Anybody ever thought the owner of that benz ripped off the head, for whatever reason beyond me and that maybe the reason the benz ended up at the junk yard?

When I first went to a junkyard i'll admit, I kind of sorta maybe just a little bit did that :o :(

If I didn't have the right tools I would trash it to get it at all costs. Don't worry though, this ended fast when I REALLY needed a instrument cluster and all the w123 clusters were trashed. Needles broken off and cases broken.. the works. They didn't even need the part they just trashed it.

Well after being seriously pissed off about that, I've never trashed another car getting something since. When there was a w123 cluster in good shape finally available, all I ended up needing was the speedometer so I took the cluster out carefully, took out all the gauges and neatly laid them on the seat with all screws there in case someone needed them :(

This was all in vain becasue when I went back a few days ago, someone broke the needles off the clock and the oil,fuel,temp metal back was all bent. Like they sat on it or something. I tried though right? :(

I only do minor damage to cars when pulling stuff. I try to not break things if possible, but stuff like prying off rusty pieces below headlights to get the assembly out....and prying/cracking already bad-shape dash stuff to get needed items....I do that, but I never break stuff on purpose. If I can remove it with the tools I have without damaging, I do. Most of the time the cars are so trashed that it doesn't matter in the first place. Also, 90% of the parts I take from cars are out of the engine compartment....so there's not much to "destroy"....I just remove what I need and go.

my tools I bring to the junk yard

vice grips, hammer, and a screw driver

:)

LOL.

I bring my hammer, (sometimes sledge hammer too) socket set, a small metal saw, cutters, various pliers, channel locks, a couple vice-grips.....a multi-bit screw driver.....I bring a lot of stuff. Most of my tools usually, minus the ones I really don't need.

I load a couple of totes plus a toolbox, leave most of it in the car. If there's something I need (want), I can go back to the car for the appropriate tools and get to work.

I try hard (probably too hard) to disassemble and stack un-needed parts in the floor of the car when I work, mostly because I know that PawoSD is close behind me and might need them ;~)

Frustrating part is when you come back and find those parts strewn across the ground as people rummage through looking for spare change and radios. Oh well.

I always take the opportunity to practice the removal and replacement of any parts I need at the yard. It makes it much easier to do it on my car if I practice first...

I bought a 300D parts car to share with a friend few years back; it sat in my driveway while I removed stuff I needed- and put the exchanged items back in the parts car, wires connected, screwed, bolted back in place. He took stuff out and we did the same thing, putting the other parts back in. We marked the stuff that we'd swopped out so we'd know in the future what was what. After a few months we took it to his storage yard- and let another friend pick stuff off for his wagon.

All the while the doors, hood and trunk were kept closed, as we all have palomino interiors. One night some louts came into the lighted yard and smashed the rear window and windshield, left the trunk and doors wide open after they screwed up the interior. Little did they know that he has video security because of his business. The Troopers had a ball with the video- nothing like showing up at someones house to discuss their wayward kids that "would never do such a thing" with taped evidence.

AINT IT THE TRUTH!!!

So much easier to find out how to remove a door panel when it's not mine.

This is what I tell all my buddies who ask how to work on something. i tell them to go to the yard and remove the part they need, if they can do it there then it will be much better the second time when they cant afford to break things. I carry a duffle full of tools and a craftman 250pc set, in a wheel barrow. I can pull a trans or anything I want right there and then. If you want it take it when you see it because it will be gone when you get back. I sat in a PNP car 2 hours waiting for my buddy to bring an allen big enough to get an AMG steering wheel off the car. I had left my tools that day since I was just scoping to see if it was worth a weekend trip.

I try my best not to break things for the next guy, but sometimes its just not possible. As I said earlier, I certainly wouldnt trash a good dash for the ignition, but otherwise I dont worry too much about it, the yards generally dont pay more than the scrap weight value of a car so they really dont police the yards because they make their money anyway, most parts you buy are light weight and that money is just gravy for them. they get core charges on top of the price of the part, if you bring back the core they get the scrap weight back. If you are patient eventually any part will show up. I am looking for a set of SEC seats for my car. I found a nice tan set but passed, I want black. eventually I will find a set. I generally check back every 2 weeks, othwise your chances to get the rare parts come down to pure luck

I've been doing the same thing since my first wagon....:P

I do that too, its way nicer to practice at the junk yard than to do it at home and break something. :D

Spend enough time at the junk yard disassembling cars and after a while you'd be a pretty good mechanic! :eek: :D Just work your way through the different brands and models.... :)

Add me to the list. :D

I learned to cut out urethane mounted windshields by practising on cars with broken glass in the salvage yard. I figured if I could learn to get a piece of broken glass out without breaking it further, I could get an intact one out, and I was right. I now do my own windshield replacements, though I've graduated from buying used glass, and now only purchase it new and install it myself. Too many glass technicians don't do it right!

Yep, the salvage yard is an excellent place to learn!

here's the thing that makes me mad about the Pnp- when the joker on the forklift mashes the otherwise perfect body panel that you've been watching for for the last six months while they set it on the stands. You'd think the management would want all the parts sellable, put apparently only if it's convenient:mad:


also agree it's the perfect way to figure out how to disassemble different parts

Although this is not a diesel but i found a W124 400E in the junkyard, PERFECT BODY, ENGINE AND TRANS... This car was like a showroom condition... Aren't these cars hard to find???