Victorian wreckers.....

[Interceptor]

Now, either I'm incredibly unlucky, or doesnt any wrecker in Victoria let you actually go through their yard and see if theres anything you want?

So far all of the ones I've been to have claimed workcover/safety rules preventing them from letting the public have access to the wrecks....

Funny how Queensland and NSW dont see things the same way.

[Magna]

for self serve wreckers theres:

imlachs
www.autowreckers.com.au

jollys
http://www.jollysupullit.com.au

pick a part
www.pick-a-part.com.au

harveys
www.harveywreckers.com.au

DIY auto parts
http://www.diy-autoparts.com.au

I'm sure there's more but that's just off the top of my head

[apolloxbgt]

Originally Posted by Interceptor

Now, either I'm incredibly unlucky, or doesnt any wrecker in Victoria let you actually go through their yard and see if theres anything you want?

So far all of the ones I've been to have claimed workcover/safety rules preventing them from letting the public have access to the wrecks....

Funny how Queensland and NSW dont see things the same way.

I can tell you as the owner of a wrecking yard,no insurance company in australia will provide public liabilty insurance to any wrecking yard past the front counter.
So if you walk into my yard and get hurt and decide to sue me I have no protection, I dont plan on chancing leaving my family homeless so you can have a wander around my stuff.

Any of the self serve wreckers will be set up as a shell company with no assets and no insurance,hurt yourself on site and you're on your own.

[Raptor]

Originally Posted by apolloxbgt

.....hurt yourself on site and you're on your own.

Sounds fair enough to me

Whilst I'm sure this countries OHS laws have done much good its gone too far IMHO when councils won't have playgrounds with swings and see-saws and you can't wonder aimlessly around wreckers looking for parts you don't really need.

Damn nanny nation





.

[apolloxbgt]

Everyone wants to sue you these days,we created this ourselves.

[malazn mafia]

All the good wreckers disappeared in the last 5 years. Campbellfield used to be the best haunt for Ford stuff, including FPV at dirt cheap prices, although from questionable sources. Apparently the cops raided a few wreckers and cleaned the place up.

[TheInterceptor]

It's good and bad. Lots of people carelessly destroy many good parts just to get to the one they want. However on a good note, I always end up walking out of a wrecker with more than what I was after because I spot more bits I want. If I get told no I can't have a look then that's potentially lost sales. But fair enough, people suck and can't generally be trusted so this is how it is.

[MercurySilver]

That ****** me off....idiots just breaking stuff or leaving it out the car on the floor and the weather kills it.
They just dont give a ****

[Vesper Martini]

I think the self serves will Phase out.
Time is precious these days, I certainly don't have time to go wandering though a wreckers to find a part, let alone if they don't even have it.

That and the back yard Mechanic is phasing out.

[Mesa]

Another problem would be people taking small parts that fit in the pocket and not paying for them.

[Polyal]

When I had spare time I used to love walking around yard just seeing what was about.

[EFFalcon]

Originally Posted by Bevsta007

I think the self serves will Phase out.
Time is precious these days, I certainly don't have time to go wandering though a wreckers to find a part, let alone if they don't even have it.

That and the back yard Mechanic is phasing out.

Some of the bigger players are just getting bigger and bigger, can't see it phasing out any time soon.

[Sorted]

Originally Posted by apolloxbgt

Any of the self serve wreckers will be set up as a shell company with no assets and no insurance,hurt yourself on site and you're on your own.

Love this - too many pussies in Australia blaming others for their own stupidity..........

[Franco Cozzo]

If I need to get something from a wrecker I call them up and it arrives on my workshop door step, don't know why you would want to bother with self serve anyway, I got better things to do than pull apart someone elses car then have to do the same on our ones.

[SYZ]

Wreckers like THIS charge a minimal entry fee in order to cover their public liability premium.

"Simply bring your own tools, remove the part you want and pay on exit, simple! Because you do all the hard work the prices are much cheaper. No oxy, jacks or power pools permitted. Children under 16 and pets are not permitted entry. Children 16 - 18 permitted must be accompanied by an adult."

[MercurySilver]

Originally Posted by superpursuit05

Another problem would be people taking small parts that fit in the pocket and not paying for them.

no doubt
i always grab screw, clips etc and theyve never charge me for stuff like that
but when you are spending 50 to 90 odd bucks each time you go they dont seem to care about two dash clips and half a dozen scrivetts

[snopony]

I used to love going to the wreckers with dad when I was little.... crunching thru the broken windscreen glass/sand in thongs and sitting in the wrecks.

[apolloxbgt]

Originally Posted by SYZ

Wreckers like THIS charge a minimal entry fee in order to cover their public liability premium.

"Simply bring your own tools, remove the part you want and pay on exit, simple! Because you do all the hard work the prices are much cheaper. No oxy, jacks or power pools permitted. Children under 16 and pets are not permitted entry. Children 16 - 18 permitted must be accompanied by an adult."

Lol,make no mistake there is no public liability.
From an insurance point of view self serve wreckers would be like trying to insure a driver with no license,not going to happen.

[Franco Cozzo]

Originally Posted by SYZ

Children 16 - 18 permitted must be accompanied by an adult.[/I]"

LAst time I checked isn't 18 considered an adult?

[BENT_8]

I dont bother with regular wreckers anymore, got a U pull it 5 minutes down the road.

Went looking for a window switch for my BF a few weeks ago, tried ebay, Ford etc.
Was going to set me back the best part of $100 for genuine.

I didnt really need the whole switch, just the surround that keeps the whole switch in place and the drivers side switch as it had worn through the black coating, Ford wouldnt sell any of it seperately.

Went to U pull it, found one in mint condition, spent 5 minutes carefully seperating the electrics from the plastic and went to the counter.
Dude just sent me on my way, no charge.

Went home, pulled mine apart, cleaned all the contact points up and lubed the rockers, put it back together and refitted it, all of 20 minutes work for the grand sum of $2 for entry.

[EFFalcon]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

I dont bother with regular wreckers anymore, got a U pull it 5 minutes down the road.

Went looking for a window switch for my BF a few weeks ago, tried ebay, Ford etc.
Was going to set me back the best part of $100 for genuine.

I didnt really need the whole switch, just the surround that keeps the whole switch in place and the drivers side switch as it had worn through the black coating, Ford wouldnt sell any of it seperately.

Went to U pull it, found one in mint condition, spent 5 minutes carefully seperating the electrics from the plastic and went to the counter.
Dude just sent me on my way, no charge.

Went home, pulled mine apart, cleaned all the contact points up and lubed the rockers, put it back together and refitted it, all of 20 minutes work for the grand sum of $2 for entry.

not to mention finding out where all the clips that break are, so they don't break when you do it the 2nd time on your own car :P

[The Yeti]

I'm not a fan of self serve wreckers, there something about stripping a part off a car taking it home fitting it only to find its stuffed just like the one you had to replace then going back arguing for a refund and trying another one.

So I very rearly go to them

BUT they do have their place, especially for odd bits or parts of parts, eg I once needed a window slide for a regulator on an EH, I didn't need or want the full regulator as they all wanted sell me a complete door, I knew the part o wanted was probably common to 83 other makes models etc so I took my buggered sample and went looking

Found one out of god knows what and paid a (guy shrugs his shoulders) $5 for it I had to cut it down but solved the problem

And their also good for R&D for project cars trying to find steering pumps or brake boosters etc to fit with strange engine swaps etc.

But a normal wreckers doesn't have the space to have them all laid out single height for fools like me to go foraging

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by apolloxbgt

Lol,make no mistake there is no public liability.
From an insurance point of view self serve wreckers would be like trying to insure a driver with no license,not going to happen.

For any business not to have public liability is ridiculous.
If someone trips going into the front office and injures themselves they could sue the pants of the yard.

My wife runs a Hairdressers and has $10mill PL insurance.

[apolloxbgt]

Originally Posted by GasOLane

For any business not to have public liability is ridiculous.
If someone trips going into the front office and injures themselves they could sue the pants of the yard.

My wife runs a Hairdressers and has $10mill PL insurance.

Which goes back to the start of this thread as to why some wreckers (like myself) will not let customers past the gront counter,thats where my public liability stops.

[Boosted8]

Last time I went to U Pull It, they only charged me $5 for 3 EA-ED powersteering tensioners.

Asked for the same part at my local wreckers, they wanted $20 each...

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by EFFalcon

Some of the bigger players are just getting bigger and bigger, can't see it phasing out any time soon.

Bigger and Bigger in size or Profits?

A few have boasted about their sub $5 purchases,


a business needs to make money somewhere.

I cant see how these places survive.

[EFFalcon]

Probably both, prices are certainly going up.

Jolly's in Dandenong keeps getting bigger, with more and more 'covered' area for their showroom stock.

Car park is always busy

[MercurySilver]

Originally Posted by The Yeti

I'm not a fan of self serve wreckers, there something about stripping a part off a car taking it home fitting it only to find its stuffed just like the one you had to replace then going back arguing for a refund and trying another one.

thats the good thing about upullit over here
anything thats electrical or mechanical gets a money back deal if it does not work, they sticker it as you leave and pay

fully understand the liability thing tho
you could imagine some peanuts trying to claim by tripping over something etc

[Interceptor]

Put it this way, if I *need* a part, I'll go ask for it, but generally the only parts I'd *need* from a wreckers are the clips, bolts etc that are dear as hell genuine, mechanical and electronic parts I tend to buy new..... no point buying half worn out parts to replace something thats died

Letting me loose in a wreckers yard looking for parts I dont specifically need, but parts I might want or have a use for..... thats bloody lethal for my bank balance....

[Feathers]

I love going through the wreckers. Got plenty of bits for my XD at one in Sydney. The owner knew my Dad, and I went in a number of times with him.

Then on the few occasions I turned up alone, they waved me out the door with some fairly large items, because "girls don't usually come to places like this and pull parts on their own, good on 'ya!".

Haven't been to the one I used to go to in years though. I wonder if they're still going...and what they might have now...