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PSA: The new auto parts store on Elm Street has a weird policy about core returns
I was at the new AutoZone on Elm Street yesterday, picking up a water pump for a 2012 Civic. I mean, the place is clean and the staff was nice, but when I went to do the core return, they told me they wouldn't take it unless it was bone dry and in the original box. I had to argue with the guy for like five minutes because the old pump had maybe a teaspoon of coolant still in it, and I'd thrown the box away when I did the swap in the lot. On one hand, I get they don't want a mess, but on the other, it feels like they're making it harder on purpose so people just eat the core charge. I've been to a dozen parts stores around here and never had this issue before. Has anyone else run into this kind of strict rule at a chain store, or is it just this location?
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schmidt.kim3mo ago
Used to think core charges were just a scam to get extra cash. Then my buddy who manages an O'Reilly's showed me their storage room. They had a whole pallet of wet, leaking cores that started to rust and were totally worthless. The supplier rejected the whole batch and the store ate the cost. Now I get why some places get super strict about it, even if it's a pain.
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milam423mo ago
My uncle's shop lost a whole shipment of alternator cores the same way. It really does change how you see those rules.
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the_aaron29d ago
Milan, that alternator core thing hits close to home. I've seen shops lose out because they didn't bag and tag cores right away (you gotta keep them dry and separated by type, or the supplier will reject the whole lot). Best piece of advice I can give is to mark the outside of each box with the date it came in and a quick note on its condition. Saved my buddy's garage from getting stuck with a pile of worthless scrap more than once.
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