idiot cluster hadn't been taken. Or the radio trim clearly ripped off and broken... AND the radio, vents, and logicon all still there. Maybe the person wanted those particular pieces and was just completely careless. Who knows...?

I also noticed that both window switches had been taken. (A common part to be snagged immediately.) Then I remembered one time as I was waiting for this 89' vert to be placed out into the yard I was chatting with this guy who was also interested in the same car. He said all he wanted was the window switches. This guy was a douche. He talked about how much money he makes, his perfect job, how much beer he drinks, his "bad ***" Porsche, how many people he has fought, how his friend builds turbos for a job and how uncool building turbos for a job is... I didn't care. I did notice how careless he was when taking out the window switches, though. Like a bull in a china shop.

Point is... Please, don't be "cool hair cut Porsche douche" when removing parts.

 

the stereo surrounds are usually goners before the cars even hit the lots, at least that's what i tell myself. i have NEVER seen one intact on any of my trips.

 

^ I got one in nearly perfect condition the other day from a wrecking yard. And it was a plastic S4 surround!!! ... Almost couldn't believe it.

 

Man, I wanna go to the yard with Jack, he's prepared.

 

There's a Whataburger on the way home and Beer in the fridge.

 

Adopt me.

 

Whataburger? I thought you were in Dallas where they have In-n-Outs. We drove to Dallas to eat In-n-OUt. Oh, and get a MR2 5-speed and unmolested block. But mostly In-n-Out!

 

I think the best thing from my recent TX2K13 trip was Whataburger. Haha

 

too bad i never find any E85 cars at the yards, would be a good source for some large injectors. the only flex fuel cars i saw all had the drivetrains gutted.

 

I've been eating in-n-outs in Cali for 20 somthin years. I have a good friend who is heavily involved in the huge DFW build-out of In-n-out facilities. I admire the way they open new stores with a totally experienced crew often flown in at corporate expense for a *perfect* launch. I respect the family-owned company that has not cashed out to become a cash sow for the hedge fund managers...

However, all that being said....Anyone impressed with the actual burger itself must be, well, from a place where burgers are poorly understood. Thousand Island dressing. REally? Oh, Oh, Oh, In-n-Out is special because they can actually put more than one patty or slice of cheese on the burger, if asked? AND extra pickles or even peppers?

Don't be fooled: In-n-Out Burgers are for the same people who are impressed with Starbucks coffee.

 

If anyone's super serious about junkin'- I'd highly recommend a good cordless impact.

I've got a milwaukee, does 450 lb.ft in reverse. I've pulled over 20 engines in junkyards, and just strip them down on the spot. This thing has NO problem busting that front pulley bolt or 54mm flywheel nut right off. Then I'll open them up and buy whatever's good out of them: housings, rotors, etc. Success rate is shockingly low, but nabbing an ultra clean, would-sell-for $200 on ebay housing for only $13 makes it allll worth it.

The cordless helps with other stuff too: Pulling a diff is about a 15 minute job, and man, you'll despise hand tools for disassembly afterward.

BTW: Clokker's statement about going ASAP-- truer words never spoken. We've landed countless good scores by being the first one there

 

A group that doesn't include you, one assumes.

 

If you need a translator to order, it's a little weird for me. Maybe it's a west coast thing? In-N-Out Burger is the same deal. Secret menu- with a wiki page! Sheesh

I am impressed with the company, but the coffee is roasted till it's burned.

 

Lots of good info here. Not to sound like a fancy lad but I don't like coming out of the yard looking like I had a bad day in the depths of an oil rig. I bring a spare pair of shoes, cheap sunglasses, my long sleeve Dickeys coveralls (put over my clothes in parking lot), and always wear padded mechanic gloves anytime I'm inside the yard. The one day I forgot my gloves, I tripped over an engine belt that was invisible under a layer of dirt and scraped the palm of my hand on the ground. Lucky for me nothing serious happened but since then, I keep a spare set of gloves with my salvage yard tools. I also carry Nitrile gloves to protect/keep my hands clean for those greasy jobs. Once I'm out of there, I toss my coveralls and shoes in the trunk and am clean enough to go anywhere else afterwards without getting my car dirty.

 

It's pretty bad out here. These guys swarm the tractor that brings the cars out and literally have their hands on the car before it touches the ground. It's like watching a feeding frenzy on National Geographic minus the cool theme song.