The old part initially belongs to the vehicle owner
A removed part remains the property of the vehicle owner unless agreed otherwise. The customer may take it along, and many workshops say so in their terms. If the customer does not take the part, in practice it passes into the workshop's control, which disposes of it, returns it or sells it.
The clean solution is one sentence in the order: old parts not taken by the customer on collection remain with the workshop.
Deposit parts: the return comes first
If an exchange part was fitted with a core deposit, the old part is earmarked for the return. The workshop paid the deposit and only gets it back against the old part. If the customer takes the old part, the workshop is left with the deposit unless it has charged it on.
That is why the customer invoice should either show the deposit as a line or state that the old part stays with the workshop.
When no deposit scheme fits
Many old parts fit no programme: the deadline has passed, the part comes from a different manufacturer than the exchange part, or the new part was bought without a deposit. These parts are not scrap. Steering gears, turbochargers, starters, alternators and brake calipers have a value as cores well above the metal price.
That is what core brokers such as STP-Parts are for: we buy regardless of deposit schemes, single units or collected lots, and supply the parts to remanufacturers.
How a workshop turns old parts into money
Collect old parts by type in mesh boxes, drain oil, close the ports.
Keep a list with part type, manufacturer, part number and quantity; a photo of the type plate is enough.
Send the list, receive an offer per line, collection from pallet quantity.
What should not be sold
- Parts still within a running deposit deadline: return them first, that pays more
- Parts expressly promised to the customer
- Safety-relevant parts with documented accident damage while an assessment is pending
Frequently asked questions
May the workshop sell the old part without asking?
If the order states that old parts not taken along remain with the workshop, yes. Without that clause the workshop should ask the customer or put the note on the invoice.
Do I have to show the customer the old part?
A right to see it follows from the repair contract: the customer may check that the part was actually replaced. Many workshops therefore keep the old part ready until collection.
What is an old part worth?
It depends on part type, part number, condition and demand. Turbochargers, steering gears and EHPS pumps are at the top, starters and alternators in the middle. We value per unit, not by weight.