I have been searching for a little trim piece that was missing on my car. The parts cars where I hang out already had them missing. There is a place in Georgia called "pull a part". Acres, I mean like 50 plus acres of junks and wrecks and other stuff. I tell them what im looking for and his says yeah, we keep them near the front. He had 2 2000 model s430's. I wait my turn to get a ride in a "car" its a salvage vehicle that runs pretty much. First thing I notice




There are a lot I mean lot of nice cars parked up here(people buying). I think I found the holy grail of people that keep expensive cars on the road. This is my first time at a place like this for me so bare with me.


I've normally for every car I have owned bought parts either online or Mercedes parts department. If I needed a alternator or brakes or something heck yeah im buying new. But just for a little trim piece that Mercedes wanted 150 bucks for. and its metal, not plastic. Why not give it a try..


There some really nice funny guys that work at places like this.


If you a car buff. prepare for sadness. most cars looked like something that was easily repairable once upon a time and they just ended up here. Like non rolling corpses of the dam. scary a little bit.....


Minus, of course, wrecked cars that looked horrible, the S class's the guy had had NO BODY DAMAGE... I thinking to myself, how the heck did they end of up here. Not only that. But wow, they were picked apart. more than any other car. Doors, windows, windshields. Of course airmatic components where gone and sam's . no steering wheel, no cluster. I started thinking of the forum and all the things we talk about here. pretty much every piece mentioned here is gone on these cars. I have never seen a skeleton S class before.... With Dust, dirt, it was really ,,,eerie, to look at it.




Luckily I found my little part, picked it off, was told 10 bucks and happily walked out. I see my car, parked on the side. and it doesn't even look like the same model or car of what I was just looking at. Then I think, this car could have ended in the same fate as that one if I didn't get it and rebuild it. Could've ended there again after the 72 nightmare ordeal. Then it hit me. I really do love this car. All of us do. The fact that we all sit on this board, chime in , argue, laugh, help. This is like one big family of people in here. Sure, Its because we have a common interest. But so does a family, a job, etc..... You guys are great. Many of times I fixed my car myself and many of times without this board I don't know what I would've have done...besides pay more than I should've or had to give up. Whoever created this board, and for all the people here. Thank you.. You make owing this car a experience that I will always remember. Back to

 

You would have to be quick to get MB parts there!


They charge the same price for parts regardless of make. As an example - If you could find one, a leather seat would cost you $31...


We were there last week getting parts for my grandson's STS, and his Dad scored a really nice leather seat for his wife's Kia van - right year, right color - $31!

 

There are semi pros who go to places like this , pick all the expensive parts that can be resold on eBay off the car , and operate their own little dismantling companies without having to actually deal with owning a wrecking yard and taking in cars - they just take the expensive parts and mark them up for resale 10-30x

That's why cars like mb are picked clean quickly

 

i'm in ga too, i tried to buy a s430 form a guy just for parts, but he let it go before i could say yes. you almost need one, but mine has been good to me and i too have done a lot of stuff to keep it going, because it is an awsome car, i'm going to have to make a trip up there just to look, like going to a strip joint or lowe's!!

 

I had never been to a salvage yard until a couple of weeks ago when I tagged along just out of curiosity with a friend of mine. What an experience. They only had a couple of older style Mercedes and BMW's but lots of pickup trucks and other cars. After all, this is North Carolina.

I always thought that at a salvage yard you walked in and told them what part you wanted and someone went out and got it for you. Never realized that you had to take your own tools to remove the parts. It had to be at least a hundred or more people out there removing parts. Like I said, what an experience.

 

Self serve salvage yards have become more popular

 

This one wasn't self served. you got brought to the car and after you pointed to what you wanted, they brought you back and someone else took the part of the car.... I can see reasons why self service might not be good, what if a engine lands on someone's foot

 

Interesting - then it was not Pull-A-Part, as they are self serve. You take your wagon or wheelbarrow and your tool bag and have at it. They have forklifts for the parts (engines, transmissions, etc.) that are too big for you to handle, and will help if you have trouble, but almost everything is DIY.


Just for curiosity, what was the name of the business?

 

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