Money in the Motor: 5 Valuable Parts You Can Find at the Scrap Yard

Cars are very expensive, and when parts break, they become even more expensive because the parts are often marked up 800 percent or more. Thankfully, scrap yards carry every part that you can find at the dealership. These parts aren’t cheap replicas or even Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) parts. These are the real deal, original equipment. There are no alterations or difference between these parts and those installed on your vehicle at the factory. The five parts below are always in demand.

Cylinder Heads

A new head is like insurance to hedge against a broken timing belt. When a timing belt breaks, the valves in the head typically take the brunt of the damage. You can even have your head ported and polished to increase horsepower by increasing the airflow.

Ignition Coils

Ignition coils can burn out or lose continuity if they are pulled on too aggressively. Because they are expensive to replace with brand-new or aftermarket replicas, it is always a good day when a car owner finds a set that came off a wrecked vehicle. Because the vehicle was running when it wrecked, there is very little risk that the ignition coils had any defects. Buying before you need them is smart because there is no guarantee that you will see junk cars for sale when you need them the most.

Intake Manifolds

The intake manifold is another key part that can deteriorate with time. Some car owners like to polish these up as well or plate them in metals for a cleaner engine bay look.

Fuel Injectors

After about 100,000 miles, the fuel injectors will not be able to atomize the fuel as well. As a result, the performance and fuel economy will suffer. If you can find a set of fuel injectors from a wreck with low mileage, you will thank yourself when you reach 100,000 miles and need to replace them.

Throttle Body

The throttle body sees a lot of action. They are also becoming more sophisticated than ever with internal motors and sensors. If you can score a replacement model from a low-mileage vehicle now, you will be happy to upgrade that auto later. Visiting your local scrap yard before you have a breakdown is so important. Collect some key parts and keep them on hand to make it easy to keep your vehicle running in the future. These five parts are just a few of the valuable parts that can be found at inexpensive prices at scrap yards.