A friend's son is in Williams, he's a cadet in the Air Force, on his way to CA, decided to drive instead of fly to see the country, and has a messed up wheel on his 2007 Taurus. Wondering if anyone might have any leads on where would be a good place to find a replacement. I've sent a message to PHeller & Brokeback (thanks to the roadside assist list!), but thought I'd post up in case there was somone not on the list in the area. Thanks!
A 2007 Taurus is quite possibly one of the most popular cars in the US. Any junkyard should have one.
Tell him to ask his phone, "used auto parts nearby?"
Ths should bring up a list of junkyards. Some might even deliver a part.
Is the kid in a safe place? Hotel/motel?
2007 was the final year for the Taurus.
The exact same body began in 2000 but the chassis originated in 1986. The kid likely has a 16" wheel but any 16" wheel from any year will fit. Be aware, the early years offered 15" and some 14" too.
You say he has a messed up wheel. Does that mean a bent rim? Is it something more like a broken CV jioint that has caused the wheel to do something like this?
Broken wheel. Issue is safely getting around at the moment. Weather is crap in Williams/Flagstaff at the moment, so boots on the ground knowledge of the area speeds up the process and hopefully prevents unnecessary driving on a donut in these conditions. Calling numbers from the internet can be a crap shoot, so it's nice to have local knowledge that can say "Joe's shop is trustworthy, call them" or "Bob's place will rip him a new one, stay away from there".
We spent a couple days in Willams about 5 years ago while visiting the GC. We stayed in a motel toward the west end of town & on the south side of the highway - I think it was a Best Western, because I remember there was another one about a block further east & across the street, which seemed strange - anyway I remember walking past what appeared to be an old-school service station/garage that was next to the hotel. I fortunately didn’t need their services, but it struck me as the kind of old small-town garage that you rarely see anymore.
I have no idea if that helps, or if it’s even still there, but Williams seems like the kind of place where you could pop into one of the restaurants & ask who has the best garage in town.
Now I would ask phone for Tires near by.
Any tire shop can source a wheel locally. They will know which junkyard to call.
The snow is hiding, but I hope there is no tire damage as well
Since they are still sleeping in AZ, I spent some time at the desk googling.
I might try:
JJ's Auto Repair
808 E Rte 66, Williams, AZ 86046
Located on the east end of town. The reason for choosing them is that google maps areal photos shows a fenced area behind the shop that might be a mini junkyard. Given the popularity of Tauruses, they might have one.
Closer to the Expressway Exit there is a Shell Gas Station that has a Cooper Tire sign out front and then on the other side of McDonalds next to it is another Gas Station that has a Bridgestone sign out front. Both these two stations seem to be owned by the same Sandoval family. This might not get you the best pricing. These two likely cater more to the traveler/tourist. I get the impression that JJ's caters to the locals (being more on the edge of town and further away from the tourist traffic.)
I'm in Tucson, but I can tell you Flag is pretty small (we've been there or through it a number of times).
You might look in to a courier service to bring something up from Phoenix, which if memory serves is 2 hours to the south.
Might try just a steelie from discount tire or something, they'd probably courier it up from Phoenix with other stock.
Ports and storms and all that.
I replied to your email (hope you got it) and wish I was in town this weekend to help out more. After thinking a bit more, I might give Tim’s auto a call - they’re in flagstaff but might be able to help getting a wheel and tire located at least. https://g.co/kgs/qYctXv
Theres a junkyard on the east side of flagstaff and I think that’s the closest one to Williams. Another idea would be to get down to Prescott - there are probably more options down that way.
When does he need to be back on the road? I’ll be back in town Tuesday night And can bring him something from flagstaff if he can locate something.
Thanks everyone. Learned there really aren't any junkyards in Williams, Discount on the west side of Flagstaff had a steelie in stock, he was able to limp over there through the snow this morning & they're getting him hooked up.
Excellent, good news!! Thanks for the update.
If for some reason that doesn't work out, the JYs in Flagstaff and Prescott Valley are the same outfit:
They show 3 2006 and 1 2007 Taurus in their Prescott Valley inventory and a whole bunch from 2000-2004 in Flagstaff.
I'm not that familiar with Williams, but there's only a couple of small shops in Ash Fork and Seligman to the West on I40. Any of those will probably try to rip his lips off on a repair. Kingman is the best bet further west.
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