You have 30 days to return uninstalled parts in original condition, return shipping is on us, and there is no restocking fee. If anything arrives damaged or defective, you are fully protected. Here is exactly how it works.
The 30-Day Return Window
Most items may be returned within 30 days of delivery, provided the part is uninstalled, unused, and in its original condition and packaging. Thirty days gives you real time to receive the unit, compare it against your vehicle’s specs, confirm the fitment with your installer, and change your mind if the job changes.
Why uninstalled? Once a drivetrain unit has been bolted in, run, or partially disassembled, it can no longer be sold as the remanufactured or new unit you received, which is why installation is the line between a free, easy return and a warranty conversation. If you have any doubt about fitment, keep the unit uninstalled and email us first. We would much rather check a casting number with you than process a return.
What Qualifies for a Return
The item is uninstalled and unused, with no signs of mounting, fluids, or disassembly.
It is in its original condition and packaging, with all included components, hardware, and paperwork.
The return is started within 30 days of the delivery date.
You have your order number (this is your proof of purchase; no paper receipt needed).
How to Start a Return
Email us. Send your order number and the item you want to return to sales@steelbayautomotivesupply.com. A sentence on the reason helps us improve, but you do not need to justify a return inside the 30-day window.
Receive your return authorization. We reply with a return authorization and step-by-step instructions, including the return address and packaging guidance for your specific item.
Pack it the way it arrived. Use the original packaging where possible. For freight-size units, secure the item to the pallet and wrap it the same way it was delivered.
Ship it back at no cost to you. We provide a prepaid return label for parcel-size items or arrange the freight pickup for palletized units. You do not pay return shipping on eligible returns.
Please do not ship anything back without a return authorization. Unauthorized returns can arrive at the wrong dock and delay your refund.
Return Shipping Is Free
Return shipping on eligible returns is covered by us. Parcel items get a prepaid label; freight items get a scheduled carrier pickup that we arrange and pay for. A returns process that quietly charges you sixty dollars of return freight is not a real returns process, so we do not do that.
No Restocking Fee
There is no restocking fee on eligible uninstalled returns in original condition. The refund you receive is the amount you paid. Items that come back showing signs of installation, use, disassembly, or damage are a different situation: they may be refused or refunded at a reduced amount, because they can no longer be sold as the product you bought.
Refunds
Once your return arrives, we inspect it and issue the refund to your original payment method, typically within 5 to 10 business days of receiving the item. You will get an email at each step: when the return arrives, when it passes inspection, and when the refund is released. After we release a refund, your bank or card issuer controls the final posting time, which is usually a few additional business days.
Core Charges, Explained
Many remanufactured drivetrain units carry a refundable core charge. The core is your old unit, the rebuildable engine, transmission, transfer case, or differential coming out of the vehicle, and the core charge is simply a deposit that comes back to you when the old unit is returned.
The core charge amount is stated on the product page before you buy, so it is never a surprise.
When your old core comes back in rebuildable condition, the core charge is refunded in full.
To qualify, cores must be drained of fluids and reasonably complete and intact (a seized unit is fine; a unit missing major castings is not).
Core return instructions ship with your order, and we help arrange the core’s trip back.
Core refunds are separate from product refunds: returning a core does not use your 30-day product return window, and the timing for your core refund is set out in the instructions on your specific product page and paperwork.
Damaged, Defective, or Not as Described
These situations sit outside the normal return rules, and they are always resolved at no cost to you:
Arrived damaged: note the damage on the delivery receipt, photograph it, and report it within 48 hours of delivery so we can file the carrier claim. We replace or refund; the freight fight is ours, not yours.
Defective in service: if a unit fails within its warranty period, it is handled under the warranty terms confirmed for that unit at the time of sale. See Warranty Information.
Wrong item or not as described: if what arrived does not match what you ordered, tell us right away. We correct our own mistakes immediately, with return shipping and replacement shipping both on us.
You are never stuck with a bad part. That is the whole point of buying from a supplier instead of a salvage-yard gamble.
What Cannot Be Returned
Parts that have been installed, used, or modified (these move to the warranty process where applicable).
Items returned without original packaging or with missing components.
Special-order items clearly noted as non-returnable on the product page.
Returns started more than 30 days after delivery.
Exchanges
The fastest way to swap a part is a return plus a new order: start the return on the original item and place a fresh order for the correct one, so the right unit ships without waiting on the return to travel back. If you would rather we handle it as a single swap, email us and we will set it up.
Cancellations
Orders can be cancelled free of charge any time before they ship, with a full refund including any core charge. Once the order is with the carrier, it falls under this returns policy instead.
Questions?
Not sure whether your item qualifies, or whether the unit you received matches your application? Email sales@steelbayautomotivesupply.com before you install anything. We would rather help you get it right than have you guess.
Steel Bay Automotive Supply, 3205 NE 4th St, Renton, WA 98056.
