Crest Auto Truck & Equipment at 640 Joe Frank Harris Parkway Southeast, Cartersville, Georgia.

Huge selection of high-quality inventory, great prices and awesome staff!

My husband and I own a repair shop and we specialize in high-quality affordable repairs, which means a lot of the time we are using salvage yard parts because the customer can’t afford/doesn’t want to buy new. The search for quality used parts is the most time consuming part of my job, and if you’ve ever had to deal with a junkyard before, you probably already know that it can be a frustrating experience. Car makers can and do change parts literally ALL THE TIME, sometimes even in the middle of the model year, and it can be a huge setback for us time-wise if we are given the wrong part, so dealing with knowledgeable vendors is essential for me.

There are probably no less than 10 salvage yards within a 10 mile radius of our shop, and Crest is by far our favorite place for truck parts (***Be aware they only do truck parts, NO CARS***). The yard is ginormous, the staff, especially Brian, is awesome, the owner is very hands-on and usually always on site if you ever need him (though we never have), and their selection is second to none. Not only do they have a huge inventory, the vehicles they have are actually very high quality—no junk at this junkyard! We have always been able to find even the most obscure parts at Crest, and they are the only ones around that have a large selection of heavy duty and commercial parts that we have needed not just for customers but for our own truck as well. Their prices are usually better than the competition and they’ve always been willing to negotiate if I’ve found something somewhere else for a lower price. Plus, everyone there is always laughing and in good spirits, which is NOT very common at salvage yards—this is one of those little things that is actually a Big Thing to me—it makes all the difference in the world when you’re constantly dealing with short attitudes and inpatient personalities.

I’ve read many of the other comments in regards to the ‘customer service’ that some have received here and, while I’ve never experienced anything negative from the staff, as many salvage yards as I’ve dealt with, I can certainly believe some of the reviews. As I said before, it can be frustrating to be on my side of the business, but I can also definitely see how it can be just as frustrating to be on the other side.

The average customer probably *thinks* they know exactly what they need, but trust me, the staff at the salvage yards know better than we do. The worst thing I see happen is someone calling in and TELLING the person on the phone what they need without going through the process of narrowing it down by vehicle specs. The staff do this all day, every day, and their computer systems—which are vast and extremely accurate—show the correct part based on the information you give them. My best advice would be to make sure BEFORE you call any salvage yard that you know as much about your vehicle as possible (i.e. EXACT year/make/model, engine size—VERY IMPORTANT, trim—is it an XL or an XLT for example, is it 2 wheel drive or 4 wheel drive, auto or manual, if you need a part for your brake system you should know if your vehicle has options like traction control, etc.). This information can usually be found in your owner’s manual or by simply typing your VIN in Google. Every piece of info you can give, no matter how irrelevant it may seem, will help in your search because, like I said earlier, car makers change parts all the time, and the best way to assure you get the part you need is to know exactly what you’ve got to put it on. And then just let these guys handle the rest—that’s what they do day in and day out, and they’re pretty good at it if you give them the chance!

All in all, Crest gets a top rating from me because they are the best at what they do and they’ve always made a potentially frustrating experience a relatively pleasant one for us with quality parts, a great selection, the best prices, and a knowledgeable staff that will go the extra mile for you if you give them the chance. Highly recommend.