I can't stand LKQ... Rant

All I have time for is Diagnose, Repair, Repeat. Do all my wreaking yard running on Saturday if needed.
One thing I've come to realize over the years is that time is money. If I can wait a month to save $500 on something like a part I need, it's a no brainer to do so. I always have something else to work on. It's like making $500 for doing nothing. And although I'm not a customer, if a shop said they can have my car fixed by Friday for $1500 or if I wait a month, for $1000. I'll gladly choose the latter.
 
LKQ is a terrible company.

Yup. They are terrible to deal with. Send you a bad engine and want you to wait on their warranty company ... I'd pay more just to not del with them.

Pretty sure they own ATK now so that may be where the cores go, there or Global Powertrain Systems.
 
Never heard of LKQ. We just have the long time private bone yards up here. There was a place in Lowell, MA off the connector
that would pull good parts and rack and warehouse them. They had their act together. But stuff costs more and there was no guarantee that it would work as well as a pick a part or U pull it yard.
 
Loving all the responses, and I agree with what several said: when buying a used engine, you're paying for a long block. Anything else is a bonus. However, being the logical thinker that I am, I'm still baffled by the amount of destruction some used engines have when delivered. As I said, the main engine harness on this particular Jeep literally needed to be disconnected in 4 places: 2 quick connect harnesses and 2 nuts for the main B+ and ground straps. The part of the harness that was cut on my engine is tucked back by the firewall, completely inaccessible unless the engine is ALREADY OUT! How does that make sense?

Same with the manifolds. How does it take less time to hack through an (again, inaccessible) down pipe when it's nothing more than 4 bolts holding the manifold to the head? It doesn't. Same goes for the dipstick tube. Instead of removing ONE bolt and pulling it out, they cut out the middle section to access the bolt they needed to. They didn't even pull the dipstick first! The stump was still in what was left of the tube.

That's just lazy, sloppy work and it inspires no confidence as to the condition of said engine as a whole.
 
You're trying to apply logic to what they do.....If they could cleanly remove an engine, They could likely install one to? No need to work in a nasty & hazardous place for low pay if they had skills.
 
How much did the engine cost?

Never heard of this junkyard. Before I did all my own work, I used a guy north of my parents. He said if I ever needed anything to let him know and he could order it for me. Some place out of Chicago area although I can’t remember the name.
 
How much did the engine cost?

Never heard of this junkyard. Before I did all my own work, I used a guy north of my parents. He said if I ever needed anything to let him know and he could order it for me. Some place out of Chicago area although I can’t remember the name.
LKQ bought up all the local yards near me. Unless atikovi has some other suggested local junkyards, I am stuck with LKQ or driving a long way.
 
It irks me too. LKQ is a terrible company. They had a running VW Phaeton and told me"They can't sell me the whole car." Actually you can but they were lazy and wanted to make less money selling it for scrap vs selling a vehicle that runs.
Did they have the Title? Because if they did not, I am not sure they could (sell the whole car.)
 
Most of the complaints here apply to just about every junkyard I've ever dealt with, hardly limited to just LKQ.

I share the frustration with cut harnesses, broken whatever's that just happen to be a part you need, sliced pipes that seemed to have no reason to have been cut, but like what others have pointed out, if you're buying an engine, you're getting the engine, meaning the block, heads, maybe the manifold(s), intake, etc. Any of the accessories or peripherals, consider those as a bonus if they are there and useable. And most places, at least the ones I deal with, charge you extra for those, unless you're buying a fully dressed transplant, which they charge significantly more for anyway.

If you've seen how many yards remove engines or trannys, you'd understand how and why things get sliced and diced the way so many are. Give one of the field monkeys a list of ten cars you need the engines out of, and he's got to have them all ready three hours from now, you aren't going to get every nut and bolt bagged and tagged, every hose clamp removed with decent useable hoses intact, and harnesses daintily disconnected and zip tied out of the way and clean and useable, etc.

Climb under the car, sawzall the converter(s) out. Zap the subframe bolts/nuts off with an impact, then remove the strut bolts and nuts. Hop on the forklift, and start to lift the body off the subframe. Raise it up a bit, anything connected between the engine and body gets sawzall'd. Ka-chunk, subframe and engine/tranny thud onto the ground. Use the forklift to move the chassis out of the way, then zap the engine mount bolts/nuts off, zap the transmission to engine block bolts, chop the harness(s), separate the engine from the tranny, wrap a chain around the engine, use the forklift to move the engine up to the side of the shop outside where it waits for the customer. Watched the process too many times, same way every time. If you want things not chopped and diced, you can go out to the yard and use your own tools and one of the big, moveable cranes available in the yard and have at it yourself. It will take you a few hours, but you'll get everything you want, the way you want it.

Or you can pay them to do the same, but many, at least the ones I deal with, charge shop rates to do it. And I don't blame them.

This is just my experience with parts places. I'm sure it varies depending where you are. This thread just seemed like its directed toward LQK, and I found it a bit strange since it pretty much describes just about every yard around my neck of the woods (PS.. I have nothing to do with LQK, other than visiting the one near my work when necessary. I don't work for them, I don't know anyone who does. I work in aviation myself).
 
Did they have the Title? Because if they did not, I am not sure they could (sell the whole car.)

This varies state to state, but in many once a vehicle ends up a salvage yard, the vin is deactivated and is no longer permitted to be sold or retitled. Places where this is allowed, its a process most yards don't want to waste time dealing with, its not worth the time or hassle involved. Been there, done that.
 
This varies state to state, but in many once a vehicle ends up a salvage yard, the vin is deactivated and is no longer permitted to be sold or retitled. Places where this is allowed, its a process most yards don't want to waste time dealing with, its not worth the time or hassle involved. Been there, done that.
"Salvage Only" title perhaps..

Been a few instances where you see the perfect car, and it is For Parts Only - aside from finding a shell of a car maybe with a blown trans and or engine and swapping the entire car there isn't any way around it.

Been a few times where you give the car to a yard, sign over the Title.. cannot prove to DMV you sold the car ? I question if they ever actually enter it in as you say though could be different as you say
 
I got a motor from them and the AC compressor mount cast into the block was broken off. They made good on it though.
 
So you bought a longblock and you got a longblock. Anything extra is incidental or not included in what you purchased.

Most longblocks do not include accessories, such as AC Compressor, Alternator, etc.

I used to resell LKQ's product about 15 years ago, never had one complaint. You can even put full warranty on the part, and they honor the warranty and its reasonable to purchase.
 
Not trying to bring back a dead thread, but I bought a Aisin 09G MAM volkswagen transmission from LKQ and it was cracked in half the first time, the pan was literally obliterated and the valve body was sticking out, LOL!

The case was cracked in half too, and was being held on by the straps they use.

Thankfully they gave me a new one with less miles and in perfect condition.

Im still not going to use them at all.
 
Since this thread is here and is only a couple of months old, I'll resurrect it instead of starting a new one.

On an access road by US 460 in Chesapeake had been several salvage yards. One in particular specialized in Fords and Mazdas and had saved my bacon several times over the years with various Fords I owned. Another one on that road was Al Rudd's old yard. Al was NASCAR driver Ricky Rudd's dad.

The other day I was going to look at the Ford yard's Rangers to try to match a factory accessory on my truck that had rusted. I discovered that LKQ had bought every yard on that access road except Rudd's, which was out of business with the building signage gone and the lot completely cleared of vehicles. The salvage yards were behind fences with signs saying "Employees only", and I couldn't even get to the building that had had the Ford lot. Who knows what vehicles were in these yards. As far as I can tell, though no info about the business transactions seems to be available online, looks as if LKQ has owned these yards for at least 5 years.

So much for finding that accessory. LKQ's site does not have the one I'm looking for.

LKQ is doing with mom-and-pop salvage yards what Caliber is doing with auto body shops: buying them and increasing prices.
 
When I once worked in a scrap yard, taking cars apart, I was careful to preserve the components for resale, values imposed by and shared with, both the yard’s owner and my fellow workers.

We unbolted, disconnected, and removed.

We never cut, yanked or broke when we took cars apart. Many other yards nearby cut wiring harnesses, hoses, mounts, and other parts or just hooked up the hoist and pulled until the engine came out.

The other yards may have been faster, or lower cost, as the yard that I worked for (in Bloomfield, CT) is no longer in business.

Wonder how their customers felt about having to repair the damage to the components from those other yards…
 
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You need to find a self service junkyard. https://locations.lkqpickyourpart.com/index.html No full service yard is going to bother pulling a $10 or $20 accessory.
Oh, I know that. The point is that the self-service yards are disappearing. That site you linked has none in Virginia and none near me in North Carolina.

The accessory is a replacement running board, which is nearly $600 from Ford. Not in my budget. The original passenger's board is badly rusted, but the rust was well hidden until I saw it by accident. Now I'm leaning toward just pulling the boards and brackets off both sides, as I don't really need them.
 
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