Anyone know the difference between...

[HAL9000]

I had to replace the alternator on my car yesterday and when I went to pick one up, I was expecting to be asked if I wanted new or rebuilt (remanufactured). This is when they tossed me for a loop and asked if I wanted new, rebuilt or recycled. The guy didn't really know what the difference was between the rebuilt and recycled after telling me that they both have new parts inside them. So what the heck is the difference?

Not that it matters anyway.... the pricing on them was as follows;

recycled with a 1 year warranty $239
rebuilt with a 3 year warranty $229
new with a lifetime warranty $219

Not too hard to pick out which one I went with.

[mbossman2]

maybe recycled means: pulled out, tested, it works and boxed up.

why they are more expensive than new ones is a mystery.

[HAL9000]

That's what I kinda figured that maybe these were pulled out of like new wrecks or something so they have low miles and such... I think the guy at the counter was clueless.

[blue60007]

Too bad cars and other things don't have the same pricing scheme...

[EzyStvy]

Quick search found this:

This topic covers retailers of RECYCLED & RECONDITIONED car parts sometimes called preloved parts or spares. Some retailers will include 2nd hand vehicle parts that have not been reconditioned but are in good working order. Many outlets listed here can offer quality remanufactured and serviced engine parts for a wide range of vehicles.

[hitchface]

No joke, eh? QX6700....$119.00

[Force Flow]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 recycled with a 1 year warranty $239 rebuilt with a 3 year warranty $229 new with a lifetime warranty $219

The pricing makes no sense to me.

[HAL9000]

Me either, but who's to argue?

[kstatefan40]

That's interesting. My only assumption would be they come from different suppilers, so if they run out of new parts, they can sell the reconditioned ones. The difference? Who knows!

[blue60007]

Originally Posted by HAL9000 Me either, but who's to argue?

Were you shown/told the prices upfront? Maybe they figure folks'll go for the used stuff thinking it'll be cheaper!

[HAL9000]

I was right at the counter looking at the part numbers and prices as he brought it up on his monitor.

[Kuch]

So what the heck is the difference?

Between rebuilt and recycled? I'd say $10.

[Brad the best]

Originally Posted by Kuch Between rebuilt and recycled? I'd say $10.

hahaha ,well its good wording because some environmental nut will go ooo recycled im saving the environment . maybe some parts are used , i don't know why you would want used parts . even though the rebuilt one is usually everything new except for the case , so also recycled ? ahhh maybe they melt everything down and recast it, hahahaha i laugh in hopes thats not true .

rebuilt are usually 10$ cheaper then new . thats strange , i usually buy the new one anyway even if it is 10$ more . or fix mine but i have an endless supply of parts .

[TwoRails]

Other than I know it's not a Ford, what are you driving now, HAL9000? I'm curious as, yes, those prices make no sense to me. You must have a rare bread of vehicle. When I use to work in an alternator rebuild shop, junk yard units (now nicely called recycled) where not tested and were just a fraction of a "reman" unit (or even just the price of a six-pack ). New was typically double to 3x the price of a reman and found at the dealer. If you vehcile is rare then there should be only one source for "new" units: the dealer. Common items like water pumps and the like can have new sources other than dealers.

[HAL9000]

My car is hardly rare.. it falls under the bellybutton category.. 1999 Sunfire GT... had it for almost 6 years now.

[juppy]

I don't think whoever does the pricing of parts actually stops to check what the difference is sometimes. We've had the same situation with our lawnmower. The dealer (John Deere) has two different blades that will fit our model.....plain straight blades or mulch blades. Now maybe I'm missing something here, but I would *think* the mulch blades should be a little higher priced, since they have the extra bends put in them to give them that extra lift for the mulching effect, right? Nope. Straight blades are $28, mulch blades are $22. Why they charge $6 less for a blade that should be harder to make, I have no idea.

[HAL9000]

LOL.. I had the same thing replacing the blade on my mower this spring..

[glc]

The mulch blade may be cheaper, but the mower shop charges more to sharpen it.

[TwoRails]

For giggles, I checked locally for pricing. For remans, depending which alt you want, they go for $113 for the regular to $204 USD for the "premium" and a total of 4 within that price range to choose from. They also had 2 new units, both around $200 USD. That was from NAPA auto parts.

[juppy]

Originally Posted by glc The mulch blade may be cheaper, but the mower shop charges more to sharpen it.

Well, that *would* make sense, moreso than the original pricing. I didn't know that though.....we just sharpen our own blades with the ol' bench grinder.

[HAL9000]

Same here..