There's a lot of interchange (of parts)." Kim shows Rubalcava the difference in the compressors, and fortunately Rubalcava has brought in his old, broken compressor for comparison. You can also use one from a 1997 Acura CL, or a 1996 Acura 2.5-liter TL. "The 1994 through 1997 LX and DX compressors are all the same. "The 1994 EX compressor is made by two different makers - Hadsys and Denso," Kim says. Kim has to know whether Rubalcava's car is an EX, LX or DX model. Jose Rubalcava, a Stockton forklift operator, is trying to buy an air conditioning compressor for his 1994 Honda Accord. Dorn says there are at least 2,000 wheels in the yard - wheels are the most popular item, followed by engines and transmissions - and there are hundreds of cardboard boxes containing things like power window switches that came out of Honda Civics but will also work fine in some models of Acura.Īt the counter, salesman Brian Kim is giving an impromptu lesson on the arcane subject of Honda air conditioning systems. Looking down various aisles in the HAP yard, you can see dozens of engines lined up, from Acuras and Hondas, and, over there, a like number of transmissions. "The S2000 is hard to find," Dorn says, "but the seats are golden. On the floor at HAP, almost isolated in the vast showroom, is a pair of black and red seats from a Honda S2000 sports car. That's not the image we want." OK, Bill, OK. "Our theory," says HAP general manager Ross Dorn, "is to take it to the 21st century, try to get rid of the stigma of what a junkyard looks like." Behind him, Bill More winces at the blithe use of the term "junkyard." Earlier, he had warned, "it's not junkyards. The sleek two-story building at HAP Recycling Parts (as in Honda, Acura Parts), with its vast showroom and huge windows, looks more like a place that would be comfortable selling Patek Philippe and Rolex watches than, say, sub-frames, power window switches, transmissions and engines. The same is true for the parts pullers." Those are the workers who strip cars, part by part, until they're as naked as a well-gnawed chicken bone. All the counter people have to know is Honda. "You don't have to worry about Volvo," More said of the singularity of having a yard that does only Honda, "you don't have to worry about Chevrolet, you don't have to worry about Ford. The capital outlay is far less, and the key is that you'd be a specialist in one brand." His stepson built a yard around the Honda brand. "The idea," he said, "is that you can put a wrecking yard representing one brand on a small footprint of land. Most wrecking yards (the people who run them hate the term "junkyards") carry everything from Acura to Toyota and try to stock the parts for everything these manufacturers make.īut about 15 years ago, according to Bill More, executive director of RCSR, his stepson, Darin Moore, came up with a plan to create a complex of wrecking yards in which each yard would handle only one brand. Then again, you could prowl the wrecking yards for that elusive part, buy it cheap (they're usually priced at about half of what a dealer would charge for a new one), then go home and fix the car yourself. Or, if you had some sort of mechanical aptitude, you could go down to the parts store and buy new pieces to put your Proud Mary back together. You could take it (or have it towed) to the shop, come back when the work was done and write a fat check to the dealer or shop owner. By Lance Iversen Show More Show LessĮver since the automobile has been around, there have been different ways to get your car fixed when it breaks down - and most cars did break down, either spectacularly or in a mundane but vexing way. Parts pullers Rafael Compos and Omar Galicia begin removing all the usable parts from wrecked trucks at GM Car and Truck recyclers in Rancho Cordova. OCTOBER 14, 2006īy Lance Iversen/San Francisco Chronicle Ran on: 03-11-2007 Rancho Cordova is the home for dozens of unique auto and truck wreckers, all specializing in a specific brand. recycling that only deals with Honda and Acura new and used parts. Ran on: 03-11-2007 Ran on: 03-11-2007 Ran on: 03-11-2007 By Lance Iversen Show More Show Less 2 of5 MOTORXXwreckers_1373.JPGĬustomers line up at H.A.P. OCTOBER 14, 2006RANCHO CORDOVA.By Lance Iversen/San Francisco Chronicle Ran on: 03-11-2007 Parts Pullers Rafael Compos and Omar Galicia began the process of removing all the parts from wrecked trucks at GM Car & Truck recyclers after all the fluids are drained.
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