"Junkyards'?

[Nial McCabe]

Where I live, we have "automotive recycling enters" where all the boring old Toyotas and Chevys go to die. You are never allowed to wander around in them anymore.

But when I was a kid, it was always great fun to hunt around a junkyard for some special part, toolbox in hand.

Are there "real" junkyards in Europe?

~THIS PLACE~ in Georgia, USA has figured out that you can make more money charging admission to an "artistic center" than selling old parts. Kind of an interesting take on the a junkyard today.

[SteveR]

They seem to be getting fewer and fewer in the UK, too. As you said, it was always fun wandering around, hunting for that elusive part.

I suspect there are a number of reasons for their disappearance. Firstly, the dreaded "Health & Safety" brigade would cause too many problems for the old style scrapyard. Secondly, a lot of cars now get taken apart, with the parts being sold either online or through their outlet - they do the work, but set higher prices. I suppose the other reason they are disappearing is that on any car made in the last 20 years or so, unless you have the speciaist tools and diagnostics, most people can do very little mechanically. I used to do my own maintenance, but these day, just about all I can do is check fluid levels.

[GORDON STREETER]

There are a couple near me in the UK that you can still walk about and take parts off but you have to wear a yellow jacket ! all the old style ones with dirt bases have been concreted over to stop fluids/acids etc contaminating the soil and most of the cars are now crushed and sent off to India/China for recycling.
I must admit it used to be a bit dodgy climbing up to the top car (3 up) that was not too stable to unbolt something, especially when it was raining with muddy footwear on ! Good old days though

[BertMk2]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

but you have to wear a yellow jacket !

And a hard hat!

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

I must admit it used to be a bit dodgy climbing up to the top car (3 up) that was not too stable to unbolt something, especially when it was raining with muddy footwear on !

Good fun though

[mountainstar]

I don't see junkyards like you did in the past. They've been modernized. Recyclable materials get stripped off and sold and usable parts get removed, cataloged and labeled. The big fields of cars are rapidly fading away.