Are parts purchased at an auto salvage yard a good deal?
That depends primarily on the condition of the parts and how inexpensively you can purchase them. If, for example, a bumper from a donor car has been repainted, you’ll have to pay to strip the old finish before new paint can be applied. If you don’t do that, the new paint job may fail prematurely. While salvage parts may be genuine factory parts, they have likely been subjected to the trauma of a serious auto accident, which means they may or may not fit well. In addition, salvage parts carry no warranty. So, if you’re unhappy with them after your purchase, you might be stuck if you can’t get a refund. Even more importantly, you should know that salvage yards across the nation are selling parts from cars that sat in the contaminated floodwaters of Gulf Coast storms such as Hurricane Katrina. These parts are being sold at salvage yards in every state. I’d recommend avoiding these bacteria ridden parts from flood damaged cars and sticking with genuine Toyota parts purchased from a Cincin
