This is just a curiosity thing, but I’ve wondered about it for a long time.
I live in California (SF Bay Area, to be exact), and I’ve never seen a car on a dealer’s lot around here with one of those little metal (or maybe they’re just metallic plastic) dealership-name labels affixed to the back end (usually on the trunk lid somewhere). However, when I see cars from other states–particularly in the midwest, it seems–many of them have this thing. I’ve often remarked that I would never let a dealer sell me a car marred by such a blemish (they’re ugly, and whether they’re bolted on to the car or stuck there, they can’t be good for the paint), but I wonder–why do they use these in some places but not others? Is there a law in California that says they can’t, or do the consumers just not stand for it?
Can buyers of cars in places where they do affix these things make their removal (and return of the car to its pristine pre-advertisement state) a condition of sale, or are they just stuck with it and have to remove it themselves if they don’t like it?
Dunno about location, really, but I’m sure dealerships 'round here do it for publicity, and either the general public doesn’t care about it on their car or doesn’t notice it on the car because it’s so ubiquitious that it doesn’t make a difference. You can request that the dealership leave it off (as I did, and they did) or you can peel it off later (as I did with the sticker on my husband’s new car), however.
Don’t know about laws against them, but there should be. Defacing someones brand new property upon delivery should be a crime. :mad:
I personally make it a condition of the sale that they not affix any type of advertising to my new vehicle and have turned down delievery due to one being there.
Absolutely. Or, just tell the salesman to deduct $5000 from the price of the car for the 5 years of advertising he’s about to get from you. They’ll take that sticker right off for ya.
Most dealers do not put the nasty things on the car until it is actually sold, then they do it as part of the “final prep” where they wash and detail the car for you to drive off the lot.
Part of the reason is that dealers sometimes buy/sell/trade cars amongst themselves for customers who want specific colors or optional equipment on a car.
On a couple of new car purchases I have specifically asked that they not put the dealer logo on the car, and they have had no problem with the request.
A friend of mine picked up his new car, and he went back into the dealer, insenced. “I didn’t agree to let you use my car for a billboard. If you want me to advertise for you, I want $500 for it. Otherwise, get that thing off.” They paid him.
I’m not that nervy; I just used a hair dryer to soften the sticker, and I peeled it off with my thumb.
Generally, dealers will leave the sticker off if you request it, but if you say nothing, it will go on.
Nowadays, they’re much more likely to use a license plate holder. That way, it’s fairly easy for owners to remove it if they don’t like it – just take a screwdriver. No damage.
BMW of San Francisco does put their name on cars they sell. Their label is small and discreet (It’s just text without any borders or background.) and easily hides off in a corner near the tail lights.
My Jeep is branded with the name of the dealership I bought it from. “Serramonte Jeep” on the spare tire cover isn’t quite the same as those 4" long chrome plastic things favored in the Midwest, but the dealer’s name is on the car, nontheless.
On my current car (only new car I’ve had) I asked them not to put the dealer decal on and they didn’t. It struck me that they should have to ask if they can put it on; you shouldn’t have to ask them not to. Also when I asked the salesman gave some spiel about how people like to have the decal, since their dealership is so well known as a high quality people are proud to have bought from them :rolleyes:.
The story that always amazed me was from my dad; he bought a car and asked them not to put the dealer plate on, and they didn’t. Then, after a few months, he brought the car in for its first service, and the shop guys added the plate without asking him. Dad gets the best WTF? expression when he tells this story :D.
Dealers will often put a decal or badge on the car, but you can request it left off or (if it’s already put on) you can request that they remove it without harming the finish, and according to the car manufacturer’s rules they are required to. The reason most use decals now is exactly for this reason–it is arguable that if they have to drill two holes to affix a badge, that they are delivering an already-damaged vehicle.
As far as the logo spare-tire covers go, if you want a free one, usually you’re stuck with a dealer name on it. The reason is because the vehicle probably didn’t come from the factory with a spare-tire cover at all–the dealer buys the spare tire covers and has them printed themselves. You can ask if they have one that’s blank or just has the vehicle make/model name on it; sometimes the dealers do end up with these covers.
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I’d have thought that if anything they’d just have taken the thing off. That’s pretty cool (and a nice way to get $500!)