If your vehicle has an unexpected issue, it can be stressful to come up with the necessary funds to stay safely on the road. This is especially true with older vehicles, as the cost of a part can be compounded by the length of time it may take for a replacement to be located and shipped.

In many cases, however, the replacement you need is right under your nose at your local salvage yard. Rather than allowing yourself to be intimidated by the labyrinth of old vehicles and the sheer mass of available parts, the tips below should assist you in successfully navigating a salvage yard to secure the parts you need.

Research Interchangeable Substitutes

One of the best kept secrets of the auto parts industry is that many vehicles utilize the same parts with only very minor differences from one to the next. The end result of this is that your damaged vehicle may not need the specific replacement that you're searching in vain for.

Be sure to research your vehicle and your needed part to see if there are equivalents in other vehicles that would perform the necessary task in the same way. This is an excellent way to widen your net, which could cut down on your costs and your search time substantially.

Search With a Friend

Most salvage yards sit on huge plots of land and receive massive amounts of vehicles and parts every year. While this is great news for the breadth of their inventory, it can create frustration if you find yourself traipsing alone through a mountain of vehicles searching in vain for the part you need.

Dividing the labor can go a long way toward making conquering your task far more likely. If you go to the salvage yard with a friend and each work to evenly divide the property, you'll be able to double the speed of your efforts. The increased efficiency will be directly correlated to increased satisfaction.

Bring Tools

One of the most common mistakes made my infrequent salvage yard visitors is not bringing the proper tools to remove a part from a junked vehicle. The parts in a salvage yard are still attached to mostly whole vehicles, and as such, it's not as simple as picking a piece of inventory from a shelf. Make sure that you bring a portable toolbox with everything you need. A great way to make sure you're prepared is to locate and remove the faulty part on your vehicle, and learn the process from there.