From Sturtevant Auto Salvage

An auto salvage yard, (sometimes also known as a junkyard or bone yard), is an automotive dismantling business where wrecked or decommissioned vehicles are brought and usable parts are sold for use in operating vehicles. The remaining unusable metal parts are sold to metal-recycling companies.

Recycling of Vehicles

Auto recycling is the business of recycling automobiles for the resale of usable parts and the wholesale of scrap material. Auto recycling differs from auto wrecking in many ways, the biggest being the care and handling of resalable parts. Working parts are carefully removed by qualified technicians then inventoried using a computer database.

Parts for which there is a demand are removed from cars and brought to the salvage yard's warehouse. When a customer asks for a specific part, it can be obtained immediately. Salvage yards will also allow you to remove the part yourself, but it is more common for a customer to call in and inquire whether the specific item needed is available.