Core Charges Explained

Many people in the car world may already know the terms “core” and “core charge”, but they aren’t very common in the motorcycle world unless you are dealing with ECUs and other race-specific items. But I’m here to help clear things up.

Think of a Core Charge as a deposit that you can get back if you send in your original part that is being replaced. Core Charges often apply to items that have a recyclable component that can be re-manufactured and resold.

Here’s how it works:
– The item you’re purchasing contains a component that is recyclable.
– The Core Charge is charged at the time of the purchase.
– When the recyclable component is returned to us and we determine it to be usable after our thorough inspection, the Core Charge is refunded to you.

For instance, if you are purchasing our TST WORX ECU Tune, you can select to pay the Core Charge and be shipped one of our “core” ECUs that we have in stock. Once you receive your new ECU, you then remove your OEM ECU and send it back to us to receive your Core Charge refund. Stock levels vary so we won’t always have the appropriate type ECU for core exchange. In that case, it will be necessary to send your ECU in for the flash service.

When shipping your original item back, there are few things keep in mind:
– The component MUST be the original OEM part – aftermarket parts are not accepted.
– The component MUST be free of any damage, debris, contamination, non-OEM parts / software, or modified in any way.
– An ECU must not be previously flashed, or be flashed with FTECU. Technologies other than FTECU cannot be overwritten and we cannot accept such cores.
– In order to accept an ECU for a core charge refund, the ECU part number must match that of the ordered ECU. Non-matching part numbers will not be accepted.
– It is your responsibility to ship the component back to TST Industries – we do not provide pre-paid shipping labels for core returns.
– You MUST include your original packing slip with the core.
– If a core does not meet any of the above stated rules, it will not be accepted as eligible for core charge return and will NOT be returned unless you pay for shipping the component back to your address.

Easy, right? If you still aren’t clear on what a Core Charge is or how it’s being applied to the TST product you’re looking at, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to help!

About Robert Callahan
I ride a 2013 Honda CBR600RR and 2022 Honda Grom...oh and I do some marketing stuff, too.

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