Before you ship: agreement first
No core should be shipped before the return is agreed in writing. The agreement should state the model codes and quantities of the cores to be returned, the core acceptance criteria, the terms that apply if a core fails inspection, the packing required for shipment, the destination, and the timing of the return relative to the remanufacturing order. A core shipped without that agreement arrives as an unidentified unit with unknown terms, and any question about its condition or its handling becomes a dispute about what was agreed, rather than a check against an agreement. Please confirm the core acceptance criteria and the core return terms before shipping a core, and keep a copy of the agreement with the shipment paperwork.
Preparing a core for return
Preparation begins with identification. Record the transmission model code for each core, and mark or label the core so that it can be matched to that record on arrival. Note any visible condition that the receiver should know about, such as housing damage or missing parts, because a condition noted at dispatch can be distinguished from damage in transit, while a condition noted only on arrival cannot. Drain and protect the core as the agreed packing requires, and secure loose parts so that they travel with the core rather than separately. Preparation that seems minor at dispatch saves the most time on arrival, because an unidentified or unprotected core must be held for clarification before it can enter inspection.
Packing and shipping a core
Pack the core so that it is protected against movement, moisture, and handling damage in transit, using the packing agreed for the return. Where the return uses wooden crating, confirm the crating and protection required before packing, rather than assuming that the packing used for a finished unit applies unchanged to a core. Label the shipment with the model codes, quantities, and return reference agreed for the order, so that the receiver can match the shipment to the agreement without opening every crate. Confirm the shipment arrangement and the destination in writing, and keep the shipment documentation with the order paperwork, so that the movement of the core can be traced if a question arises.
Inspection and reporting on arrival
On arrival, the core is inspected for housing cracks, structural damage, and severe internal faults, which is the same incoming inspection that decides whether a unit enters the remanufacturing process. Cores that pass enter full teardown, where parts are classified, registered, and numbered. The buyer should confirm how the arrival inspection will be reported: what will be reported, to whom, and within what arrangement, so that the buyer is not left waiting for a result that has already been decided. Where a core fails inspection, the agreed failed-core terms apply, and the buyer should receive a clear statement of the failure and the term that follows from it. Where a core passes, the buyer should receive confirmation that it has entered the process, so that the return can be closed in the buyer's records.
Common core return problems, and how to avoid them
The most common problems are unidentified cores, cores shipped without an agreement, cores damaged in transit through inadequate packing, and cores whose failure on arrival is disputed because no condition was recorded at dispatch. Each of these problems is avoidable by the steps in this guide: agree first, identify each core, record its condition at dispatch, pack to the agreed standard, label the shipment to the agreement, and confirm the reporting arrangement. A buyer who follows those steps will rarely need to dispute a core return, because the agreement, the identification, and the condition record together answer the questions that disputes usually raise.
Confirm before you ship
- Please confirm the core model codes, quantities, acceptance criteria, and return terms in writing.
- Please confirm the packing, the shipment arrangement, and the destination for the return.
- Please confirm how the arrival inspection will be reported.
- Please confirm what applies if a core fails inspection, before shipping.
- Please confirm the timing of the return relative to the remanufacturing order.
Related pages
Transmission core explains the core service. Used core inspection explains the inspection itself. Rebuilt transmission exchange explains the exchange arrangement.