I have received several questions about how the test canister / deposit thing works for the ABS Avalanche Airbags. I'm sure there are some dealers out there who do it a little different, but in general, here's how it works. If you have seen different, please post.
The canisters are compressed nitrogen. The handles contain a charge that punctures the canister and releases the compressed nitrogen into the airbags. If you have installed your canister in your airbag and did not fire the airbag, you can still remove the canister from the airbag. Never fire your handle without a canister installed, you could damage your airbag.
The price of the airbag usually includes 1 canister for you to keep and you pay a deposit for a test canister. (The deposit amount varies by dealer.) So when you get the airbag you should have 2 canisters; 1 for test and 1 to keep. Once you use 1 canister for test, return it to the dealer and you have usually have two choices. 1) receive your refund for your test canister or 2) apply the amount you paid for the test deposit toward a new canister. If the deposit amount you paid is less than the price of a new canister, then you will pay the difference between your deposit amount and the new canister price.
There are two "types" of canisters you will see out there. The black canisters are the "non-U.S." canisters and they are refillable. Therefore if you use the canister, it still has some value to you to turn in for a "core charge" credit. However, the black canisters are not DOT approved. The DOT-approved canister is silver and is not refillable. Therefore, most dealers will not give any $$$ back to you for returning it (unless it was your test canister).
As you can see, the canisters can get kind of confusing. That is why I am posting this to try and alleviate some of the confusion.
And just to add some more confusion to the mix: if you buy your airbag from SnowBigDeal and ever use it in an avalanche to save your life. Please take pictures and let us know. We have a form you can fill out, send us the pictures, and we will send you a replacement canister for free. No need to pay any extra just to save your life.
The canisters are compressed nitrogen. The handles contain a charge that punctures the canister and releases the compressed nitrogen into the airbags. If you have installed your canister in your airbag and did not fire the airbag, you can still remove the canister from the airbag. Never fire your handle without a canister installed, you could damage your airbag.
The price of the airbag usually includes 1 canister for you to keep and you pay a deposit for a test canister. (The deposit amount varies by dealer.) So when you get the airbag you should have 2 canisters; 1 for test and 1 to keep. Once you use 1 canister for test, return it to the dealer and you have usually have two choices. 1) receive your refund for your test canister or 2) apply the amount you paid for the test deposit toward a new canister. If the deposit amount you paid is less than the price of a new canister, then you will pay the difference between your deposit amount and the new canister price.
There are two "types" of canisters you will see out there. The black canisters are the "non-U.S." canisters and they are refillable. Therefore if you use the canister, it still has some value to you to turn in for a "core charge" credit. However, the black canisters are not DOT approved. The DOT-approved canister is silver and is not refillable. Therefore, most dealers will not give any $$$ back to you for returning it (unless it was your test canister).
As you can see, the canisters can get kind of confusing. That is why I am posting this to try and alleviate some of the confusion.
And just to add some more confusion to the mix: if you buy your airbag from SnowBigDeal and ever use it in an avalanche to save your life. Please take pictures and let us know. We have a form you can fill out, send us the pictures, and we will send you a replacement canister for free. No need to pay any extra just to save your life.
