I *wasn't* offered "paint protection" from the dealer!

S

svanderbilt

New member
Aww, man, I was so looking forward to being offered their perma-cote-plate-gard-whatever for some ludicrous amount of money. We went into the finance office and he had a pyramid of them on the floor.



So first I decline the extended warranties. Then I'm offered a service package which is supposed to include all scheduled maintanence for 4 years. It's more than $1,000.00. I decline. Later I go home and check the owners manual. For at least 5 years the most you need to do is replace the spark plugs. Everything else is merely change oil, change filter, check brake linings. What a potential ripoff.



Next up, the engine immobilizer. It's a keychain with some sort of egg-like piece of plastic. Within the plastic is a ball bearing you can hear rattle around. I'm told this engine immobilizer is already installed on the car. Supposedly this plastic egg is supposed to be within X number of feet of the car or it won't start. The rattling ball bearing is supposed to somehow disable the engine immobilizer. It's regularly $700 but a special will let me have it for $400. Doesn't the car already come with an alarm system? He says he doesn't know, and asks me if I know. I don't know either, but I'm pretty sure it does. He tells me it's already on the car, and they'll have to take it off if I don't want it. Okay, take it off.



So then I was ready for the paint protection package. But what? I wasn't offered it! So bummed. I guess he was getting disheartened by my refusal of everything else.



Interesting aside about the engine immobilizer. At no time after our conversation did he get on the phone, or in any other way inform anyone that we didn't want the engine immobilizer and that it needed to be removed. We left his office and went directly to the car. The Customer Service girl went over the car with us, and at no time did she mention this aftermarket immobilizer device. And voila! The engine started, even though I didn't have the egg-keychain. So basically I guess it's a $400 ball bearing in a plastic shell. I can't believe a dealer would lie to me;-)



What fun it is buying a new car!
 
Congrats on the new car! What did you get?



I had a pretty good finance guy when I bought my 4Runner. He had a checklist of all the accessories; extended warranty, simoniz teflon system, service plan, alarm system. Anyway, he just went down the list and checked "NO" on everything. I had asked my sales guy to remove the alarm since it was already installed and they wanted $500 for it. I told the finance guy I could get one for less than $200, hoping I could get him to give it to me at that price since I wanted one anyway and he just said the lowest he could offer it was for $300. I ended up having them take it out and I installed one by myself. My car buying experience was quite pleasant, got 1.9% financing too.



That's the first I've heard of an egg-keychain with an immobilizer...very interesting.
 
The "paint protection package" :rolleyes:



The dealerships out here offer the "Northwest Protection Package" which consists of a few squirts of scotch guard on the seats, (fabric or not) a squirt of undercoater in each fender well, and a quick application of body shine with a squirt bottle and a shop rag!



All for the low, low, everyday price of $1200 dollars, and that was 10 years ago, when I was working at a dealership. After I did one, I asked how much they were charging. Once I found out, I promptly quit, I wasn't about to be a part of ripping ppl off.



I could sell used cars if I hated ppl that much! lol
 
beau said:
So basically I guess it's a $400 ball bearing in a plastic shell. I can't believe a dealer would lie to me;-)



What fun it is buying a new car!
Click to expand...



Aren't they fun? Was in a highway dealer the other week, walking around in the lot, got accosted by a salesman, who I asked if they had any leftovers of a particular model. The salesman says they have one in the showroom, takes me inside to see it. These cars have no options, so I ask what they want for it. He has me sit down (instead of just answering me). Then he comes back with a form, wants to write down my info, just so I can find out how much they are knocking off the sticker as a leftover? I just got up and walked out, grumbling all the way back to my car about !@#$% highway dealers!
 
My experience was at a high volume Toyota dealer in Sacramento, California. My female friend needed a car, so I found the one she wanted, negotiated the price and accompanied her to finish the deal. Women going to a dealership alone is like chum in an ocean of sharks.



She ended up getting a Corolla LE which, I have to say, is a pretty nice car. Hell, even my Audi doesn't have tire pressure monitors! Her best friend just got a Civic sedan and bought the "protection package", which includes, as previously mentioned a few squirts of scotch guard on the seats.
 
beau said:
My experience was at a high volume Toyota dealer in Sacramento, California. My female friend needed a car, so I found the one she wanted, negotiated the price and accompanied her to finish the deal. Women going to a dealership alone is like chum in an ocean of sharks.
Click to expand...



I went with a female friend to the only local Hyundai dealer last year. Her $1000 beater had to go, so I also accompanied her in the interrogation...er, deal-closing room, where they proceeded to charge her $250 for the etched windows...not etched with the VIN, mind you, but with some number that is only known to some "protection" company with which it is registered. We said we didn't want that. "Sorry, it's already done, done to all the cars we have on our lot." So, dejectedly, she signed on the $250 line. Later, when we got home, we read the small print, which said we could have declined to pay for the etching, in which case, I guess, the protection/registration company pretends not to know you. She was still able to get an insurance discount for the etched windows by carefully wording her answer on the questionaire, even though the ins. co. really wanted the VIN etched on the windows.



The last minute high-pressure crap is really offensive to me. I try to stick to the little dealers, that are a little less offensive. But some makes, like Hyundai (and apparently Acura), are only sold through the high-volume dealers, with the Tony Soprano sales tactics. Not suggesting that there is any "organization" to the car dealers here in NJ, of course....
 
GSRstilez said:




When I pick up a new car someday, I am getting it with the shrink wrap still intact :D
Click to expand...



I'm in the process of tracking down some Rapgard from some new cars from a dealer, I'll see what, if anything I can do with it. I think it's likely it won't be suitable for the carthough.
 
Here in AZ the dealers call it the "desert protection package" ooohhhh, aaaahhh



The damn F&I guys are gettign to be worse then the sales guys...not only to they shove useless crap down your throat but then they try to make you feel like a moron for saying no.



When i bought my last truck they had Perma plate losted on the paoperwork and I refused it...."well, sire, we do that to every car on the lot" He was pissed when i said, I am not paying for soemthig i dont want and will gladly factopry order a truck or go to another dealer....The there was the tailgate lock - good bye.



I had to threaten to walk out twice before this a-hold understood I did not want any of his BS
 
FYI, it's against the law to tell a customer that they have to take a protection package "because it's already on the car". That is the same to me as when you pro detailers hear horror stories about the pro shops that hologram the daylights out of a car and then pronounce it "polished". Unfortunately, untrained and unethical practitioners give those of us who do it right a long uphill battle every day at work, in every profession.



Rest assured, though, that those of us who take pride in practicing F&I the right way are out there, fighting to turn the entire industry around.



Tom Brenholts

F&I Manager, Fairway Motors



AFIP Certified

NADA Certified

SOA Certified

GMAC Council of Leaders

Society of Sales Professionals
 
Mosca, no offense to you intended...I know in between all the scumbags there are a few of you that are commited to doing a good job and who are tru professionals
 
I bought a new car just last week (an '05 Audi S4) and the dealer offers a 5 year warranty on the tires and wheels against flats and nicks/scratches caused by low inflation (the car has an inflation warning system) potholes, etc. It was $350.



I must have spent $1000 on wheel repair on my last car. I live in "Pothole USA" and these tires are even lower profile. The dealer even said "Honestly, it's pretty much a no questions asked thing". Ding a wheel, say it's a pothole and bring it in. He says he gets "curbed" wheels all the time but they take them anyway.



I'm gonna get my moneys worth out of this!:cool:
 
kevmo327 said:
Mosca, no offense to you intended...I know in between all the scumbags there are a few of you that are commited to doing a good job and who are tru professionals
Click to expand...



Believe me, none taken. I know what goes on out there. A good friend of mine is in jail for things he did in the F&I office.



The funny thing is, it's not hard to do it the right way and still make money for yourself and the dealership. For every customer who can cover repairs 5 1/2 years out, there's another who is living paycheck to paycheck and could use a service contract. For every customer with $6000 down, there's another who is $3000 upside down and could use GAP coverage. For every customer with stellar credit, there's another who needs an advocate with the financial institution.



All the lying, cheating, and stealing is one thing: laziness. It's someont thinking that there's an easier way to do the job, rather than taking the time to fit the benefit to the customer's situation.





Tom
 
Problme is b/c of the scumbags it makes you have to work twice as hard to be honest and get people to beleive you are being straight with them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top