Buying recycled parts
How to give a wrecker the details that get you the right part first time
Five details that turn a twenty-minute phone call into a two-minute one — and stop the wrong part turning up on your bench.
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Every parts counter in the country has the same bad day: someone rings, asks for "a door for a Corolla", and nobody can help them, because there have been twelve Corollas and each one had four different doors.
Here is what actually gets you the right part, first time.
Give us the build date, not just the year
The compliance plate under the bonnet carries a month and a year. That matters more than the model year on the rego papers, because manufacturers change parts mid-year and a January build can take a different component from a December one of the same model.
Tell us the body and the badge
A hatch, a sedan and a wagon share a name and almost nothing else. Same with badges — an SR5 and a Workmate are not the same vehicle once you are past the grille.
Say which side, and say it the right way
Left and right are from the driver's seat looking forward. When in doubt say "passenger side" or "driver's side" — it is unambiguous and nobody has ever argued about it.
Have the VIN handy
Seventeen characters on the compliance plate or the rego papers. With a VIN we can check the exact build specification rather than guessing from a model name. It is the single fastest thing you can give us.
For panels, bring the colour code
It is on the same plate as the VIN. With a colour code we can often send you a panel that needs no paint at all — which is the difference between a job that takes an afternoon and one that takes a week.
What happens if you have none of that
Ring anyway. Bring the rego and we will work it out — that is what the counter is for, and every one of our staff can search group stock across all seven divisions while you are still on the phone.