Salvage yards From mirrors to motors, salvage yards provide parts to repair or restore a vehicle

May 12--Has someone hit the mirror on your car or is the starter going bad?

You could go to a dealer or repair shop, but doing it yourself will save a lot of money.

Many body shops rely on salvage yards to have parts for damaged cars, working together to help find the right part.

"We are linked together via computer," said Brandon Cohn, vice president of Best Auto Parts LLC on East Fourth Street. "If we don't have it, another yard may have it, and we can deliver it."

Sitting on about 4 acres, Best Auto Parts has 30,000 parts, a $6 million inventory of everything from mirrors, lights, computers and airbags to motors, transmissions, rear ends and suspension parts. The parts are warrantied for 120 days. Many parts are interchangable, Cohn said, within the same brand of vehicle -- a part for a Ford Taurus may also fit a Ford Ranger pickup.

Cohn has worked since 2007 for his father, Louis, who founded the business in 1984. Cohn personally inventories each vehicle as it comes in.

Using a computer system, Cohn pulls up the list of every part on the vehicle and then goes through it to see what is good and what is not. The parts are then given an inventory number and put in the warehouse where his 10 employees can find it if needed.

Outside, there are doors, wheels, rear ends and some cars that haven't been disassembled.

"Foreign cars are very popular," Cohn said. "They hold their value more, and there are more on the road."

As an example, Cohn said, a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier in a bad accident would be declared totaled by an insurance firm. A 2005 Honda Accord, which holds its value more, would be repaired if possible.

Those who want to modify a car with a bigger engine or newer automatic transmissions come to the salvage yard, too.

Security, environmental responsibility

Some items, such as expensive aluminum wheels, are watched by a security camera.

"We haven't had much theft problems, but some yards do have problems," Cohn said.

Many people might not connect environmental concerns with a salvage yard, but Cohn is careful to ensure proper disposal of hazardous material. Motors are placed in containers until all the oil is out to prevent it from going into the ground. Gas and oil are recycled.

"Older cars used mercury in the lights under the hood. We remove the mercury and dispose of it properly," Cohn said. Best Auto Parts has an environmental company check the operation on a regular basis to see if anything needs to be done.

Finding parts

Manufacturers have to make parts available for new models for seven years. After that, there is no requirement, Cohn said.

He knows what is needed to be saved and what is left of the car that can go to the "soft crusher" on site. The cars are smashed to a smaller size, then hauled away by another company to where the metal will be melted down.

Cohn said when he gets a high-end car, such as a Porsche, Mercedes Benz or Audi, he will keep as much of the parts or the car intact, as those items are sought after.

"I had one call asking for parts for a 2010 Maserati. There are yards in California that only keep parts for something like that; I gave them the number to call."

Cohn routinely ships parts to Canada, Puerto Rico, Germany and Israel and sells on eBay.

"I shipped a starter to Israel," Cohn said. "They don't have access to car parts easily."

Do it yourself

Cohn's crew will install motors and transmissions, but other items are for the buyer to do the work.

A Marine veteran who grew up in Clarksburg, Cohn's business also has a used car lot on the corner of East and Fourth streets.

"If we get something in that is in good shape and just needs a motor or transmission or something, we may be able to fix it up and sell it," he said.

Cohn also donates cars for use by fire and rescue crews. "

They can practice cutting the cars up as if they were rescuing someone trapped in the car," Cohn said.

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