LKQ Self Serve Auto Parts

Awesomely awesome auto parts place. Super friendly staff. Costs 2.00 to get in as a cover charge. I called first to see if they had parts for my 1985 Chevy van. I needed 2 interior plastic pieces. They had 2 vans there. And. They had the parts still on the van I needed for mine. I brought my trusty dewalt screw driver and froze my hands getting the parts off but did it. I enjoyed looking at the junk cars and trucks and snooped around in them looking for anything cool to put in my van. Got a transmission dip stick for my engine which mine has no handle on it. So I’m happy. Just great place. Cost $ 7.11 for three pieces. Wish I had someone else with me. It would have been much more fun. Yeah. Parts are scattered all over. So what. You step over them people who whine. Or kick them out of the way. It’s not a place where you stay clean. By the way the place has wheel barrows for you to use. Bring your own tools to take parts off.

I called this morning to see if there was a mirror for my car. After sitting on hold for 3 minutes, the lady informed me she couldn’t tell me over the phone, and I had to come there and look. WHAT?!
*Keep in mind per the website, there is a $ 2 fee just to get in and look for your part.
The lady would not even tell me if they had another of my car there. She said she «couldnt release that information over the phone». Why would I drive there, and pay an «admission fee» just to see *if* they have my car type there much less match the mirror?
I’ll gladly pay more to go somewhere I can call, they confirm they have the part and not deal with any guesswork or «secrets»…
You just lost a potential customer and I will gladly share this with family and friends to avoid this place.

LKQ’s Rockford location is quite large and just like their Chicago-​area yards its divided into sections by make (GM, Ford, Chrysler and Imports). The cars are all up on stands to make it easy to get parts from them. The ground surface appears to be dirt and fortunately it has been dry lately but I am not sure what this would look like if its rained lately.
A quick walk through the GM section revealed numerous 90s-​era cars, many 2000+ cars and a smattering of older models. Having only been here once, I can’t comment on the all-​important «turnover rate» (how long the cars stay in the yard before they are crushed and replaced with others). The numerous discarded parts littering the aisles indicate they might not be as keen on housekeeping as some yards, however its much better than some (Victory in Bensenville near O’Hare comes to mind — its a mud pit and castoff parts are everywhere). Otherwise, personnel were friendly and the in-​and-​out lines were quick. I’ll be back for sure.

In the past I’ve only been to a salvage yard where the employee takes the part off the car for you, so this was a different experience. AT LKQ they charge you a $ 2 «admission», which I asked if they would refunded if I couldn’t find the part I needed… to which they replied «No»…So you may want to at least confirm they have your car make and model.
The second obstacle was actually finding the vehicle in the yard. I made sure to ask where the car was located– the lady told me «row 2, position 30». Well that means absolutely nothing apparently because there are no row or position indicators, and there were only 24 «positions» from what I counted, and when I finally found the car, it was definitely not in «row 2». Just allow an extra 30 minutes to walk around to find your car.
Next I had to find the part I was looking for. I went looking for a seat belt receiver, and a glove box latch for my girl’s ’01 Mazda Protégé. Well I hit 50% of my goal… they had the seat belt part, but the entire glove box was missing… to be expected in a salvage yard. Just glad my $ 2 admission wasn’t a total loss.
When I went to pay for the part I was pleasantly surprised he only charged me $ 3.47 for the part considering it was a safety part with electronics attached (plug/​wires for seat belt indicator). I gave him a $ 20 bill and waited for my $ 16.53 in change. I typically don’t check to see if people give me correct change, but as I started to walk away I thought this may be a good time to do so… and Im glad I did, because he gave me $ 3.47 back. I called him on it, and he said «oh, i was looking at the wrong number». Honest mistake perhaps, but I think he tried to take advantage of an obvious first-​time patron. And as far as payment methods are concerned, I did see someone else use a credit card, so I know they take plastic too, but I’d be even more hesitant on giving them my credit card info.
Oh, and if you have any parts that you are bringing into the yard with you, make sure they mark them so they know you came in with the part.
I would have given it fewer stars had the part not had been so damn cheap. The dealership wanted over $ 100 to fix, and ebay prices were around the $ 50 mark. So for that I commend them.