Dealer Shenanigans

chilly

chilly

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My daughter texted me yesterday to tell me the Toyota dealer called and they got in a 2023 Rav 4 with the equipment my daughter and SIL had been looking for and she was headed over to see it

This was her first new car that SHE was going to purchase, I bought her previous cars

I warned her to steer clear of all the add ons that the financing people throw at you, that I would take care of paint correction and protection, etc

She texts me back a while later that she likes the car and it's fully loaded, INCLUDING some never heard of before DIAMOND HARD CERAMIC PAINT PROTECTION and DIAMOND GLASS PROTECTION...

They aren't even offering this crap as add ons anymore, they are just putting it on the vehicles before they even put them out for sale and tacking the cost on the dealers price because they know people are so desperate for new Toyotas they will cough up the $$$

I didn't ask her what that crap cost because I didn't want to rain on her experience because she ended up buying the car

Anyone else running into this?
 
When I bought my EN last year it had the full Xzilon package already added to it, surely applied by some "tech" at the dealership, not to mention the market adjustment which basically cancelled out the extra they gave me for my blue ES.

A buddy of mine just bought a brand new Civic Type-R and paid the $5K mark up.

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chilly said:
They aren't even offering this crap as add ons anymore, they are just putting it on the vehicles before they even put them out for sale....
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Or so they claim. Most just add the price of this garbage to the final price without even applying it.

I mean, how is the average buyer going to tell if a crappy paint sealant has or hasn't been applied?
 
If you're looking at models that are still in short supply, they are still getting away with this garbage. As inventory has increased and sales have decreased because of the markups, I've started seeing the dealerships willing to deal on cars they have a lot of on the lot.

When we bought our pilot they tried adding a bunch of accessories we didn't want. When I told them I'd go across town and buy at the other guys because we had to order, and they weren't doing it, they matched. I also got them to agree to the price at time of order because apparently Honda doesn't lock in price and wants the buyer to be responsible for price increases that occur prior to delivery.
 
pilotpip said:
If you're looking at models that are still in short supply, they are still getting away with this garbage. As inventory has increased and sales have decreased because of the markups, I've started seeing the dealerships willing to deal on cars they have a lot of on the lot.

When we bought our pilot they tried adding a bunch of accessories we didn't want. When I told them I'd go across town and buy at the other guys because we had to order, and they weren't doing it, they matched. I also got them to agree to the price at time of order because apparently Honda doesn't lock in price and wants the buyer to be responsible for price increases that occur prior to delivery.
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Sadly that is not an option here, there are 3 Toyota dealerships in the state and all in different cities

We are a captive audience and they know it and take full advantage of it
 
chilly said:
Sadly that is not an option here, there are 3 Toyota dealerships in the state and all in different cities

We are a captive audience and they know it and take full advantage of it
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They saw her coming and had the only Joker in the deck. The only way she could have won was to walk and you and I and the dealer knew that was not happening.
 
As soon as she sat in that Rav and let that new car smell hit her senses, it was all over. She didn't make the best decision, just let her enjoy her new car.
 
Ah yes. I remember watching the "detailers" at the end of the shop applying " coatings" to new cars. I could hear the clearcoats crying over the sound of impact guns.
 
Prange said:
Now HERE'S some shenanigans:

Toyota Dealer Claims That It Must Charge At Least $3,994 In Add-Ons Due To “Market Conditions” | Carscoops
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Obviously I wasn't there but this sounds suspiciously similar to her info she relayed to me in her texts as the afternoon wore on

Kendall has a habit of putting together "packages" of the "most requested add ons" and charging accordingly, which is convenient in a way if you happen to want all the crap they specify

IDK, she could have just ordered exactly what she wanted but like Ron said, that new car smell is intoxicating, and it has most of the bells and whistles that my car has and she obviously was happy with the overall deal
 
This kind of nonsense has been going on for over a decade, but seems to have picked up in the popularity in the post-pandemic market.

I remember looking for a car back in the mid-2000's and there was a dealership company, I think the Florida/Georgia area, did this on EVERY car on their lot - all makes and at dealerships across several states. Back then it was LoJack and these silly coatings. I didn't realize the dealerships were all owned by the same company until I called the second or third one and got the same exact verbiage about their add-ons, which were already installed and non-negotiable. They seemed shocked when I politely responded by stating I was not interested in paying for something I didn't want and would look elsewhere for the car I wanted. And I did...my local dealership found one in Minnesota and shipped it.

These days, I think some of the more slimy dealers are using it to add extra profit to traditionally low-profit cars. Doesn't surprise me it was a Toyota. They seem to be struggling with inventory more than others these days. Our local Toyota dealer has essentially become a used car dealership due to still having few/no new car inventory. Most of the other brands seem to be slowly recovering.
 
Where I bought my car they have $2500 LoJack on an IONIC6. I know Hyundai and KIA's get stolen but NOT those

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Klasse Act said:
Where I bought my car they have $2500 LoJack on an IONIC6. I know Hyundai and KIA's get stolen but NOT those

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That is really funny! I just looked it up and the IONIC6 has Hyundia's Bluelink+ telematics service, that does the exact same thing as LoJack and more...for the life of the car...it's integrated into the car...and it's free...

Does the dealer even know what products they are selling? Holy duplication, Batman!

With so many car companies offering telematics services these days, I'm surprised LoJack is still in business.
 
Desertnate said:
That is really funny! I just looked it up and the IONIC6 has Hyundia's Bluelink+ telematics service, that does the exact same thing as LoJack and more...for the life of the car...it's integrated into the car...and it's free...

Does the dealer even know what products they are selling? Holy duplication, Batman!

With so many car companies offering telematics services these days, I'm surprised LoJack is still in business.
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My car has that as well.

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I figured it would.

I'd love to be sitting in the sales of finance office while they try to explain the difference between the free, integrated, and fully operational Bluelink system and the bolted-in third-party solution they stuck on the car for the sake of pure profit. Anyone with even marginal intelligence should be able to spot the scam and laugh them out of the room.
 
Yeah that’s even happening on used cars. My Camaro came with some kind of system where serial numbers etched onto panels to deter theft.

A) thrives would have to know what that is.

B) why would I ever want them to find parts of my car if it’s been stripped.

They wouldn’t budge on discounting off so I walked. Dealer was 2 hours away so I went and watched a movie, had lunch. 4 hours later (near closing) and no call figured the weren’t going to give me the $300 off (was$495 figured $300 was mark up) so I went back and bought it.

Usually I would wait a day or two but woulda been a week before I could come back and didn’t want the car to be sold.


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Coatingsarecrack said:
Yeah that’s even happening on used cars. My Camaro came with some kind of system where serial numbers etched onto panels to deter theft.
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I remember when the etching used to be a thing. My insurance used to give a small discount if you had it, but that option went away years ago. Never actually had it done.

I too question the purpose. The VIN is already stamped in multiple places from the factory. If someone has to ID my car by comparing VINs in a stack of parts, it's not going to be in a state I'd ever want it back.
 
Desertnate said:
I too question the purpose. The VIN is already stamped in multiple places from the factory. If someone has to ID my car by comparing VINs in a stack of parts, it's not going to be in a state I'd ever want it back.
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You’re thinking to logical. How’s a dealer gonna make money off you! ��
 
Desertnate said:
I remember when the etching used to be a thing. My insurance used to give a small discount if you had it, but that option went away years ago. Never actually had it done.

I too question the purpose. The VIN is already stamped in multiple places from the factory. If someone has to ID my car by comparing VINs in a stack of parts


Coatingsarecrack said:
Yeah that’s even happening on used cars. My Camaro came with some kind of system where serial numbers etched onto panels to deter theft.

A) thrives would have to know what that is.

B) why would I ever want them to find parts of my car if it’s been stripped.

They wouldn’t budge on discounting off so I walked. Dealer was 2 hours away so I went and watched a movie, had lunch. 4 hours later (near closing) and no call figured the weren’t going to give me the $300 off (was$495 figured $300 was mark up) so I went back and bought it.

Usually I would wait a day or two but woulda been a week before I could come back and didn’t want the car to be sold.


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It's not there to put your car back together, but rather being able to track stolen parts that are otherwise untraceable. (chop shops/online sales)
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Flash Gordon said:
Desertnate said:
I remember when the etching used to be a thing. My insurance used to give a small discount if you had it, but that option went away years ago. Never actually had it done.

I too question the purpose. The VIN is already stamped in multiple places from the factory. If someone has to ID my car by comparing VINs in a stack of parts





It's not there to put your car back together, but rather being able to track stolen parts that are otherwise untraceable. (chop shops/online sales)
Click to expand...

No i get it but at that point it’s the insurance and issue. They shoulda paid.


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