Self-serve wreckers are an excellent option for car enthusiasts and car owners who are skilled in repairing automobiles and identifying car parts.
If you are such a person, you can walk in, check the directory for availability, locate the parts you need, and pull them out by yourself.
It's a great way to save some money on the parts you need, especially if you're pretty handy around automobiles.
Top 5 Self-Service Wreckers in Melbourne
I have a list of the top five Melbourne self-serve wreckers. Bookmark this page now instead of googling “self-serve wreckers near me" every time.
1. Imlachs Self-Serve Auto Parts
Spanning over 8 acres of land, all reserved for used cars, they are the most popular among self-service wreckers in Victoria. I used to wonder how they locate and organise the parts for easy retrieval. I can’t even find my car keys from my 10x10 room. Maybe I should use the GPS tracking system as they do.
Yep, that’s what they do – they employ a GPS tracking system to systematically search the models of cars in storage and the car parts that go with the car. With a system that also acts as a vehicle directory for clients who work on their own, finding car parts is so much easier.
This environment-friendly self-serve yard was established in 1980, and since then, it has been one of the best businesses in this field. They are a preferred parts supplier of Capricorn Society and an accredited member of APRAA and VACC.
Their massive collection of all makes and models of cars, vans, utes, and light commercial vehicles will be the last stop for your auto parts search.
Contact Info
- Phone: (03) 9547 7377
- Address: 1602 Centre Road, Springvale VIC 3171
- Email: info@autowreckers.com.au
2. Jolly’s Auto Parts
How can you say that a car wrecking yard has a massive range of makes and models? Should they have somewhere near 3,000 cars in their yard? Well, 3000 is not a small number. I can only say they have a lot. Honestly, I didn't get the time to count them all - not a fan of huge numbers. All cars in their yards are jacked up, waiting for you to pull out their parts and end their miserable lives.
They have three yards located in Ringwood, Dandenong, and Geelong, and all of them are open even on public holidays. If you’re looking for self-serve wreckers in Melbourne, I suggest you visit Springwood. You might find their Springwood yard too big and a bit disorganised, but you can't stop saying that they have a vast collection. You can find them in the address below.
Contact Info
- Phone: (03) 8763 4160
- Address: 63 Heatherdale Road, Ringwood VIC 3134
- Website: https://www.jollysautoparts.com.au
3. Pick-A-Part
Are you looking for a self-serve wrecking yard east of Melbourne? These guys have been around since 1986, and now they have grown into a complete all-in-one solution to help you salvage auto parts yourself. With a weekly updated stocks list, I am sure you can put a full stop to your long car parts searches.
Pick-a-Part is not only a self-serve wrecking yard, they also offer scrap metal services to all trades and the general public. Their stocks have most of the makes and models in Australia. They have a search tool with unique features that makes the car part search easier.
However, if you fail to find the part you need, you can set up an account from the Account setup tab under their home page to get notified via email when the car you’re looking for becomes available. You will find the "Email Notifications" section under the "WHAT'S IN STOCK" tab.
If you know about other vehicles that share the same car part you're looking for, it will further ease the search process. Pick-a-Part can also be located at Kilsyth, and their yards used to be open even during holidays, but the recent spike in covid-19 in some areas made them shut their doors during weekends. For more information about working days and availability of stock, you can visit their website.
Contact Info
- Phone: (03) 9357 0960
- Address: 1904 Hume Highway, Campbellfield VIC 3061
- Website: https://www.pick-a-part.com.au/
4. Harvey Wreckers
Have you ever tried to restore an old car? Harvey Wreckers has a large and well-organised wrecking yard with a massive collection of all makes and models. They’ve been in the industry for 50 years now. That’s half a century of service! No wonder they’ve built quite a reputation as a car wrecker in Australia.
In their self-serve car wrecking yard, you can personally search for and recover the auto parts you want and enjoy a discounted price for the auto part you get.
Make sure to check prices on their website before visiting them. That’s an easy way to make sure they have the part and compare prices. This is also an excellent place to get rid of an old car sitting in your garage. Parting with your old baby will not be as difficult if you leave with the Harvey wreckers.
Contact Info
- Phone: (03) 5971 1132
- Address: 400 Warrandyte Road, Langwarrin, VIC 3190
- Website: https://www.harveywreckers.com.au/
5. Huge Auto Wreckers
Huge Auto Wreckers have been around in the wrecking business for almost 15 years. They have proved that they're equipped with all the necessary resources to provide quality service to their clients throughout these years.
Since they are a family business, they pay more attention to customer satisfaction. As the name suggests, they have a huge collection of cars in their yard so that there is a good chance you’d find the part you’re looking for.
Contact Info
- Phone: (03) 9357 7558
- Address: 50-52 Mason Street, Campbellfield, VIC 3061
- Website: hugeautowreckers.com.au
So, there you have it, the top five self-serve wrecking yards you could find in Melbourne.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-service and full-service yards?
Finding car wreckers is not a huge task, but it becomes tedious if you specifically search for self-serve yards instead of full-service yards. What difference does it make? Though you get pretty much the same parts from both, there are some differences between these yards.
Full-service yards are not anything like the traditional wrecking yards. Well, it's all cars, but the way they salvage the car parts and the after-sales service they provide makes the real difference.
Car parts from full-service yards are dismantled by their team of professionals, who then take it through a series of quality control processes, including testing, draining of fluids, sealing fluid inlets and outlets, and then carefully cleaning and packing for delivery.
Most full-service yards have parts from newer models, and this is an advantage for people who buy a new car every three or five years.
On the other hand, in self-serve yards, there’s no one else to do all the tasks mentioned but you. It would be a good idea to bring someone with you – and I don’t mean your grandma, unless she’s a mechanic, that is.
The good thing here is that the car parts come out cheaper because there are no extra charges. Most self-serve yards require you to bring your own safety gear, tools, and accessories for salvaging the auto parts.
Learn more about the differences between these two types of wreckers and what each one can offer you.
Why should you choose self-serve?
Self-serve yards are better than full-service yards in many ways.
No hidden fees - They don't pose any hidden charges, and you don't have to wait till the professionals arrive and inspect your part, test it, and all that stuff.
You pay less overall because there are no labour charges, testing and packing fees, and other hidden costs.
Great variety – You get to choose the parts from a myriad of cars right in front of you. Unlike a full-service yard, self-service yards will have a good collection of old and discontinued models. So, it is almost impossible not finding the part you are looking for. If you're an expert with the appropriate skills, you can extract compatible parts from re-badged models too. This is the most significant advantage I find in self-service yards especially for people who choose to hold on to their old models.
Convenience and freedom – You’re free to pick the donor car for the part you need. You can take your time to assess the vehicles and choose the one that feels ideal for you. You don't have to rush or wait for an employee to extract the parts for you.
Why can’t I find DIY auto parts Broadmeadows in the list?
You must have heard or read reviews saying how great this place is. Customers always leave good feedback, saying they "never had a problem here." You get access to a mega line-up of cars in their huge yard with a 2-dollar pass, which is a common custom in most wrecking yards.
As an outstanding go-to yard in Campbellfield, they hosted over 350 vehicles, and they had new stocks coming every day. Unfortunately, they are closed for now and not expecting any visitors. But still, you can avail of their services and order a part through their partner site, ACM auto parts. So not as a self-service yard, but you can still place an order through their website on Acmautoparts.com.au/diy-auto-parts-broadmeadows.
A Final Word
Many people prefer self-serve wrecking yards because they find it cheaper and more efficient than full-service ones. However, that’s not true for all people, especially those who may not be very knowledgeable about car parts and cars or don’t have the skill to remove parts correctly.
The smart thing to do would be to choose the type of wrecking yard depending on your skills and know-how when it comes to identifying and extracting car parts.
Always be sure to wear masks and take your safety gear and tools before venturing out to the salvage yard. If you think you're better off transacting with full-service yards, you can find the best car parts sources near you.
But, that's not all, because we've saved the best for last. If you need auto parts but don't have the time or patience to search and inquire from sellers and wreckers one by one, you only need to request us and we'll search it for you!
Yep, you got it right, just please fill out this online form, and you'll start getting quotes from our 500+ strong car part sellers. You don't need to reply to all - just pick one or two with the best offer and decide which one to get your car part from.