Does it count as OEM when I go to the local bone yard and salvage a part? That's always my first option for replacing something out here.
I've had terrible luck with salvage parts. If the vehicle is in the right age range for the part to fit mine, well, the part is generally suffering from the same issues as mine... Maybe not quite as bad since it was sitting in the yard, but seems like the parts fail really quick anyways...
Always used to crack me up when I worked on the rez. in Indian Country. "Why do you have three dead old Caprices in the yard?" Always the same answer. "I keep 'em for parts". Unless you count telephone pole and Antelope collisions, there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that the pile of crap in the yard is going to have anything of value, next time the old rez. rocket quits.
When I wrote that I was living in a remote Alaskan village. It was fly in and out only unless you were up for a 20 boat trip in the summer or about 10 hours by snow machine in the winter. I drove a tacoma and there were three vehicles in the local bone yard that had at least some interchangeable parts. There were also several other Tacomas in town so a lot of the best parts were gone. In general I've also salvage parts in more developed areas and in general had better luck find replacements for parts that break than parts that just wear out. If I'm looking for a rim, light cover, bumper or anything else of that nature I'll start with a junk yard. If I need something like shocks or a new starter I go buy one with a lifetime warranty if I can. The companies are betting I'll sell the car before it wears out and I've won that bet more than a few times.
