My uncle's shop in Phoenix still uses lead wheel weights and I just found out they're banned in 15 states

I read the actual EPA ruling from 2009 and it only phased them out for NEW cars, so existing stock is totally legal to use. Has anyone else run into this weird gray area with old supplies?

3 comments

3 Comments

patricia322d ago

My cousin's garage had the same issue with old asbestos brake pads. They were legal to sell from existing stock for years after the ban. Felt weird seeing them on the shelf. The law always seems to play catch-up with what's actually in the supply chain. Leaves you in a tough spot trying to do the right thing.

troyknight2d ago

Yeah but I gotta disagree with you there, patricia32. The law playing catch-up is exactly why we need those grace periods. If they made every old part illegal overnight, you'd have mechanics stuck with worthless inventory and no way to fix some older cars. The tough spot comes from the asbestos itself, not the timeline for phasing it out.

fionam112d ago

Grace periods make sense, but patricia32's point about seeing banned parts on shelves still feels wrong, doesn't it?