Has anyone experienced dealer add ons at the last minute point of sale on a new car? Examples: Stargard GPS car locator, window tint, expensive paint protection. On two different new cars I stated I did not ask for it and was willing to walk away. They both deducted the cost and we finalized the deal.

On another dealer for a very nice car the dealer said Stargard was mandatory. I said no and walked away. They called back and said they would take it off. I still said no and would never deal with their dealership again.

Anyone have similar experiences?

Two years ago I was looking for a truck. I test drove many, and settled on a used 1500 GMC 4x4 from Wiesner in Conroe. Went in to sign the paperwork and there was an additional $3K charge that wasnt agreed upon. It was some GPS tracker so if they needed to repossess it they could locate it. They claimed it was a dealership rule and couldnt remove it. I got up and walked out. I felt terrible for the sales guy bc he knew it was bull**** and was costing them sales. I called the next day and ripped the manager a new one. A few hours of my time wasted for something added on right at the end that they claim couldnt be removed. I put car dealership management right up there with tow truck companies. Absolute scum.

Happened to me last year at Allen Honda in CS. Was looking at an Accord for my wife, and they surprised us towards the end with $3k in add-ons (on top of $2k in markup). After I threatened to walk, they said they would get rid of the markup but couldn't do anything about the add-ons. The car was in transit, so it wasn't even like they had already installed anything. I told them I wasn't going to give them anything over MSRP and walked. They acted like I was being ridiculous. Will never go back

Yes, unfortunately it seems as if that's the latest tactic. I had that happen twice to me in the past 5 years and both times I got something else reduced because I called them out on it.

This is why I made a shoutout post this weekend about Huffines Chevrolet in Plano because they don't do that.

Houstonag said:

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Has anyone experienced dealer add ons at the last minute point of sale on a new car? Examples: Stargard GPS car locator, window tint, expensive paint protection. On two different new cars I stated I did not ask for it and was willing to walk away. They both deducted the cost and we finalized the deal.

On another dealer for a very nice car the dealer said Stargard was mandatory. I said no and walked away. They called back and said they would take it off. I still said no and would never deal with their dealership again.

Anyone have similar experiences?

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These days almost every dealer I have talked to tries to force them on you. I got around that by buying a truck that wasn't already on the lot. That way they didn't have a chance to add all that crap and then say they "couldn't" take it off because it was "already installed".

Yes, it's the new tactic. Bought my wife a new VW Atlas a couple weeks back. MSRP on the model she wanted was around $41k. What we found was every car on the lot more than a day had atleast $7k in add on's such as a seat protector with insurance that if anything happens to the sea they would replace the entire seat, $2k. Had same coverage for paint, $1k. Tint, floor mats, $750 for black rims. I told them we didn't want any of that and were ready to walk. Ended up getting it just below MSRP but was very annoyed with having to fight to get all of it taken off of price or prevented from being put on.

What was weird was not having the finance guy pushing extended warranty's like they used to. Had a buddy by an F150 about a month ago and same thing, no warranty push but all the add on's.

How do you like the Atlas?

AgGrad99 said:

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How do you like the Atlas?

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Really like it so far. Pretty much biggest you can go without going Expedition or Tahoe. 2023 is the last year it will be offered with a V6 so went with the SE w/ Tech and the V6. Can fit 3 kids in car seats in the middle bench and 2 adults in back seat with plenty of room last weekend.

That's exactly what we're looking at (SE w/ tech, V6).

Yes. Add Northside Lexus in Houston to the list. We went to look last week as my wife just hasn't made up her mind on a replacement for her gx. So she wanted to price a new gx with a trade in.

They put front window tint and a 3M clear bra paint protector stick on to the front of the hood. On ALL the new vehicles. 1,095 total add on. So sticker price plus 1,095.

Looks to me like the paint on the hood would wear differently with the clear bra stick on. Not a fan.

DeMontrond in Conroe plays those stupid games. The kid endured their crappy process the other day for a pre-owned purchase. I had no previous experience with that dealer so I warned them to be ready. They managed to say no to everything including some package of coupons for $375(what a joke) but finally got worn down on the window tint scam to the tune of $400(started at $600). I'm in D/FW so tried to help them on the phone best I could.

The thing about the window tint is the rep lied about it.(surprise, surprise) Not only did he lie, he didn't know anything about the tint. He didn't know the manufacturer, if it was ceramic or dyed, any of the ratings, etc. N-O-T-H-I-N-G. All he could say was it had a lifetime warranty for all 5 windows.

Well, first of all the car has 7 windows. Second, the passenger windows, cargo area side windows and rear window come with factory privacy glass.(It's listed in factory brochure.) Via Facetime I could clearly see that there wasn't any aftermarket tint installed on those windows. The front windows looked to have tint installed at some point but I highly doubt DeMontrond had anything to do with the install.(More on that in a moment.)

I drove down to get my car(loaned to the kid cuz we sold theirs to CarMax in April) the next day after the deal was done and got my eyes on the car. Nice enough vehicle, but DeMontrond didn't fully prep it.

• Leaves in 3 different areas of the engine compartment. Clean it up!!!!
• Overspray on the grill
• Tape on the exterior front passenger door handle
• The negative battery terminal was corroded because the connection was not fully seated on the post. And yet their service department didn't take the time to fix it.
• Not much gas in the tank. Had to stop for gas at the nearby Sam's Club just to get it home. Any car I've ever bought from a dealer new or used came with a full tank of gas. Have never asked, they just did it.

Back to the window tint. They washed the car but didn't detail it. So while surveying the car I rolled down the front driver side window. Bingo! There was a ring of dirt around the entire edge of the window that had obviously been there for sometime.(I took a pic) I've never installed tint but my understanding is that the rough fit starts on the outside. To do that the window has to be impeccably clean and this window was not. So I believe I have proof that DeMontrond charged for a window tint install that they never performed. That's fraud.

Avoid DeMontrond. But if you do go, at least you know they are going to come at you with their dealer add-on garbage.

My preferred dealer is Sewell.(Hires a ton of Ags) We've also had great experiences with CarMax and Huffhines in Plano and Lewisville. Haven't used any Ag contacts often noted on this board but wouldn't hesitate to do so.

Buck Turgidson said:

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Houstonag said:

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Has anyone experienced dealer add ons at the last minute point of sale on a new car? Examples: Stargard GPS car locator, window tint, expensive paint protection. On two different new cars I stated I did not ask for it and was willing to walk away. They both deducted the cost and we finalized the deal.

On another dealer for a very nice car the dealer said Stargard was mandatory. I said no and walked away. They called back and said they would take it off. I still said no and would never deal with their dealership again.

Anyone have similar experiences?

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These days almost every dealer I have talked to tries to force them on you. I got around that by buying a truck that wasn't already on the lot. That way they didn't have a chance to add all that crap and then say they "couldn't" take it off because it was "already installed".

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See my post above, had a dealer tell me they couldn't budge on add-ons that weren't even on the car yet. The most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. They stood their ground too.

Anyone want a Toyota without the BS fees I can help

aggiepaintrain@gmail

when shopping for a vehicle you have to ask upfront about dealer ad ons and dealer fees, even sewell charges about $1000 for about $400 worth of tint, door edge guards. That was my experience last year but it may have changed

If they need to move the vehicle it is all negotiable but practically every dealer I went to had this crap. you have to be prepared to walk. i would never buy from a dealer that wasn't upfront about it though. probably YMMV on lower volume/availability vehicles.

My f150 had the following:

window tint - overpriced, i negotiated down.
Bedliner - fair market price - no change and i wanted this.
aftermarket tracker - tracker remained - cost went to zero - this crap plugs into the OBD port - i removed in ten seconds.
door sill edging - overpriced - no change, not material to the total transaction.

all in i was happy to the total negotiated price on the addons.

Very good my friends. It seems like the best thing to do is walk away. I have dealt with a dealer in Dallas and absolutely first class. No BS. Deal went through smooth as silk. In CS the BMW dealer and Merceds as well are very good. Just tell them up front no add ons unless approved by yourself.

The most important word in negotiations is "No"

We bought our GX from Sewell in Fort Worth. No addons or crap. Price was fair. The salesman wasn't the most knowledgeable about the trim levels, but he was friendly and not pushy.