"Core" is an auto parts industry term that designates the part you are taking off of the vehicle when installing the new one. There are "New" parts and "Rebuilt" parts. Rebuilt parts are an old school form of recycling. The highest cost associated with many parts is the core materials used to form the case or base the actual auto part is constructed of.
Consider the alternator pictured above. The outside, heavy duty metal that houses all of the internal electrical components can be cleaned, sand blasted and made to be like new much cheaper than creating a new housing out of raw materials. As such, the manufacturers would prefer that you return your old unit so they can rebuild another unit using that case. Every working piece of the rebuilt unit is brand new, but it can be sold for less because of the efficient use of materials gained by recycling the core.
The way that auto parts stores enable this process is by charging a penalty that typically equals an amount about the same as the difference between what a brand new case would cost and what the part can be rebuilt for. Many people would rather not be bothered with the return of the old core, but that is fine because the money paid up front and forfeited by not returning it will pay for a new case. We do suggest however that it is better for the environment and efficiency to get these parts back whenever possible.
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