Drove Over 80 Miles For A Part

BlueOvalFitter

BlueOvalFitter

Joined
Feb 28, 2003
Messages
11,977
Location
Cajun Country, La.
My brake warning light is staying lit up on my dash cluster. A few weeks ago I tried removing the dash cover piece around the cluster to see how to fix it. It was so brittle (I'm guessing from 14 years of sun exposure) that it broke into about 5 pieces. I couldn't find a part locally so I called a salvage yard that I have dealt with since the 80's. If they didn't have it, NO OTHER salvage yard in La. would have it. They had several and only wanted $25. But, they said it was too fragile to ship. So, at 6:30 this morning I drove 84 miles one way to buy the part. I didn't mind the drive. It got me out of the house.
BTW, Ford wants $140 for this part.
DASH.jpeg
 
aquariuscsm said:
Nice! I probably would've bought all of them:D
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This is a pic of it after I cleaned it up. When they brought it into the parts office it had cat paw tracks on it and cat hair on the inside. The parts guy said they have about 10 cats in the yard and one was probably sleeping in the dash. 😁
 
BlueOvalFitter said:
This is a pic of it after I cleaned it up. When they brought it into the parts office it had cat paw tracks on it and cat hair on the inside. The parts guy said they have about 10 cats in the yard and one was probably sleeping in the dash. 😁
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It's kitty cat approved!🐈
 
I've got you beat. My daughters 2005 Mazda 6 Sport Wagon was rear ended and the body shop could not find a replacement bumper cover anywhere in the area. Not only is the wagon rare, hers is a Sport Wagon which takes a different bumper than the base model. An internet search by me located a few nationwide in salvage yards (no longer available new, OEM or aftermarket). The problem was the yards that had them would not ship because of problems with body parts being damaged in shipping. I live in Pensacola, Fla. and the closest I found was in Hattiesburg, Ms. (200 miles away). So I made a 400 mile round trip to get the bumper cover. But I wasn't finished. My daughter lives in Tallahassee, another 200 miles away, so the next day I drive another 400 miles roundtrip to deliver the bumper cover to the body shop.
 
JC1 said:
I would have bought two just in case.
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The good thing about NOT buying an extra one now, my son lives 22 miles away from the salvage yard. If it breaks, either my son, on his way here, can stop and buy me another one. Or, if it breaks and I go visit my son, it's on the way to his house. 😁
 
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Reactions: JC1
jhs914 said:
I've got you beat. My daughters 2005 Mazda 6 Sport Wagon was rear ended and the body shop could not find a replacement bumper cover anywhere in the area. Not only is the wagon rare, hers is a Sport Wagon which takes a different bumper than the base model. An internet search by me located a few nationwide in salvage yards (no longer available new, OEM or aftermarket). The problem was the yards that had them would not ship because of problems with body parts being damaged in shipping. I live in Pensacola, Fla. and the closest I found was in Hattiesburg, Ms. (200 miles away). So I made a 400 mile round trip to get the bumper cover. But I wasn't finished. My daughter lives in Tallahassee, another 200 miles away, so the next day I drive another 400 miles roundtrip to deliver the bumper cover to the body shop.
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You're an awesome dad! (y);)
 
AutoMechanic said:
$140 vs $25 I’m totally getting the $25 one lol. I like going places anyway so traveling wouldn’t be a problem for me.
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Yeah, getting out and driving thru Krotz Springs, La. (major crawfish farms in La.) and seeing the crawfish farmers running their traps is always a good thing. Sometimes you can stop and wait for them to get thru. Then, you might be able to buy a fresh caught sack from them.
Krotz Springs also has the best boudin in La. I like the boudin at these 2 places the best.
Local Cajun food & Meat Market | Lafayette, Kortz Spring, Opelousas & Scott, LA | Billy's Boudin and Cracklin (billysboudincracklin.com)
Kartchner's Grocery and Specialty Meats - Home (kartchnersspecialtymeats.com)
 
BlueOvalFitter said:
Yeah, getting out and driving thru Krotz Springs, La. (major crawfish farms in La.) and seeing the crawfish farmers running their traps is always a good thing. Sometimes you can stop and wait for them to get thru. Then, you might be able to buy a fresh caught sack from them.
Krotz Springs also has the best boudin in La. I like the boudin at these 2 places the best.
Local Cajun food & Meat Market | Lafayette, Kortz Spring, Opelousas & Scott, LA | Billy's Boudin and Cracklin (billysboudincracklin.com)
Kartchner's Grocery and Specialty Meats - Home (kartchnersspecialtymeats.com)
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Very cool. I need to try crawfish sometime I’ve never had them.
 
Great score! Worth the trip.

Yesterday I bought 2 frame support braces for the front of my 07 Silverado Classic for $20 from a yard. New pricing was anywhere from $77 to $145 EACH. Unbelievable.
 
BlueOvalFitter said:
My brake warning light is staying lit up on my dash cluster. A few weeks ago I tried removing the dash cover piece around the cluster to see how to fix it. It was so brittle (I'm guessing from 14 years of sun exposure) that it broke into about 5 pieces. I couldn't find a part locally so I called a salvage yard that I have dealt with since the 80's. If they didn't have it, NO OTHER salvage yard in La. would have it. They had several and only wanted $25. But, they said it was too fragile to ship. So, at 6:30 this morning I drove 84 miles one way to buy the part. I didn't mind the drive. It got me out of the house.
BTW, Ford wants $140 for this part.
View attachment 39509
Click to expand...
170 miles round trip is 6-7 gal of gas? I guess that's not a bad cost if you want to go out of the house for a drive anyways.
 
BlueOvalFitter said:
Yeah, getting out and driving thru Krotz Springs, La. (major crawfish farms in La.) and seeing the crawfish farmers running their traps is always a good thing. Sometimes you can stop and wait for them to get thru. Then, you might be able to buy a fresh caught sack from them.
Krotz Springs also has the best boudin in La. I like the boudin at these 2 places the best.
Local Cajun food & Meat Market | Lafayette, Kortz Spring, Opelousas & Scott, LA | Billy's Boudin and Cracklin (billysboudincracklin.com)
Kartchner's Grocery and Specialty Meats - Home (kartchnersspecialtymeats.com)
Click to expand...
Billy's in Scott is awesome, whenever I'm traveling through I stop and pick up some Boudin and other goodies. Crawfish season will be upon us in a couple months! Hello from Jesuit Bend, LA.
 
CatCam2 said:
Billy's in Scott is awesome, whenever I'm traveling through I stop and pick up some Boudin and other goodies. Crawfish season will be upon us in a couple months! Hello from Jesuit Bend, LA.
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Hello from CenLa (Avoyelles Parish). I haven't been to Belle Chasse since I worked a shut down in Shell of Gretna back in the 80's.
Crawfish are already in the restaurants here. $7.99 lb. boiled, $4.99 lb. live. One restaurant has a waiting list to get them. SMH!
 
I sometimes travel 240 miles to use a hoist at U Wrench in Calgary. I’ll stop at Highway 93 BBQ at Invermere, and the Heritage Bakery in Calgary for Ukrainian Sausage and then visit my son. Then maybe a look see at Pick and Pull and a quick stop at the Costco for cheap Baileys and then a pit stop at Dead Man’s Flats for a tank full of that Alberta gasoline ( no Alberta sales tax). Plus a relaxing drive through Kootenay National park. :D
 
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