Golf cart battery core charge?

Dad had the six batteries replaced in his EZ-GO golf cart a month ago or so. He took it to a fairly good sized dealer who supplies rental carts to golf courses and shows, and delivers them with a semi just to give you an idea of the size of this business.

Anyway, the dealer charged him $50 for disposal of his six old batteries. He was complaining about it to me, but he complains about cent he spends so I let it go in one ear and out the other.

Fast forward a month. Today I bought six new batteries at O'Reillys for my EZ-GO. The price I paid for the batteries was about what dad paid the dealer's but O'Reillys PAID ME $115 for my old batteries.

Is this normal for a golf cart dealer to charge for battery disposal when the auto parts dealer in another town gives money back? Does O'Reilly's have a better outlet for the old ones because of their size? Is it more bother for the golf cart dealer to handle them or does the dealer have to pay a disposal fee to get rid of them? Or is the dealer just making a little extra money off an old man who can't change them himself?

Another question-the date tags weren't marked on my old batteries. They were Interstates. The only other markings we saw on the batteries was '003' melted into the top of the case. The manager at O'reillys was pretty sure the numbers meant manufactured in 2003. If so, those babies lasted a long time. Do any of you guys know if this '003' number could be the date or is it something else. All six batteries had this number on them. Jim

I don't know how much it varies by state and region.
I just brought two-dozen old batteries to the
scrapyard here in central NY. They paid me $7.50
each for them.

The dealer your dad went to "saw him coming", as the old saying goes. Core or disposal charge used to be routine, now most auto parts places just pay you $4 for the old battery. He could have just asked for them back, but they may have been too big for him (or his vehicle) to handle.

Normal size battery is worth about 8 to 10 bucks at recycling centers, and bigger batteries are more. $115 for 6 seems like a lot, but OReilly's is a big outfit, and should know what they're doing.

I went to napa last week and bought a battery for a 4000 older ford tractor, and the core charge was $22.00. Got a different battery at carquest yesterday, core charge was $18.00. Used to be just bring in an old battery or $5.00 and go.

The NAPA store I frequent charges for cores until you bring in your old one, then you get a full core charge refund. Or if you bring in the old one when you buy a new one there is no core charge. Recently a guy came into the NAPA store, asked if they'd take old car batteries (yes), he brought them in, turned to leave, the counter man said "wait, you get money for those". I like to deal with honest people!

Around here scrap yards pay at least $10 for a battery, more
for the bigger ones

Several recessions ago (read about 30 years) I used to collect old batteries from people too lazy to turn them in. I got $5 each at the scrap yard. That's probably like $15 to 20 now.

Price of lead batteries here in Winnipeg is 32 cents a pound. Average car battery is 40 pounds so about $12 a piece. I used to find batteries all the time 6, 7 years ago when they were $3 a piece, never see them laying around now! To buy a new car battery at most stores here they charge you $15 or you turn your old one in.

Your father got taken! Car batteries are wort $9-11 at walmart,
golf batteries are worth more, as bummer makes lead a precious
metal!

Make that 8 bucks.

i know interstate brings batterys with 3 year old dates so if he has to adjust then there outa date i do think ther the best ones on the market then he wants a old one for a core no discount for it

If both dad and I would have known then what we know now I would have had him bring his cart to the farm for me to do the battery work. I guess we chalk it up to experience. Jim

The dealer charged you for taking your batteries
and sold your old cores for about $20.00 each. He made about $180-200.00 off that deal. He sounds like a guy you need to avoid. People will steal golf cart batteries to sell for the lead out of them. I
work at a local golf course and if we don't have a
core to go back, the dealer charges us from
$20.00-$23.00 depending on the lead prices the
battery makers charge them. Right now they are at
about $20.00 each. Interstate is a pretty decent
battery for automotive use,but are not too hot for
golf cart uses. They are made in Mexico.
Trojan,U.S.Battery and Crown make much better
batteries for golf cart use. It is pretty much a
toss up between the three makers. Price is
usually the deciding factor for those three at the
present for us.

Gene thanks for the info. I had a choice between Interstate and their brand. He was talking up their brand over Interstate and was rattling off who made their batteries but my feeble memory can't come up with the name he mentioned. IF those numbers stamped in the top of the batteries (003) really does mean 2003, then the old Interstates lasted a very long time, but I don't know the history of this cart past last spring to know how they were taken care of. Jim

I"m guessing the golf cart place is used to dealing with "moneyed" folks who LIKE to pay for "convenience".

The O"Reilly"s perhaps deals with a more frugal clientele???

Did they use Vaseline or just straight? You may have to chalk it up to experience at this time, but I would go have a serious talk with the guy and let him know in no uncertain terms how I felt! I used to stand still for such as that, but after a few times I said, No more!

Just bought a small batter for my Cub Cadet at TSC, $10 core charge. Sorry, sounds like Dad got taken.

How badly he got "taken" depends on what he paid for the batteries vs. what you could buy them for elsewhere.

Yeah, he TECHNICALLY got "taken" but if he paid $5 less per battery, then it's a financial wash and not worth getting upset over.

(quoted from post at 07:50:39 10/10/13) How badly he got "taken" depends on what he paid for the batteries vs. what you could buy them for elsewhere.

Yeah, he TECHNICALLY got "taken" but if he paid $5 less per battery, then it's a financial wash and not worth getting upset over.

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I have a gas cart. I know from going to several cart dealers and shopping online that the cart dealers charge a lot more for the same parts. So I would expect the dealer most likely charged more for the batteries too.

Rick