what do you call the place where you get used parts?

and why?

to me, it's a junkyard. they are all junkyards. every one of them.. it's where you go buy used parts from vehicles that other people have junked for whatever reason... it's a yard full of junk..

my favorite yard proudly calls itself "Junktown, USA", and every other similar place i've ever personally been to has been referred to as a "junkyard"..

but i see them called "u pull it".. "pick and pull", etc. on line all the time.. why is that? is it a branding thing? is it like calling any locking adjustable pliers a "Vise Grip" or any adjustable pliers a "Channel Lock"? is it a regional thing?

Pick and Pull and U Pull It yards tend to allow you to wander through. Junkyards around here usually don't. They also tend to have higher prices. Not alsways, but often. Some call themselves automotive recycling centers. As time has passed, I've seen more and more change their names from something containing "junk" to something else. Seems reasonable from a marketing standpoint, if you prefer to not have people think of your merchandise as junk.

I call them all junkyards, but I think they prefer "auto recycler." The particular flavor I like is the pick_n_pull

Junkyard, boneyard are the two generic terms I use, U-pull is the local flavor.

Junkyard.

I don't look at people funny if they call it a wrecking yard, or a U-pull-it. I might even call it those sometimes; I can't put my finger on the context where I think someone might understand me better if I use the other terms, but it seems like that could happen.

Junkyard/salvage yard, unless its a u pull type place, then its a u pull.

when in Rome...

no matter what ya call it we all speak car

Wrecking yard.

My wife calls it the car dump. I politely remind her that I was recycling before it was cool.

Junkyard. Some places call themselves pick-and-pull to let you know that you can pull parts yourself, which not all junkyards allow. In fact around here the only ones that let you are the "private" junkyards

Junkyard, my wife calls them Man Malls.

My two favorites are KRAP (king road auto parts) in holland ohio and Houghs in nowhere Indiana.

chandlerGTi wrote: my wife calls them Man Malls.

Hahaha true, we can spend all day in there just browsing around slowly and looking at stuff over and over again

mistanfo wrote: Pick and Pull and U Pull It yards tend to allow you to wander through. Junkyards around here usually don't.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner...

I always used the term salvage yard, and referred to the parts as pre-tested and operational.

chandlerGTi wrote: Junkyard, my wife calls them Man Malls. My two favorites are KRAP (king road auto parts) in holland ohio and Houghs in nowhere Indiana.

around here, the only "man mall" is a wonderful store chain called Mills Fleet Farm.. every junkyard i've ever been to not only encourages you to pull your own parts, but charges extra if they have to do it for you. and they are all old school muddy places with acres and acres of cars to choose from.. the largest- and best- is called French Lake Auto Parts in Annandale, MN. it's not only the best in the area, but i've heard it called one of the best in the country and it is known all around the world.. also, the owners are good friends with many professional wrestlers and one of the kids and his friends started the "lets throw chairs and raise hell" tradition on the Jerry Springer show...

I call it my back yard.

I usually just say pick and pull, because those are the yards I actually go to. Auto recyclers are the expensive ones you don't buy stuff from. A part that is $17.50 at pick and pull would be like $400 at an auto recycler(that's a completely real example, the steering wheel from a chevy truck).

"The Yard." Is it junk? Maybe. Was it salvaged? Maybe. But there's one thing that I know it is. A yard.

novaderrik wrote: <. every junkyard i've ever been to not only encourages you to pull your own parts, but charges extra if they have to do it for you. and they are all old school muddy places with acres and acres of cars to choose from.....

I wish it was that way around here. Most of the yards are either closed to the punlic and the few that you can still wander around and pull from.. charge you a Dollar to get in...

novaderrik wrote:

chandlerGTi wrote: Junkyard, my wife calls them Man Malls. My two favorites are KRAP (king road auto parts) in holland ohio and Houghs in nowhere Indiana.

around here, the only "man mall" is a wonderful store chain called Mills Fleet Farm.. every junkyard i've ever been to not only encourages you to pull your own parts, but charges extra if they have to do it for you. and they are all old school muddy places with acres and acres of cars to choose from.. the largest- and best- is called French Lake Auto Parts in Annandale, MN. it's not only the best in the area, but i've heard it called one of the best in the country and it is known all around the world.. also, the owners are good friends with many professional wrestlers and one of the kids and his friends started the "lets throw chairs and raise hell" tradition on the Jerry Springer show...

Never been to the one in Annandale. I keep forgetting you're from MN... I may go up there next week.

mad_machine wrote:

novaderrik wrote: <. every junkyard i've ever been to not only encourages you to pull your own parts, but charges extra if they have to do it for you. and they are all old school muddy places with acres and acres of cars to choose from.....

I wish it was that way around here. Most of the yards are either closed to the punlic and the few that you can still wander around and pull from.. charge you a Dollar to get in...

That dollar is worth it, every time. Even if you get nothing.

mndsm wrote: That dollar is worth it, every time. Even if you get nothing.

$2 here, still worth it.

From the manager of a yard specializing in euro imports: "We'd go broke allowing customers to pull their own parts. Forget what they jam in their pockets, they'll hack a perfect dash to pieces for a $3 switch."

sadly very true. I have seen Volvo 850 consoles hacked apart for the radio.. a radio you can easily remove by pushing in two small levers on either side of the unit till they spring back out.

bludroptop wrote: From the manager of a yard specializing in euro imports: "We'd go broke allowing customers to pull their own parts. Forget what they jam in their pockets, they'll hack a perfect dash to pieces for a $3 switch."

My favorite E30 repository (which I call a boneyard,BTW) allows me to peruse and pull by my lonesome because they know I won't do either...

They pull the parts: Salvage yard, junkyard, whatever.

I pull the parts: You pull, or the yards name(Parts Galore, LKQ, etc.)

mad_machine wrote: I wish it was that way around here. Most of the yards are either closed to the punlic and the few that you can still wander around and pull from.. charge you a Dollar to get in...

That covers the junkyard discount, bolts and little trim bits are free.

I call it "The Office", mostly because I work there part-time.

I think I'm the only one there that looks at cars coming in and thinks, "Bet I can make it track-worthy for under $2k" ...

I also don't think I've ever charged anyone for anything that fits in a pocket.