wrecker pricing

[Boza]

Does anyone know how wreckers price there stuff.

On friday I was looking for a window regulator for a late model laser the last ones before the focus came in got told apparently the doors are same as a mazda 323 of that era anyway i tried some wreckers the ones that actually had parts and some of them were like 20 or even 10 dollars cheaper than ford or mazda for a new one and some were like 30% cheaper than the most expensive ones.

I'm, just curious how they price parts is it rarity of model or do they have to make a certain amount out of a car they bought i ended up buying a brand new one as the wrecker who actualy had what I needed was like 15 bucks cheaper than a dealer and was all the way across town so buy the time I go there and the fuel it would of worked out the same as the secondhand one

I'm just curious on wreckers how they price stuff

[ratter]

think they charge what they want to, I once needed an accelerator cable for a commodore at work, wreckers wanted something like $30 and I had to go pick it up, a new one was something like $24 from holden and they delivered it.

I have found Ferntree Gully Auto Salvage to be well priced

[vanman_75]

Some I found just have a list , seats 25 ,lights 15 etc etc don't matter how good or how crap you can work out what its Gunna cost before you even go in the yard ...oh and I love 50 bucks all you can carry .

[saam]

i think they price things on how much they can get away with....

most dont even know you can buy reproduction parts for certain models and then want to charge you double the price for the same item

Id call them rather than go there and do your research on the price of the part

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by saam

i think they price things on how much they can get away with....

most dont even know you can buy reproduction parts for certain models and then want to charge you double the price for the same item

Id call them rather than go there and do your research on the price of the part

I delt with a few wreckers and some were shocking.... others were very helpful and were happy to have a chat and help you out more than needed, provided they weren't busy.

Re the calling first. I wanted some mags for a car in a hard to get size, was more interested in the hole spacing and offset over the design. Called one wrecker out west, I think near Penrith or Blacktown... he had the right size and pattern "on the racks in front of him", but cut me off half way through asking for the offset with "Nah mate, you can't get out of it, driving down here.. you will need to come look at em and measure them yourself"....

Fine... off I went.

While there, he used the exact same line on almost every call he took. Would say he had the part, but used exactly the same phrase when anyone asked question number 2.....

I didn't get the wheels... very much the wrong offset.

[mik]

yes it`s a bit hit and miss at every wreckers, there`s a few wreckers local that i have used over the years, some i won`t ever use again,
one in particular a family business with father who is pretty reasonable on the prices, but ask the son a price he wants to tear you a new cake hole .
this one reason i don`t mind a bit of toiling in pick a part.

[2011G6E]

Most wreckers are very hit and miss on pricing...always depends on who you get.

I picked up the four early Supra mags for my Celica at a wreckers in Bundaberg, for the amazing price of $200 for the set, with tyres. "Normal" mags at the wreckers there were usually about $50 each with tyres, unless they were something a bit special. As I was loading them, the owner came back and I heard him talking to the clown behind the counter and then a huge barney started. He came out and tried to get me to pay another $200 "minimum" for the wheels. As they were already in the back of my ute and I had the receipt in my hot little hands, I just laughed and drove off...

The Gracemere wreckers I have found to be pretty good on pricing, with the cars all laid out neatly and a good computer system of organisation to let you know what is in stock. You can even look it up online and see what's there before going.
http://www.pickapartrockhampton.com.au/whats-available/

[Papa Smurf]

When I was working, wreckers a lot of the time would phone spare parts places and ask the price of a new one so they could gauge a price for them to sell a used one.

[2011G6E]

That's how I used to sell spare parts when I was younger. Me and a mate would load up the old Cortina with tools and go out to little towns surrounding Bundy and visit all the dumps, finding and removing all sorts of spare parts from wrecked cars and dumped cars in the bush. We'd sell them through the paper (this was well before the internet) to make some cash.

I'd ring spare parts places and, more importantly, wreckers yards and find what they charged, then cut my price ten bucks or maybe more less. If anyone claimed I was charging a bit much, I'd just say "I can tell you that you'd pay more at the wreckers, but feel free to ring around yourself". They'd usually call back and buy my stuff.

[T4ME]

Same way some tuners price their stuff.

Its not that hard to find a consistent and good value place to buy from if you are in a large town.

[302 XC]

I dont think is a formula or a guideline they work to ....
Many charge what they feel is right ,generally wrong
Many are stanting to work on the genuine part or repro part
Wether that part is 20 years old,its a genuine part amd must be charged premium
The big wrecker near me , writes every fone enquiry down, date,time, and price
The days of goin in saying , "I rang the other day for this part and was quoted $10",they dont fall for that and have proof, they never said such things ...
They mite seemingly be over priced, by how many have walked outta wreckers with stuff in their pockets,tool boxes or throw stuff over the fence to collect later ....

[Thornie]

I went to a wreckers and got some parts for my EL one day, asked how much each piece was and the guy just said to me "what do you reckon it's worth" seems we were on par price wise which was good and i ended up with a couple of freebies as well.

[atec77]

Originally Posted by Boza

Does anyone know how wreckers price there stuff.

On friday I was looking for a window regulator for a late model laser the last ones before the focus came in got told apparently the doors are same as a mazda 323 of that era anyway i tried some wreckers the ones that actually had parts and some of them were like 20 or even 10 dollars cheaper than ford or mazda for a new one and some were like 30% cheaper than the most expensive ones.

I'm, just curious how they price parts is it rarity of model or do they have to make a certain amount out of a car they bought i ended up buying a brand new one as the wrecker who actualy had what I needed was like 15 bucks cheaper than a dealer and was all the way across town so buy the time I go there and the fuel it would of worked out the same as the secondhand one

I'm just curious on wreckers how they price stuff

It boils down to what can be ripped from your pockets in many cases , set of coils after market for one of my cars was $165.00 delivered from the US , wrecker wanted $25.00 each , radiator new (alloy) $225.00 delivered and used $165.00 , and got abusive when told the real world price claiming it was a lie

[Mr Hardware]

Wreckers are just like any other business. They can charge what they like if someone's willing to pay for it.

Find a wrecking yard that is reasonable. I have one that I have been going to for nine years now ( http://www.allautorecycling.com.au ) at brendale and they have treated me well. They are a pick a part, and I have bought clips, visors, wheels, looms, batteries, lights, dashmats, seats, buttons etc from them over the time.
Case in point: A fortnight ago I needed a battery for a Camry. Went there, they were just closing the doors (was 15 mins after closing time), the bloke served me anyway, and I got a quality battery for a good price after close. I was happy.

[xisled]

My best mate owns his own wreckers. He puts the price he feels someone will pay. There is not set prices. Some of his stuff IMO is overpriced, but he also does sell things cheaper than anyone else.

The reason why small parts are priced high at most wreckers, is it cost the same price to take a motor out of a car, than it does to take parts of the dash out (employee pay is the same).

[wang]

I think most make up what ever they think they can get.
Ive been using this guy in smithfield sydney and found very helpful and not to expensive and has a good range of late model ford gear
http://www.fordprospares.com.au/

[MDS69]

Originally Posted by 302 XC

They mite seemingly be over priced, by how many have walked outta wreckers with stuff in their pockets,tool boxes or throw stuff over the fence to collect later ....

Pinch a Part (Pick 'N' Payless) in Blacktown charge $2 just to go through the turnstyle.

[ronwest]

Originally Posted by Mr Hardware

Case in point: A fortnight ago I needed a battery for a Camry. Went there, they were just closing the doors (was 15 mins after closing time), the bloke served me anyway, and I got a quality battery for a good price after close. I was happy.

A few months ago, the young fella next door needed a battery for a car he was selling. His dad wasn't about so I told him to ring around the wreckers and I'd give him a lift.
Sandgate Wreckers said they had one, "yes definitely the right one for that car" so off we go.
Nowhere near the right one. Too big physically and the terminals were the wrong way round. I figure they had a few batteries there and took a punt that one would fit.
Ended up getting one from Kelly's?? on Beams Road. Actually it was near new and $25.

[Maka]

Originally Posted by MDS69

Pinch a Part (Pick 'N' Payless) in Blacktown charge $2 just to go through the turnstyle.

I can remember when they first opened up & wanted $2 to enter, my best mate laughed & told them to stick it! He hasnt been there since. When Big John's were opened there before PnP, they had the best prices & service in the west of Sydney for ages.

I dont live down that way anymore but I still purchase parts from Sydney & use AFF's classifieds, Ebay etc.... because of a blatant ripp off incedent a while back were i purchased a overpriced alternater of a local wrecking yard that was faulty & got only half my money back! Needless to say i havent been back there either since.

cheers, Maka

[FPVF6X201]

Originally Posted by wang

I think most make up what ever they think they can get.
Ive been using this guy in smithfield sydney and found very helpful and not to expensive and has a good range of late model ford gear
http://www.fordprospares.com.au/

You musta got lucky. Way overpriced (on Territory stuff anyway). wont separate parts that should be separate, ie wont sell the grille coz he thinks its aprt of the front bar?? Wants $50 for a I6 thermostat housing, $30 on ebay delivered! I wanted the rear Brembos of a FG GT he had, nah mate, you have to buy the whole front and rears together!

The guy I dealt with is a knob.

[Hell Cat]

I needed a flex plate for my 221.

option one- $280 from an early ford wrecker because they had to unbolt it from an engine
option two- $50 from a generalHolden/ford wrecker & it was unbolted sitting on a shelf.

[LukeGT]

It surprises me that there is so much negativity towards wreckers and their pricing. Its fair to say the majority of people of this forum would use a wreckers at least semi-regularly to purchase parts to maintain / urgrade their cars... if wreckers charged what you would like to pay for parts they would probably all go broke, where would you get your spares from then? Ebay? Good luck, add of shipping and other fees, and no return policy when the part is mis-advertised or faulty. Reproduction? Good luck unless you own a mustang or XY GT. Dealer? Good luck unless your car is <6 years old, not made overseas and you have deep pockets.

Keep in mind that wreckers have to pay for cars, towing, rent, wages, outgoings, advertising, insurance... and they usually have large properties to keep more cars for your convenience.

It takes time to dismantle, label, test, put away parts. Time costs money. Storage of cars and parts costs money. Tools to dismantle cars cost money.

Each car has a small number of parts which are in high demand, and the rest are slow moving or junk. Majority of the $$ come from the quick selling high demand items. Keep this in mind next time you are haggling your local wreckers for an electric RHF window reg for your EF because he wants $70 for it but "its only an old EF, the car wouldn't be worth $200" (which you're right, its probably not). A wrecker won't usually sell EVERY part from a car, so they will need to make their money from a smaller number of parts.

Some cars are hard to get and are in high demand (which means they will cost more), expect prices unique to these cars to be higher.

Location can add a premium to prices, if there is only one wrecker with 30k's, parts will be more expensive than where there are 5 wreckers in the same street. Wreckers in wealthier suburbs have higher rent and outgoings, parts will be dearer.

If you go to a wreckers and hang around for an hour getting free information on how to put a XR6T motor into your escort projec that you will never ever do, then haggle price on a $20 item, next time you go in your prices will have doubled!

Do you go to K-Mart and pickup a new pair of addidas mock up tracky pants for mothers day and tell the 14 year old at the check out that you can get them cheaper from big-w? Try it and see what they say...! Or do you tell them you can get it cheaper on Ebay? Or at the place 55k's down the road?

Its not rocket science, like every business prices are mainly based on cost of stock, supply and demand. And like other normal businesses, some prefer to sell more for less, and others less for more.

[ratter]

well said

[2011G6E]

The wreckers at Gracemere has one of those "all you can carry" days every year or when they want a clean out. The only trick is you have to pay before going in. I asked them "How do I know if you've got anything I want to buy for sure?", and they just shrugged.

Not sure if they still have the same rules now, haven't bothered going back.

[Boza]

Last year I was looking for a povo pack ba xr interior the one with manual rear windows I ended up getting the best price from a wrecker in sydney plus shipping to melbourne it was cheaper than anything I could find here anyway when the interior showed up it had greasy paw prints all over it but was actually in good nick.

When I bought parts from more lets say "professional" wreckers the parts were good and clean so maybe I guess its you get what you pay for

But the interior still cleaned up nice with a can of interior clean

[noflac52]

I knew a bloke who owned a wrecking yard and he described it as " A licence to print money ". So basically it comes down to what they can get out of you.

[LukeGT]

Originally Posted by noflac52

I knew a bloke who owned a wrecking yard and he described it as " A licence to print money ". So basically it comes down to what they can get out of you.

So nothing to do with buying the right cars for the right price, good marketing, being in the right location, having a large customer base established over many years ... simply screwing customers over hey?

[revcore]

It pays to build up a positive reputation with the local wreckers yards. Get to know them by name and buy from them quite often and you'll find that more often than not they'll end up selling you most of the stuff at mates rates.

[noflac52]

Originally Posted by LukeGT

So nothing to do with buying the right cars for the right price, good marketing, being in the right location, having a large customer base established over many years ... simply screwing customers over hey?

Yeah!

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by LukeGT

It surprises me that there is so much negativity towards wreckers and their pricing.

Do you go to K-Mart and pickup a new pair of addidas mock up tracky pants for mothers day and tell the 14 year old at the check out that you can get them cheaper from big-w? Try it and see what they say...! Or do you tell them you can get it cheaper on Ebay? Or at the place 55k's down the road?

Its not rocket science, like every business prices are mainly based on cost of stock, supply and demand. And like other normal businesses, some prefer to sell more for less, and others less for more.

I do go to Kmart or Big W and complain that i wont pay premium prices and get no service ,or have to wait because they have 50 people waiting at 1 checkout ,and its the main reason i do buy on line
There comes a time when profit arent all to running a business
Nearly every shop i go to lately if theres a handfull waiting to pay for goods,many are just droppin the goods and walking out
So i can see no doubt that on line selling is killing most businesses , and i do totally agee with all else youve mentioned
Many wreckers unless right outta town ,pay absolute premiums for their little yards,and have many hoops to jump thru re environmental issues and pay every year,we dumped some old tranny oil behind a shed at work once, council were there in a heartbeat, 600 mm deep hole by certain size removed as contaninated soil,its not different to wreckers
Add in the $20-$30 per hour ,maybe more,for the yard lacky to go look for that part that then you dont wont because its too dear,more cost the wrecker has to pay,that gets passed on
Many smarter wreckers have their finger on the pulse re what sells and what doesnt and many now, take of the prime parts or the stuff thats reasonable and cash for scrap the rest, quick bucks in to run the place
The days of wreckers storing cars 4 ,5 high,not safely stored, yards looking like some mad max damage control shop are becoming a thing of the part very quickly
Land value especially inner cities is killing them of
Many of the older brissie wreckers just arent there, theres houses now and the bigger ones left are just holding on by their teeth, complaints from residents, the eyesore, you name it , its closing them all down

I think the way new cars are getting cheaper to obtain ,and the measly price they are worth in 5 ,10 years,we are slowly getting pushed into a totally throw away society
Cars will become hard to obtain parts when a certain age then only good for the scrappie, then buy another new car, then 5,10 years time of to the scrappie,then buy another newie