Has anyone ever used (or been) a Row52 parts puller? (Page 1) — Other Random Car Stuff — The 24 Hours of Lemons Forums (2024)

Row52 now has enough yards in their system to be a useful tool, and they even have a list of parts-pullers who will pull and ship parts from distant yards. I am writing about Row52 for an Autoweek piece and I'd like to hear from anyone who has worked on either side of their parts-puller system.

I never knew that existed. I work on the other end of the recycled spectrum, in the wholesale side.

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When Row52 had only Pick-N-Pull inventory, it wasn't as interesting. Now that they're expanding to more yards, I'm ready to write about them. I'd like to know something about the real-world experience with the parts-puller system they have set up.

I haven't used this company yet but I'm willing to bet that the quality of their searches are quite limited by the crappy data offered by PnP's website. Quite a few parts (not just engine related) are engine specific so knowing whether the Mustang/Explorer/etc was a V6 or a V8 can be pretty crucial.

I wish Pick N Pull would list the engine sizes on their stupid website when they list the inventory. I know they have this information in their systems b/c they can give it to you at the front gate or when you call. It's completely stupid though that they don't just add this one column to their website

I'm sure a ton of requests go to Row52 pullers only to find out that it's not for the right submodel.

-g

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Search by engine would be very useful for Saturday night engine swaps.

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Phil

I've been a parts puller for about a year now - it was a little slow getting started but I field several inquiries a week. Be happy to talk to you about it.

Rich

Clearly you haven't used it because you'd lose that bet. While I will agree that PnPs inventory system is severely lacking, row52 goes MUCH further. VINs are listed so you can check engine size and trim level.

http://row52.com/Vehicle/Index/1FMDU32E2VZB81102

In addition to the VIN, a picture is available usually within a couple days of it hitting the yard - I have several "alerts" set up whenever a vehicle matching my specifications hits a yard near me - I get a text message the next morning. I love that. I think it's a great service and the yards should love it as well - it's bringing in people that wouldn't come into their yards otherwise. Just this morning I shipped several headlights to SoCal for a user who contacted me through row52. Maybe PnP would have sold those parts anyway, but probably not and definitely not to someone 400 miles away.

Cool, I'll give you a call. The Row52 guys have been trying to get me to write about their business for quite a while (because I seem to be well-known as "that writer who has a sickness for junkyards"), but at first the hype-to-reality ratio was a little high for me. Now the site seems to be something that actually works, which is cool.

Ah, so that's why you were digging up how much you've bought there, Rob!

The Homer: Powerful like a gorilla, yet soft and yielding like a Nerf ball.

Row52 just added a couple of yards near me in Denver, which makes life easier (readers of my Junkyard Find posts often plead with me to pull/ship parts for them, usually to Europe, but they always want huge-ass stuff that I am not willing to deal with shipping). Now I can refer them to the professional parts-pullers/international-shippers on Row52.

Hah, no actually. The headlight purchase put me over the top for another $20 rewards certificate and I was wondering how long it took me to spend 5 grand there haha.

Alright, I'm sold. Row52 has another user.
Thanks!
-g

Myopic Motorsport's #888 Ceci n'est pas une Citron Thunderbird ("This is not a lemon" but a 1995 tbird w/ 93 V8 swap + shopping cart rear wing + engine mounted frito maker)
2017 Sears Pointless Organizer’s Choice
Frito Making Tbird from 2018 Sears Pointless Engine Heat BBQ - http://goo.gl/csaet4

Looks like a buncha bullsh*t site to me.

No rotary parts.

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No rotary parts? 22 RX-7s!

Saw this one in Stockton yesterday.

A useful service, to be sure, but really makes it hard when you get a whole other layer of vultures who will beat you to the parts at the yard. I'm luckily paid enough that taking time off to go junking doesn't really pay off, but I've been looking for a damn E24 taillight for a year and having a mob of Steak Knife Steve's with wifi connections will probably ensure that it's always gone before I get there...

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For decades, there have been guys who visit every self-serve yard in Northern California at least every couple of days, looking for valuable stuff. More of them appeared when eBay became a thing, but they've always been around.

Maybe - but ZERO FD's and ZERO turbo rotaries.

Sucks.

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Yup - there are professionals that visit daily even. We also get exporters that come through every couple months but they seem to like mostly 80's Toyotas and Nissans.

Yay - I'm internet famous! Murilee published the story

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2014070 … /140709953

I was the guy who pulled those Tercel control arms for Dennis - that car was stupid clean for being over 30 years old.