Eastside Auto Recycling

Information may not be reliable

A title usually receives a salvage brand when an insurance company determines a damaged vehicle's repair cost will exceed a percentage of the vehicle's book value (search "NADA Blue Book" or "Kelley Blue Book"), and the vehicle in question is a passenger vehicle no more than seven years of age. Thus in 2007, an '05 Honda Accord with $15,000 in damage and a book value of $19,000 would very likely receive a salvage brand. The cause of damage is irrelevant; collision, hail, and even water damage can result in a salvage brand. Neither is sweat-equity a factor, as repair costs are based upon going rates at repair facilities. This situation translates to a significant savings for the individual with an acumen for automotive repair. In Marlyand, vehicles with salvage brands may be operated on public roads. Many lending institutions will not approve loans for the full book value of a vehicle with a salvage title, and the resale values of these vehicles are also lower, but so is the sales tax. The laws governing salvage titles vary from state to state; verify a state's title policies before attempting title transfers.

The VIN (vehicle identification number) of your vehicle is located on a metal plate on the driver's side of your car's dash. It can usually be viewed only by standing outside your car and looking at the lower edge of the windshield. The plate is about three inches long. You may also have a VIN sticker on the driver's door of your vehicle, either on the door itself, just under the latch mechanism or on the door jamb under the latch post. (Open the driver's door and look along the rear edge for a sticker.) The VIN is 17 characters long; without all 17 characters, it is very difficult to decode a VIN. You may search the internet for various services that will decode your VIN, or you may telephone / email your VIN to us for decoding. Our software decodes the make, model, year, engine size, and number of doors for almost any passenger vehicle. It will not decode a vehicle's transmission type, color, seat fabric, etc. in most cases. There is no charge for decoding your VIN.

Rates vary by part size, part weight, distance shipped, and urgency. If you have a good idea what your part weighs and how you'd like it shipped, log on to your preferred shipper's website and input your information and our zip code (21205). If your weight / size estimate is close, you'll have a general idea of cost. Alternately, you could call or email us. Our sales staff has several decades of experience and can usually get within a few dollars of actual charges just from memory. A salesperson can also make more definite calculations using one of several shipping program.

Contact us by phone or email to arrange payment and shipping. One of our customer service technicians will verify your order to insure our part interchanges with your vehicle. You'll get the part you need rather than paying for something that almost fits.

There is an industry short-hand which often uses Hollander Interchange numbers and abbreviations to describe options and conditions of parts. A Ford Taurus engine described as 3.0L,AT,FAC,C-125,O-55,WARM,GL,EXC.SHO,FWD, for example, is a 3.0 liter engine from a car with an automatic transmission and factory air conditioning. The compression averaged 125 pounds, the oil pressure 55 pounds, and it was a warm check, meaning the engine was operational. The trim package of this Taurus is a GL, not a Taurus SHO, and it was a front-wheel drive. One might also see GRN, BLU, ORNG (for green, blue, or orange), or part numbers, as in LESS 128 (without the side-view mirror), PAIR W-591 (both--usually air