I was wondering are pull-it-yourself wrecking yards just a Canadian thing?

I see a lot of threads on here for people buying new "dealer item only" parts for non-performance related systems (ie. to get rid of the CEL so they can pass an emissions test.)

Nissan, and all the other car makers, have so much essentially "dead" inventory of these parts, that very rarely fail, that they have to charge you a ridiculously high amount to make up for the parts that they will never move. And of course there is no aftermarket for parts that rarely fail.

I recently needed a couple of electrical parts to get rid of the CEL for the 96 ECU I have running in my 98. I called the dealer and they wanted $350CDN + taxes for the two of them. I drove down to the local wreckers, pulled them myself, took less than a minute, and the guy charged me a whopping $20CDN for the pair. Obviously there is no guarantee that the parts will function, but the type of parts I am talking about very rarely fail.

Obviously you would never compromise safety or performance by using second hand parts in certain systems.

Car-Parts.com is a useful general source for some of the more common items. But I find that most of the smaller local wreckers (usually better prices) are not online.

I just thought I would present an alternative parts source for those of you "fortunate" enough to live near a wrecking yard.

 

There are 3 here that I've been to around the chicago area. No 4th gen maximas though.

 

I got 3 of those places in my city, all right next to each other. I do go to them for random parts like ashtrays or what not, but nothing having to do with engines. Rather have new ones out of the box.

 

I've been to plenty in greater Cincy.... only saw ONE 4th gen that was wrecked so bad the only items to take were dash pieces. They've got plenty of Saturns, DSMs, and all the old Camrys and Corollas you could ever hope for.

 

I guess Canadian maxima owners are worse drivers. I have two 96s in the local one. One still has the ecu in it.

 

I grew up in Northern California, near San Francisco, and there were a couple of those up there. I have not seen one here in San Diego though.

 

there is a couple around here

 

I guess it depends on how you qualify something as an "engine" part.
My personal POV is that if you can remove it from the engine and all it does is throw a code and not impact performance, then used is ok.

The igniter module went in out in my supra about 10 years ago. I replaced it with a used one for $20 (dealer wanted ~$280CDN) I drove the car for another 8 years with no ignition related problems.

 

i have a 98 se 5spd canadian ecu if you want it.

 

Not around here, all the junk yard shops you have to ask what you want and then they'll look. Too many people steal whatever they can fit into their pockets.

Back in the day you could go in and pull out what you want.. those days are long gone. I dont really see it as an unsafe practice other than parts you really dont want to use on your car that have been used like axles and rotors. But they're a great place for body parts.

 

I have one of those as well.
I bought the 96 ecu with the intention of sending it off to JWT or TS for modification. I have just had it running in my car for a few weeks to make sure that I have all the codes taken care of. I have to pass emissions in a few months.

Thanks for the offer though.

 

Yeah, all the u-pull-it pretty much gone around here... I don't blame them though. I know a guy who knows a guy who knows a guy who used to pull up flatbeds in the middle of the night and steal entire engine blocks

 

ABC auto in chicago is crap. bought my 2nd trans for my prelude there. w/in 3months the trans had crapped out. stupid 2nd hand trans.

 

does anyone know if there are any in nj

 

eng92, where are you and which yard are you talking about, know of any near london? Standard Auto Wreckers only has one 93 maxima, LOL had nothing on it at all. I would love to find a 2002/3 all bashed up

 

$20CDN for 2? How bout getting another one for $50 US form me?

 

God's Country man
I lived in London about 2 years ago. There was four or five yards just off airport road. I did not have the max then so I do not know what their stock was like.

I am up east of Toronto now. Dom's Auto Parts (just east of Oshawa) has got one of the largest yards I have seen.
http://www.domsauto.com

The fourth gens are all in the first few rows so I have never ventured through the 100 or so other ones. They only give you a half hour in the yard per visit so there is no time for sight seeing.

 

The $20CDN was for a Fuel Pump Control Module and a dropping resistor. I believe my 96' ECU is Cali Spec but my 98' car is not. This is to get rid of the P1220 code.

I still had to buy the special rear O2 sensor new for $100US to get rid of the P0136 code.

What part(s) did you need?

 

hey blackwind , did u get my pm

 

yes i was moving so i was offline for a week.