Its not a kickback thing, its the quality of the products. Most are bulk and low quality and are imported. Dealers try to keep their expenses and time involved in reconditioning down so first way is to use lower quality products. It would be like polishing a car with cleanser and a t-shirt.
Oh its a kickback in one sense or another. Like I said, it may not be 'direct' but they are getting something out of it. By "they" it may not even be the sales department, it may be the owner... he might be getting weeks at a timeshare on the beach.... you never know.
Its about who actually gets something from the deal. Who knows, the company they have this 'exclusive contract' with may be some guys brother-in-law. :dunno:
I agree with Cardaddy. It is amazing the type of corruption and stupidity you can find in a car dealership. It sometimes rivals what I have seen at Fortune 500 companies.
If only this were *only* at car dealerships.
As you said, it rivals Fortune 500 companies!
Every end supplier/vendor I've known operates on the same level at this. The brother of a friend some 35 years now works for one of the top two food service companies in the nation. Every couple of months he'll have a problem where the OTHER guy (
and often one that works for the OTHER top two company) gave a free case of meat, or some other supply to one of
his restaurants, along with a promise to provide 'this or that'. He then spends weeks on his knees (literally) trying to keep the account, and HE HAS TO GIVE THEM FREE STUFF to keep the account. (That BTW he already HAD to begin with!)
Bottom line; the one that works the best for their needs is usually the one they go with. The caveat "works the best" is something you need to think about. Because what 'works' doesn't mean if performs better, but it meets their needs in some other way. With the food service thing it often based on budget for most stuff, but for meat it'll be about taste and tenderness. For car dealership supplies they may provide a vast variety of products that fill needs top to bottom, front to back, including all their mechanical shop chemicals. That doesn't mean they have good, or even decent quality detailing supplies... just that they provide something that they can use without having to go elsewhere.
It may be of note to realize... The new car manager and used car manager have a LOT of swing when it comes to what makes the cars look like they want them to look. (
Not that how THEY want them to look and how HE wants them to look are in the same ballpark.) This may help the OP if he can prove that his methods are within their budgetary constraints all the while providing superior results.
They MIGHT give an extra $3~$5 per unit (vehicle) but you have to take into account that is a HUGE hit to their bottom dollar. Doesn't sound like much, but when they are selling as few as 200 cars a month, that's $1000 a month, $13,000 a year and for a large volume shop those numbers can go up 2,3,4,5 hundred percent or more easily.
