Parts with core charge on them

[53' Stude]

I was wondering this the other day. Parts, like some headlights that have say a $100 core charge on them; what happens to the old headlight? Same with aluminum wheels; if a aluminum wheel has a crack and nasty bend in it; what does the parts place do with that wheel?


Thank You all in advance

 

[HankHill]

Headlights get a new lens on them and are resold. Aluminum wheels are refurbished and straightened, and as someone who's purchased a refurbed wheel, they do KINDA a decent job. My re-furbed wheel took a lot of weight to balance.. Sold car a few months later..
Headlight I purchased had glue marks around the lens that was not there from the factory.

 

[atikovi]

if a aluminum wheel has a crack and nasty bend in it; what does the parts place do with that wheel?

That's 80 cents a pound at the scrap yard.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

They send it back to the remanufacturer, who assigned the core charge in the first place.

 

[97prizm]

A friend of mines Ex father in-law had the high pressure fuel injectors replaced on his F-350. He then later found out there was a core charge. The repair shop was making a chunk of their money back on returning the used injectors.

 

[dishdude]

A friend of mines Ex father in-law had the high pressure fuel injectors replaced on his F-350. He then later found out there was a core charge. The repair shop was making a chunk of their money back on returning the used injectors.

Shops typically don't factor the core deposit into pricing unless the core is destroyed and can't be returned.

 

[01rangerxl]

Are you talking about OE body parts?

Not all manufacturers do it, but GM does a lot for some reason. My guess is to keep it away from LKQ/Keystone, but I've never had LKQ/Keystone ask me for smashed up junk? We don't even have to provide GM with the part, just keep whatever pieces of it we have, and scrap it when they tell us to. We have a bunch of pieces of bumper covers in the back with part labels on them.

I hate it, more silly hoops to jump through and just another reason I turn most GM collision customers away/refer to a larger dealer. Makes it not worth my time.

One good thing about Hyundai/Kia, they only do non-warranty cores on stuff they will actually rebuild.

 

[Donald]

I like the core charge for older brake calipers where the shipping to send it back to RA is more than the core.

 

[clinebarger]

Some core charges make zero sense..... Like a core on a destroyed Chrysler Hemi Camshaft....I don't see anyway to repair a cast iron cam core?

 

[bdcardinal]

Ford had them on a bunch of parts. It was to keep them out of LKQ/Keystone. They would destroy the old parts. Thankfully that is over, lost count of how many body shops unplugged their brain and tossed the packaging. FWIW with a core, if there is no packaging then the core is worthless.

 

[Owen Lucas]

Ford had them on a bunch of parts. It was to keep them out of LKQ/Keystone. They would destroy the old parts. Thankfully that is over, lost count of how many body shops unplugged their brain and tossed the packaging. FWIW with a core, if there is no packaging then the core is worthless.

OEMs do not want to compete with aftermarket rebuilders like RPW headlights or LKQ plastic welding a torn in half bumpers or resurfacing scratched wheels. I've seen core charges more expensive than the replacement part though, those are head scratchers.

 

[doublebase]

It’s not so much one particular core item condition, it’s all of them. If 20 cores are returned and 15 of them a rebuildable, it’s a win for them. And there is the whole scrap metal game as well.

 

[53' Stude]

Thank You gentlemen for the info and replies

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Remanufactured into the part you replaced? For example whenever I start fantasizing about having an LSD and I'll go peruse Diffsonline They use your core differential to make another LSD.

 

[Kestas]

I once replaced a part that had a $1.40 core charge. I asked the guy why it had such a trivial core charge. He mentioned supply and demand of rebuildable cores.

 

[PF52]

It’s not so much one particular core item condition, it’s all of them. If 20 cores are returned and 15 of them a rebuildable, it’s a win for them. And there is the whole scrap metal game as well.

This, absolutely. The core charge isn't based on guesswork; it is a real dollar amount that still returns them a bit of profit even when those five that were unsuitable are sent to the scrapper. A formula.

 

[DuckRyder]

A more recent development is the use of core charges to discourage rebuilding or to discourage the installation of higher line parts on more plebeian models.

Mercedes - I believe practices this on bumpers and some AMG parts...

 

[53' Stude]

A more recent development is the use of core charges to discourage rebuilding or to discourage the installation of higher line parts on more plebeian models.

Mercedes - I believe practices this on bumpers and some AMG parts...

I remember a long while ago; the cobalts had core charges on headlights. Although Cobalt headlights were garbage to begin with and always seemed to fail often.


Thanks for the info Robert

 

[bdcardinal]

Our wheels still have cores. People come in wanting wheels and have the first heart attack hearing they are $1,000-1,500 and up, and then they have to pay $100-250 per wheel as a core that they won't get back because we have to return like for like. The biggest quote I gave for wheels was around $35,000 for GT-350R carbon wheels, they said no obviously.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

So apparently, some OEMs are jealous that someone will rebuild them. What are they afraid of?

Ford doing it isn't surprising since they don't even like to disclose their suppliers, even though everybody else does.