True enough, but on the other hand the automotively naive customer can take it to a knowledgeable friend, or at least have another mechanic look at it. Either way, though, it’s post facto and I don’t see how it does much practical good if any. Perhaps it’s exactly because the average car owner isn’t terribly savvy about what goes on under the hood that the law exists–IOW to reassure people that they do have some recourse and that the industry is sufficiently regulated.
Like I said the auto repair laws in California protect both the consumer and the shop. While you may find this hard to believe customers lie. A lot. Also often. Did I mention that customers have been known to lie?
Having a signed repair order with a written estimate on it cuts the bullshit way down from my side of the counter.
As for core charges for new items - they may be taking a page from the laserprinter manufacturers who give you a free return/recycle label to return the old catridge to them; they just want to be sure you are not selling it to an aftermarket refiller who will undercut their “new” price… especially if it’s an OEM factory core.
Alternators, for example -IANAM, but I read once that basically, 9 times out of 10 the diodes died. The wiring is fine. Replace the bearings and diodes, and give it a good cleaning, and presto! Factory-new alternator. Starter - usually IIRC it’s the solenoid, unless the bozo kept cranking while boosted until the wiring burned.
It’s my understanding that core charges exist not for rebuilding per se, but simply to encourage recycling. It’s about keeping them out of landfills, and the rebuilding is just a consequence of that. I know Stoney’s beer will pay you for a case of empty bottles, so the vendor charges you a deposit and will give it back when you trade in your case. Same principle.
“Trust everbody, but cut the deck.”
There is nothing unreasonable about asking for your old parts because they’re your parts. They don’t stop being your parts just because you purchase new ones. (core charges may be applied of course)
When you move, or your previous trusted mechanic closes or retires, you have to take your car to somewhere untrusted if you don’t know how to fix it yourself. (Or even if you know how but aren’t physically capable, or don’t have the necessary equipment.) So none of this “why take it there if you don’t trust them” stuff is reasonable.
My current mechanics don’t give me parts back, I trust them because I’ve taken cars there for over a decade and they have done a good job the entire time.
The ones I had before (when I lived in a different location) always wanted to show me what they’d done and the old parts. It was educational, and I enjoyed it, but I didn’t feel it was necessary. Seemed they liked showing off their work and expertise, and their enthusiasm was fun to be around. They were more proactive about replacing and upgrading, so the car service cost more, but my car never broke down, and no repair ever had to be made twice. I also learned quite a lot about how cars work.
No one’s ever been able to fix the air conditioning in one of my cars, though. It works a little, but on hot days it stops working enough after about 20 minutes of driving. Had 3 places who did work that didn’t fix the problem. My trusted place just told me they couldn’t find the problem, and didn’t charge me. Yet another reason to trust them. They may not be able to fix it (I’m betting the old place could’ve, but I don’t know that they’re even still around or as good anymore, and they’re 600 miles away also) but they know what they can’t fix. They don’t do some useless expensive replacement that is no repair at all.
I don’t really think there’s that many dishonest mechanics in terms of out and out scamming their customers. I do think there’s quite a few that just can’t figure out what’s wrong and would rather guess and charge you for the guess than just tell you they don’t know and have wasted their time trying to figure it out. I’d rather one who’s extra smart and insightful (hence can always figure out what’s wrong, like my previous place) or who’s just plain common sensical (hence admits what they don’t know like my current mechanics). An “optimistic” mechanic can really cost you tons of wasted money while being perfectly honest and doing their best. It’s also reasonable not to trust them.
While that may be true for other goods, the rebuilding of auto part cores into salable rebuilt units has been going on for a century or so and far precedes any concern about recycling and landfills. The motivation has been to provide a significantly less expensive alternative to brand new parts. The fact that it involves recycling is just a lucky secondary aspect for those who care about same. Tons of non-rebuildable parts don’t have core charges precisely because they can’t be feasibly rebuilt. They’ll either end up in a landfill or be recycled as, say, scrap metal, but certainly not due to any core charges.
I worked in the car business for many years and can certainly “say what it is”, but I am OLD and TIRED and do not want to work on my own car any more! So, yeah I might want to see the old parts. So it’s not only the poeple who work on their own cars who want to see the parts. As far as trust goes, though, if you really don’t trust the shop you probably need to watch them take the part out of your car so you know for sure it’s your part. Or find a new mechanic.
Oh, yeah, as has already been stated, the laws in CA and other places are protection for both sides in this issue.
There are many other reasons a person may want to have the old parts. Wheels can have core charges, but an old wheel that is slightly bent makes a good spare. Other parts are worth more on ebay than the core charge. A York 210 air compressor is popular with offroaders because with a small tank, they’re capable of running air tools as well as a compressor at home. They can be worth $100 non working, fix it up and it can be worth $300. The clutch from one alone can be worth $60-80. Aluminum parts that would go in the trash can be worth $20 at a recycling center.
I’ve never seen a core charge on a wheel BTW.
I have seen core charges on new parts. Done for one of a couple of reasons. These are both on the dealer level and would not apply in the aftermarket.
- You have to build up a bank of rebuildable cores before you can start rebuilding, so new parts would come as a rebuilt with a core charge.
- Car maker is trying to keep cores out aftermarket to prevent shoddy rebuilts from appearing. I saw this on mass air flow sensors once. Aftermarket started selling “rebuilt” MAFs. They were not really rebuilt, just had a resistor installed to try and bring them back into range.
The car maker changed the part number to a rebuilt and slapped a core charge on that part. Part was still new, but sold as a rebuilt.
There is only one time when a rebuilt part cannot be installed in a car and that is when the car is brand new and has never been sold. Has to be a new part. This is a legal requirement.
New wheels from a dealer probably don’t have a core charge, but aftermarket suppliers like LKQ do, even for factory wheels they pulled out of a junkyard (or wherever they get their factory wheels).
That’s ok LKQ doesn’t pick up their damn cores about half the time. -
Don’t think I’ve ever bought a wheel from them.
In any event that is a used part not a rebuilt.
I do the same thing. I used to work on cars in my youth, my own and for a living. Then just my own, now unless I know I can save a lot of money on a fairly easy repair I take it to a shop. Also modern cars have become so reliable that my trips are very few & far between. I also have more than one shop that I trust. And crooked repair shops are definitely the exception not the rule. Repeat business is the lifeblood of any car repair shop and you simply won’t get any if you rip people off.