Carson Pick-N-Pull construction begins

By the end of the year, backyard mechanics and bargain seekers alike could be scrambling through a wonderland of wrecked, junked or abandoned cars in search of elusive auto parts.

Installation of the fencing for the Carson City Pick-N-Pull self-service auto and truck dismantlers has begun on Highway 50 East and it could be open in November, said Pick-N-Pull partner Dick Mills of Sparks.

The 13-acre site just south of Highway 50 lies between the Flint Drive turnoff to the landfill and the Carson City-Lyon County line.

Mills said 10 acres of the site will be devoted to the self-service Pick-N-Pull, while 3 acres will hold Carson Auto Wrecking, a full-service yard owned by the same company.

"It will be like our operation here in Sparks, with Sparks Auto Wrecking right next door," Mills said.

The Pick-N-Pull concept started in the San Francisco Bay area about 15 years ago, Mills said. A partnership of salvage yard operators set up a business where people could pull their own used parts and pay substantially less than if they paid for the yards' labor in removing them.

The Sparks Pick-N-Pull has been open since 1990, Mills said.

The Carson City yard will be the partners' 24th Pick-N-Pull. Three are in Texas, two are near Chicago and there's one in Salt Lake City, he said. Most are in California. Besides the two yards in Sparks, the group owns a couple other conventional salvage yards in Reno - Airport Auto Wrecking and Reno auto Wrecking - and others across the country.

"Pick-N-Pull is a good match for our full-service yards, because 50-percent of our self-service customers don't find everything they are looking for. They can come next door and we'll take care of them," Mills said. "If the part's not right there, we've got access to other yards so we can take care of the customers."

The full-service operations put much more labor into providing parts - pulling them, testing and running major parts like motors, even arranging for delivery.

At Pick-N-Pull, customers pay a $1 admission at the gate and sign a liability waiver, then scout among hundreds of hulks roughly arranged by manufacturer. For safety reasons, patrons must be 16 years old and wear shoes.

A large price chart inside the entry lets customers see potential costs before putting time and elbow grease into pulling parts.

The autos are supported well off the ground so pulling suspension, exhaust or transmission items can be done safely, often without jacks. Some tools or equipment like engine pullers are available to rent on-site, but patrons are advised to bring their own toolboxes.

There's no phone number to check whether a particular car or part is available before making the trip out. But customers can pay a bit extra to buy a short-term exchange policy in case a part does not fit or work.

"We get our stock a couple of ways," Mills said. "We check with the towing companies. We pay people cash for junkers. And we'll check into setting up an abandoned vehicle program with the local government authorities, where we'll get them off the streets at no cost.

"It's all about getting the good stuff off them before they're processed and sold for scrap."