Look at these dealer fees- they still do this??

[DaveR]

Was doing some pricing on potentially trading my 1500 for a 2500 diesel... and got this offer today from CDJR dealer in North Savannah, GA... can’t believe they still try to get away with these types of fees and add-ons. So instead of paying the just the trade difference and taxes plus maybe a small doc fee, they expect someone to pay all this stuff?? I guess I’m naive, but I thought dealers had gotten a little less obvious about this stuff. Sheesh...

 

[ExtinctBird]

I walked around a Chevy lot this afternoon when killing some time, and I saw the dealer markup sticker on a new Camaro. Among other things, it had a charge of $249 for Nitrogen. Really? For that price, I would expect the tires to be filled with neon, and they should light up as you go down the road.

 

[Willwork4truck]

I had to pay $699 for doc fees and that was a total rip however there wasn't a single other fee charged, no tint, wheel locks, paint or seat protection, nitrogen, vin etching... They get it somewhere... Or try to.

 

[Yangster]

Typical Stealership Fees. I live in the Atlanta burbs and ordered a 2021 Ltd Longhorn from Mark Dodge. The only fees being charged are $219.00.

 

[Amerinamese]

At the dealerships here in Hampton Roads, VA they have signs up right when you walk in stating their dealer doc fee is $XXX and non negotiable.

 

[doolin64]

In Mass, the doc fees vary from dealer to dealer. Usually $350-400. I'd be more ticked off at a $1900 charge for permaplate guards.

 

[parnine]

Personally I don't care what they call what; if they want to charge $10,000 for the truck and $30,000 for 'nitrogen in the tires' (one of the most BS charges preying on the ignorant) for a total of $40K, that works for me. The only important number is the total. I don't really care how the dealer gets to the total. Once you change the paradigm to this you remove all the 'dealer attempts at scams', like nitrogen. When shopping I compare OTD (all inclusive with taxes, registration, whatever) prices and make it known that 'suprises', whatever you want to call them, are not acceptable and will kill the deal.

 

[Borsig]

At the dealerships here in Hampton Roads, VA they have signs up right when you walk in stating their dealer doc fee is $XXX and non negotiable.

Which is why I have not bought a car locally since I moved here 10 years ago. NoVA are usually just as bad.

 

[rws1944]

Personally I don't care what they call what; if they want to charge $10,000 for the truck and $30,000 for 'nitrogen in the tires' (one of the most BS charges preying on the ignorant) for a total of $40K, that works for me. The only important number is the total. I don't really care how the dealer gets to the total. Once you change the paradigm to this you remove all the 'dealer attempts at scams', like nitrogen. When shopping I compare OTD (all inclusive with taxes, registration, whatever) prices and make it known that 'suprises', whatever you want to call them, are not acceptable and will kill the deal.

Agree with you on this. If at the last minute the dealer tries to stick you with some ridiculous fee your response should be that either the price of the truck is lowered by the same amount or the trade in value is increased by a like amount. This is also true for any so called non-negotiable fees. Tell the dealer to lower the price of the truck and you will be happy to pay the fee.

 

[Willwork4truck]

It is true that the out the door price (or what's financed) is the issue however when I see the "extra" dealer sticker on the window with the "extra's" on it, that just sets the tone for me...

 

[Ripcurl134]

Lester Glenn in NJ does this same rip off tactic. They add another 2K to the sticker price, that includes a pin stripe, door guards, etc. This dealer did nothing but add fee after fee. They even make up a motor vehicle fee as well on top of what the state charges.

 

[Willwork4truck]

Here's some info from a Reddit thread that's 2 years old:

https://www.reddit.com/r/cars/comments/948duc

BrenMan_94
'18 Civic Si Sedan, '05 Mini R52, '07 Kia Sedona EX2 years ago

"I used to work for a company that's job is to install some of these, then I worked for one of the dealerships that contacted them.

Tint:
The window tint is going to either be installed onsite or done by a local shop. Nine times out of ten it'll be cheap film with little to no heat rejection that will bubble up in two years. The company would bill the dealership $110 for the install and then the dealer would charge $499. $499 can get you most shop's best performing ceramic film.

Door edge guards/cups:
These are usually plotted and cut on-site. I've never known a dealership to use really cheap paint protection film (we used 3M). These are included in the $110 charged above and the dealership would bill the customer $199. My shop charges $40 for cups and $20 for edge guards. In both cases they typically come with a lifetime warranty from the manufacturer.

Nitrogen:
If the nitrogen is put in by the PDI techs, then it's probably legit. Check your tire pressures when you get in a new car. If it's ~40psi then the tires haven't been touched or the caps have just been replaced. However, $99 is still pretty steep for richer air. Might be worth it if it comes with a year of road hazard.

Paint protection/guard:
The detail departments at most dealerships are volume-driven. If it's raining, don't expect the outside of cars to get washed before they go on the lot. It's easy to tell if your car's been "protected" if you splash a little bit of your complimentary water on the paint and see if it beads up. The dealership I worked at would charge $599 for this, and be billed $85 by the detail company. The "detailers" would either be paid $10/hr or $35/car, so the minimal amount would get done in the interest of volume. $599 could get you a paint correction and ceramic coating at some shops, for reference.

That covers the major add-ons. I never bother with cars that have pin stripes because the installer probably scratched the **** out of the paint during the install. Other things like splash guards and roof rails are generally not marked up (manufacturers don't like genuine accessories marked up). Hope this sheds some light on things."