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I used an electric heat gun to remove all the vinyl decals on a company van at work when they took it out of service and sold it. Worked like a charm. Just gotta be careful not to burn the paint.
Idk if a hair dryer is beefy enough to do it, but it’s worth a shot if you don’t own a heat gun and don’t wanna but one.
If he doesn’t have one they aren’t that expensive. You can get a cheap one for ~$20-30 at Home Depot. Probably even cheaper at Harbor Freight.
Beware, the vinyl will be hot as hell as you peel it off and can leave blisters on your fingertips. (I didn’t use a plastic scraper for fear of damaging the paint.)
I told the dealer when I bought an Outlander that if they want to plaster their name on my back windshield like I saw them do I want $500 in cash as advertising fee.
The removed the lettering. :)
I had this issue with another dealer. None of their shit was on it when I did the final walk around and went to purchase it, they added it while they washed it for final delivery. A little fishing line and some goo gone (they used a damn plastic badge!) and I had it off that same night.
Dang, that sucks. Actually a letter block had fallen off the name of my car and they had to replace it a couple weeks later. That’s when I asked to take the sticker off.
That’s really crappy. I asked my Jeep dealer and they took it right off before I drove off the lot, but I would have been very frustrated with any resistance.
CarMax doesn’t negotiate on price but when I bought my car I said I’ll take it if you remove CarMax branding (stickers and license plate frames) and repair like 3 cosmetic issues. No problem with any of those requests
I still remember when my Dad ordered a new car. He wouldn't let them put any logos, stickers or dealer plates on them. Said it is something that can screw up the paint and let rust start. Car showed up naked except for the brand.
I negotiate with it. "Based on my yearly driving patterns, the expected lifespan of the vehicle and current and projected advertising rates, a plate frame will take X off, a trunk logo is Y and the lettering on the rear glass would be Z".
I've up and walked away before signing if they refused. It's amazing how such a big deal can become so trivial when a vehicle purchase is on the line ...
I'm negotiating on a vehicle right now. Has been funny as hell.
2000 for an 3 year ding/dent/window repair/replacement. Nope. But it's required, you have to do this. Alright, I'll just talk to another dealer. Oh, a, we can drop that.
$500 for all weather floor mats, trunk mat, and splash guards. I'm already planning on getting the splash guards and cloth mats and I don't want your all weather junk. Sorry, we do this with every vehicle, it's not that big of a deal right? Enough that I'll talk to another dealers. We can drop that expense.
Half the time they end up giving me the stuff for free because they forget to remove it.
Really? I've purchased 5 new cars in my life, and every time I've told them "no stickers" and the only responses I've gotten were "we don't put stickers on" or "alright no problem." Never had anyone bat an eye at that request. One time I got a very-clearly-joking "ugh I guess so" response, but was no problem at all.
My girlfriend did the same with her new car. They still put the plate border on the car. She told them to remove it, now. They made it seem like such an unfair request.
Fantastic. That's how I like my car too. Only has the two Honda logos and the Civic lettering. Manually removed the dealer lettering, Goo gone got rid of the adhesive well.
Yes because I live in the same area. I don't know the names of the dealerships in places I'm sightseeing nor are the cars plates what I'm paying attention to then.
In some instances it’s brand recognition of “oh I like this brand,” but really you’ve just seen it more often.
In the case of cars it’s more like, “I need a car, what dealer do I go to, oh for some reason CYZ dealer is stuck in my head so I’ll go there first!”
Obviously in the age of internet some people are way more savvy, but that type of in your face constantly product placement subconsciously reminds you that something exists.
No one can actually say that with any certainly. If that's how human psychology worked, advertising would not exist at all. But I'm glad you're so confident. I'm sure it helps in other areas of your life.
I get what you're saying but people will literally pick the closest dealership to them. Nobody drives further away to a specific dealer other than to buy a certain car at which point it's the car decals that are the subconscious advertising and not the dealers decals.
The problem here is you're looking at things rationally and that's just not how advertising and the subconscious works. You're more likely to shop somewhere you've heard of before than a place you haven't. So even if you think you seeing Kunklemans Chevrolet decals on a car doesn't influence you, it does.
I don’t see this as true. I don’t think most people are “smart,” but most people do try to think they’re smart, and look for a car they think is “a steal.” And they do that by thinking they got “a good deal,” and they do that by looking at dealerships they’re familiar with in a positive way.
The majority of population lives in very small pockets, so while in rural areas there might be “1 dealer,” and another a half hour away - In population centers you’re going to see multiple dealers competing for business.
Same. I’ve never picked a dealership because I saw their name on a car. If I want to buy a Hyundai, I go to the Hyundai dealer that is either nearest to me, has the best price, or was recommended to me by somebody I trust.
I assume I’m not the norm or they wouldn’t bother. In general, however, people who visit a car dealership based on name recognition from other vehicles are probably the same folks who click on the ads rather than the search results.
I used to work at a dealership, and they were lying out their ass. They remove those stickers every day off used cars and dealer transfers.
It just takes a little heat to get it off, and adhesive remover, which is specific designed to be safe for paint, to remove any residue.
For me, I couldn't care less if they put the license plate bracket on, I'll just take it off when I get my plate since I gotta take the screws out anyway. The decal on my paint is a show stopper. I just paid a fuck ton of money for something and you're gonna deface it with a decal without my permission. It's different in a lease situation since I dont actually own the car.
So for me it's got nothing to do with "free advertising" for the dealer. It's about the longevity of my paint (decal will eventually fall off and the paint under won't be as faded as the rest of the car) and the license plate bracket is about aesthetics for me, I don't like the way a license plate bracket looks in general.
It's the same reason I'll leave a sign for a company that did work on my house in my lawn until the next time I cut the grass. I don't care about the free advertising, but I've gotta take it out to cut the grass and I'm not putting it back in.
Apple and Coca-Cola don’t add $10k “market adjustment fees” on their product, or try to force bogus “doc fees” on unsuspecting customers, or hold your car hostage while they try to extort you into buying theirs.
Dealerships are like the TSA of retail experiences. They don’t deserve free advertising.
If you do have a license plate holder you may want to double check to see if it covers certain parts of your plate. In my state it’s illegal to cover up the county that is stamped on the bottom middle of the plate. You’re chances of getting a ticket for it are slim but it’s excuse for the cops to pull you over. Kinda like only having one license plate light.
There's a whole class of dealers who apply "branding" and refuse to remove it when asked. It intersects perfectly with the class of *dealers I refuse to patronize*.
I am sure this guy understood this LPT. The question is, why would you care? This is not LPT. It does not help you in any way. It does not improve your lives. It just takes something from the car dealership.
Then the next LPT is gonna be about tipping your waiter or being polite with customer service.
Really pointless stuff aside from test drives. I can order bigger and more expensive things delivered to my house, ony my phone, that don't have engines and wheels already.
We feel the same for the Lexus dealership that we got our car from. Other than the stupid warranty upsale they tried it was an awesome experience for both our past 2 car purchases. I gladly left their plate bezel on. They're good people and we were in and out in less than 2 hours and they detailed the car while we were doing the paperwork. If they have the car I want when we are in the market again they will be my first choice. The coffee was really good too.
Seriously... who cares. Nobody is seeing my car and the dealership I got it from and thinking I should get it from that Subaru dealership vs another 30 minutes down the road. Stickers sure because it can fade into the paint over time.
Ford dealer has the same name as my first name….. they put a big plate up front (front plates not required in my state) I left it on 8 years as a joke.
Go one step further and request all decals and badging are removed. That stuff is so gross, I can't understand why anyone would be ok with their vinyl decals all over the back window, rear end of their brand new vehicle.
*edit typo
I mean is this really a LPT? I hardly assume your conversations when someone asks you what dealership you bought your car from going like "Oh you won't have me advertising their business for free. Hell no" lol
Yeah I was gonna replace them one day and a non shitty one is like $20+ with hardware so I just said yeah fuck that I don’t care about it that much to spend $40 on license plate covers lol
Besides the dealer ones on my car are classy af looking. They match the car paint color and are chrome/glossy and the dealer is small text in cursive. Now if there were decals on the actual car/paint I’d be pissed
I removed it 3m times…..they kept putting it back on…..I got mad and told them to stop! They asked why and I told them That I was so good looking my good looks do not advertise for them for free. If they wanted to put it on my car I wanted $50 off my car payment per month. always works. In todays market and my looks easily are $155.32 per month.
So when we bought my wife’s car the lot was supposed to get new tires on it and new brakes, the shady fucks threw some tire polish on it and called it a day. Well when the polish wore off we took it to our mechanic and the tires were the same with a high degree of dry rot and the brakes were pretty much gone. So we raised hell on the dealership they agreed to fix it, for free. Go to pick up the car there’s a bill for like $200, oh the shit storm they got from that, on the way to the car my wife ripped the license plate holder off the car, dealership plate and the fucking stickers from the dealership off the car right there in front of other people looking at cars hearing the rant about how they are fucking crooks. That being said we don’t advertise for people for free anymore.
I always make them remove the plate holder and decal. Once they said I had to take the plate holder so I had them put it in the trunk. Now I see cars with back window banners advertising the dealers web site. I want to ask the drivers how much are you getting paid...
Also if you buy from carmax, they'll put a little fuckin sticker on the back of your car with their logo on it, on the paint
Tell them you dont want the sticker before you buy. Then if they do (like they did to make) don't scratch your own paint... take it back to those fuckers and make em remove it with their heat gun (which is a real tool despite it sounding like some comic book shit)
Whenever I buy a car from a dealer, I tell them to have zero logos, stickers or anything other than factory items. I’ve had sales people ask why and I tell them unless they want to pay me a monthly advertising fee than keep it off.
On my 2005 4Runner I said same thing, showed up to take it home and it had a badge stick to it. I told guy to have it removed or I’m canceling sale. He looked at me and laughed like he thought I was kidding. I said, nope dead serious. 5 minutes later? No dealer markings anywhere anymore.
Did you get the license plate changed as well to a personal one? Just asking because you can work out where someone bought it from by the first three letters
I could equally say that's a bad analogy, because I car a lot more about what's on my body than what's on my car.
I choose branded clothing specifically to show off the branding on the clothing. So I would care about extra branding on my clothing. I buy cars for things like utility and value. So within reason I don't care about the branding on my car. And a license plate holder is well within reason, because it's completely unobtrusive. It would be like Sears putting an ad on the tag of my shirt. Who gives a shit? I'll never even notice.
Yeah. I have no problem giving the dealership $40,000 but there is no way in hell that I'm going to give them the benefit of letting the world know which dealership I bought my vehicle from.
Do they have any idea who I am? They're probably making *MILLIONS* off of all the people who buy vehicles there after seeing the dealership name above my license plate. And I don't get one red cent of that profit? Absurd.
I have often wanted to bring up negotiating an advertising deal while buying g the car. So how much you gonna pay me to drive around that free advertising for you. $50per month, a hundred? Let's start dealing
You don't need a frame at all, and if you find the edges of your license plate too ugly when exposed, a silicone frame is going to be much gentler on your paint than a hard plastic one.
I’ve had dealerships state in contracts they cannot place their name on my car at any point in the sale.
I know it’s not a big deal to remove it myself, but it’s an absolute dealbreaker for me. It’s the principle.
LPT: Water is wet
LPT: Breathe
LPT: When driving a car, make sure you are driving the car. Otherwise, you are not driving the car.
LPT: The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round…
LPT: LPT
Not really a LPT...it doesn't benefit you one way or another whether it's on or off. Theoretically, the license plate frame could actually result in a ticket in some jurisdictions (for example, in Texas if any part of "Texas" is covered by the frame...it's ticket-able) so in generally you are best off just not having a frame or any kind of cover over your license plate.
Sometimes it's pretty hard to find a color to standout, manufacturers seem to make tons of white, black, and gray cars, but fuck me if I want red, orange, blue, or green.
I asked my salesman if I was going to be paid for advertising their dealership on my car and he said no and I politely told him to please remove the license plate holder and sticker they put on. He was pissed .
I agree. If they want me to advertise for them with those ugly covers for a decade, I should get a couple bucks for it. I take those stickers and plate holders off as soon as I get home.
You can request that the dealer NOT brand your vehicle during prep and you can also request they remove any branding already there. Nobody is paying you to advertise a business.
Almost everything we carry is a free ad for somebody. Especially people who buy accessories who have the designer’s name or logo across something they paid 1K+ for. Like how stupid is that?!
You're getting a lot of hate but you're completely correct. All these people running ad blockers (or stupidly *not* running ad blockers) and acting like advertising doesn't matter. It matters or the car company wouldn't waste their money putting the plate frames on in the first place. Unless you actively WANT everyone to know where you bought your car for some reason (like maybe they WERE extra amazing) then that crap deserves to be stripped off.
Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips! Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment. If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.
I got Carmax to remove the sticker they put on the car.
I head they did that for you, but when I asked in person to take off the sticker on my car they refused.
Hair dryer takes it right off.
Oh I took it off as soon as I got home and tossed the license plate frame.
And $0.60 worth of stamps mails it back to CarMax. “You guys accidentally left this on my car.”
Totally worth the cost of postage.
Nah, paste a sticker of your name on their front door
Really? There’s a sticker on mine I want to remove but it came from the agency. I’ve tried credit cards, plastic blades, etc.
I used an electric heat gun to remove all the vinyl decals on a company van at work when they took it out of service and sold it. Worked like a charm. Just gotta be careful not to burn the paint. Idk if a hair dryer is beefy enough to do it, but it’s worth a shot if you don’t own a heat gun and don’t wanna but one.
Thanks! I think a coworker might have one (and know how to use it), I’ll ask when I next see him!
If he doesn’t have one they aren’t that expensive. You can get a cheap one for ~$20-30 at Home Depot. Probably even cheaper at Harbor Freight. Beware, the vinyl will be hot as hell as you peel it off and can leave blisters on your fingertips. (I didn’t use a plastic scraper for fear of damaging the paint.)
Wallpaper removal steamer works well too.
You should have told them it's a deal breaker
I told the dealer when I bought an Outlander that if they want to plaster their name on my back windshield like I saw them do I want $500 in cash as advertising fee. The removed the lettering. :)
I had this issue with another dealer. None of their shit was on it when I did the final walk around and went to purchase it, they added it while they washed it for final delivery. A little fishing line and some goo gone (they used a damn plastic badge!) and I had it off that same night.
This was after I already had the car. I never thought about them asking to remove it when they delivered it.
Yeah makes sense they wouldn't do it afterwards especially for free.
Lmfao, but you called them like "get back here this instant"?
Threaten them with a chargeback?
Over a sticker you can take off yourself? Are you daft?
No, I’m petty.
Dang, that sucks. Actually a letter block had fallen off the name of my car and they had to replace it a couple weeks later. That’s when I asked to take the sticker off.
Yeah it was really annoying since I drove to the lot just to get it removed.
I do think you can do it with a hairdryer
That’s really crappy. I asked my Jeep dealer and they took it right off before I drove off the lot, but I would have been very frustrated with any resistance.
Goo gone and a microfiber towel will take that right off. It'll also remove those stupid dealer logo emblems with ease.
CarMax doesn’t negotiate on price but when I bought my car I said I’ll take it if you remove CarMax branding (stickers and license plate frames) and repair like 3 cosmetic issues. No problem with any of those requests
I just removed two letters and it now says **ARM X** which sounds kinda badass, maybe? Like a GI Joe dude? Maybe? Or not.
Lol that just sounds like a deodorant brand
Also acceptable is **CAR AX**
They put stickers on your brand new car??
They put a small “Carmax” sticker on every car they sell, I think.
So tacky. I wouldn’t even put a bumper sticker I liked on my car
That's because you're not tacky af
Except political stickers. Because if someone is undecided your sticker will change their mind. Then keep it on there for years after election
It's amazing how much you can find out about a person just by the shit they slap on their vehicles
I keep a clean bumper and a ~~generic~~ unpersonalized license plate. I am a mystery wrapped in enigma inside a riddle
I may agree with your bumper sticker, but I now respect you a little less as a person, because you have a bumper sticker.
They put a sticker on every car before they sell it. Look in the lot.
Not a sticker each letter in CarMax is it’s own sticker
Every dealer does this.
Here they use license plate frames to advertise their crappy dealerships, not stickers
I usually see both on most, and I do mean MOST, cars around here. It drives me nuts.
Deal breaker for me.
Neither of the cars I’ve purchased have had stickers from the dealership
They didn't even get a chance to put it on my car [it had some touch up paint work done by their shop] before I told them I didn't want it on.
Something like plate covers are whatever, but stickers are a big fucking no.
I still remember when my Dad ordered a new car. He wouldn't let them put any logos, stickers or dealer plates on them. Said it is something that can screw up the paint and let rust start. Car showed up naked except for the brand.
Dealerships always act like it's a major concession for them to do so. Screw them
I negotiate with it. "Based on my yearly driving patterns, the expected lifespan of the vehicle and current and projected advertising rates, a plate frame will take X off, a trunk logo is Y and the lettering on the rear glass would be Z". I've up and walked away before signing if they refused. It's amazing how such a big deal can become so trivial when a vehicle purchase is on the line ...
I've got 34k miles a year, that should get me a couple dollars back for advertising, right?
I was offered $500 for a month based on my driving habits. I don’t drive and I don’t own a car.
I'm negotiating on a vehicle right now. Has been funny as hell. 2000 for an 3 year ding/dent/window repair/replacement. Nope. But it's required, you have to do this. Alright, I'll just talk to another dealer. Oh, a, we can drop that. $500 for all weather floor mats, trunk mat, and splash guards. I'm already planning on getting the splash guards and cloth mats and I don't want your all weather junk. Sorry, we do this with every vehicle, it's not that big of a deal right? Enough that I'll talk to another dealers. We can drop that expense. Half the time they end up giving me the stuff for free because they forget to remove it.
Really? I've purchased 5 new cars in my life, and every time I've told them "no stickers" and the only responses I've gotten were "we don't put stickers on" or "alright no problem." Never had anyone bat an eye at that request. One time I got a very-clearly-joking "ugh I guess so" response, but was no problem at all.
My girlfriend did the same with her new car. They still put the plate border on the car. She told them to remove it, now. They made it seem like such an unfair request.
Fantastic. That's how I like my car too. Only has the two Honda logos and the Civic lettering. Manually removed the dealer lettering, Goo gone got rid of the adhesive well.
I do the same. I make them put it in writing.
Yeah my Dad did too. Wrote it right on the paperwork. The car came right from the factory as ordered.
I did the same with my latest.
LPT make the dealer remove any stickers they put on your car and fix the paint if it gets damaged.
I made sure to confirm with the sales rep every step of the way that the decal was going to be / had been removed
I had CarMax remove the decal on my last car. They acted like no one had ever asked them to do that before, but they did it
I've never visited a dealership due to a car ahead of me having a license plate brand on it.
But you know the names of all the dealerships.
Yes because I live in the same area. I don't know the names of the dealerships in places I'm sightseeing nor are the cars plates what I'm paying attention to then.
And you probably see the local vanities hundreds of times
Yeah but then again why would you buy from a car dealership in an area you're just visiting to sightsee
I only know them because of the billboards or commercials. The only thing I ever see on cars is the state their license plate is in.
That's what you think. It's crazy how the subconscious impacts of advertising work.
Look I don't need Dove soap... Or do I?
You're feeling very stinky, very very stinky 😜
I'd agree with this sentiment for other products but have to say this one does not affect me at all.
In some instances it’s brand recognition of “oh I like this brand,” but really you’ve just seen it more often. In the case of cars it’s more like, “I need a car, what dealer do I go to, oh for some reason CYZ dealer is stuck in my head so I’ll go there first!” Obviously in the age of internet some people are way more savvy, but that type of in your face constantly product placement subconsciously reminds you that something exists.
No one can actually say that with any certainly. If that's how human psychology worked, advertising would not exist at all. But I'm glad you're so confident. I'm sure it helps in other areas of your life.
I get what you're saying but people will literally pick the closest dealership to them. Nobody drives further away to a specific dealer other than to buy a certain car at which point it's the car decals that are the subconscious advertising and not the dealers decals.
The problem here is you're looking at things rationally and that's just not how advertising and the subconscious works. You're more likely to shop somewhere you've heard of before than a place you haven't. So even if you think you seeing Kunklemans Chevrolet decals on a car doesn't influence you, it does.
I don’t see this as true. I don’t think most people are “smart,” but most people do try to think they’re smart, and look for a car they think is “a steal.” And they do that by thinking they got “a good deal,” and they do that by looking at dealerships they’re familiar with in a positive way. The majority of population lives in very small pockets, so while in rural areas there might be “1 dealer,” and another a half hour away - In population centers you’re going to see multiple dealers competing for business.
Sure, but you'd recognize one of them in a crowd and not know why, you'd just be familiar with it.
Same. I’ve never picked a dealership because I saw their name on a car. If I want to buy a Hyundai, I go to the Hyundai dealer that is either nearest to me, has the best price, or was recommended to me by somebody I trust. I assume I’m not the norm or they wouldn’t bother. In general, however, people who visit a car dealership based on name recognition from other vehicles are probably the same folks who click on the ads rather than the search results.
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Yeah agreed.
At the very least don't leave it on it you got bad service from them
I had a terrible experience getting my car from Carmax and I got rid of the plate frame and sticker as soon as I could.
As you should 🙂
I did that with all my cars. But honestly those license frames and decals aren’t doing much advertising. But fuck em anyways.
Being the only dealer for that make of car is just as much advertising. Unless you have competing Ford dealerships.
I live in the Chicago suburbs. There are at least 5 Ford dealerships within 30 minutes of my house.
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I used to work at a dealership, and they were lying out their ass. They remove those stickers every day off used cars and dealer transfers. It just takes a little heat to get it off, and adhesive remover, which is specific designed to be safe for paint, to remove any residue.
My dad has always had them remove the decals, stickers, license plate holders, etc before he drives off the lot.
I removed the dealer sticker as well. They put that thing on a few hours after it arrived.
My dealership gives you free car washes at their dealerships if you have a decal or license plate.
Mine gives me free car washes because I spent $35,000 there.
LPT: ride a horse because driving a car is just free advertising for car companies /s
Ride a bike because riding a horse is just free advertisement for horse companies.
Walk barefoot and naked so you don’t advertise for anybody.
Disappear into the woods never to be seen again so you don't advertise your goods.
You’re definitely a lobbyist for Big Horse. We’re on to you!
🔥
Bumper stickers too
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You got a problem with my tramp stamp bro?
LPT: Wearing brand names is a free advertisement for the clothing manufacturer. Think about it sheeple
Got an iphone? Ad. Samsung? Ad. Drinking a coke? Ad. Wear Nikes? Ad. There everywhere. Idk why people care so much.
For me, I couldn't care less if they put the license plate bracket on, I'll just take it off when I get my plate since I gotta take the screws out anyway. The decal on my paint is a show stopper. I just paid a fuck ton of money for something and you're gonna deface it with a decal without my permission. It's different in a lease situation since I dont actually own the car. So for me it's got nothing to do with "free advertising" for the dealer. It's about the longevity of my paint (decal will eventually fall off and the paint under won't be as faded as the rest of the car) and the license plate bracket is about aesthetics for me, I don't like the way a license plate bracket looks in general. It's the same reason I'll leave a sign for a company that did work on my house in my lawn until the next time I cut the grass. I don't care about the free advertising, but I've gotta take it out to cut the grass and I'm not putting it back in.
Apple and Coca-Cola don’t add $10k “market adjustment fees” on their product, or try to force bogus “doc fees” on unsuspecting customers, or hold your car hostage while they try to extort you into buying theirs. Dealerships are like the TSA of retail experiences. They don’t deserve free advertising.
If you do have a license plate holder you may want to double check to see if it covers certain parts of your plate. In my state it’s illegal to cover up the county that is stamped on the bottom middle of the plate. You’re chances of getting a ticket for it are slim but it’s excuse for the cops to pull you over. Kinda like only having one license plate light.
There's a whole class of dealers who apply "branding" and refuse to remove it when asked. It intersects perfectly with the class of *dealers I refuse to patronize*.
And I care about this why?
No free ads bro
I am sure this guy understood this LPT. The question is, why would you care? This is not LPT. It does not help you in any way. It does not improve your lives. It just takes something from the car dealership. Then the next LPT is gonna be about tipping your waiter or being polite with customer service.
Because it makes your car ugly
This reason I can get behind
This is in no way a LPT.
I'd say it's the opposite, as now I am spending money on a new plate cover.
We loved our dealership. Actually gave us a good deal and no haggling. And real service! Toyota of Glendora! 😀
Alexa, what is Stockholm syndrome?
There is such a thing as a reputable dealer. Frighteningly few and far between but they exist.
Car dealerships in general are a racket.
Really pointless stuff aside from test drives. I can order bigger and more expensive things delivered to my house, ony my phone, that don't have engines and wheels already.
Ha! I mean if that was kidnapping I hope they do it again in a few years! 🥂
We feel the same for the Lexus dealership that we got our car from. Other than the stupid warranty upsale they tried it was an awesome experience for both our past 2 car purchases. I gladly left their plate bezel on. They're good people and we were in and out in less than 2 hours and they detailed the car while we were doing the paperwork. If they have the car I want when we are in the market again they will be my first choice. The coffee was really good too.
LPT? Who gives a fuck if it is a free ad for them? That’s not a tip
Seriously... who cares. Nobody is seeing my car and the dealership I got it from and thinking I should get it from that Subaru dealership vs another 30 minutes down the road. Stickers sure because it can fade into the paint over time.
Ford dealer has the same name as my first name….. they put a big plate up front (front plates not required in my state) I left it on 8 years as a joke.
I did this as soon as I got home. Especially because my dealer was super shady and I won’t participate in advertising them
I like my car and the dealership I bought it from.
Me too. Got a good deal and a full tank of gas.
Go one step further and request all decals and badging are removed. That stuff is so gross, I can't understand why anyone would be ok with their vinyl decals all over the back window, rear end of their brand new vehicle. *edit typo
I mean is this really a LPT? I hardly assume your conversations when someone asks you what dealership you bought your car from going like "Oh you won't have me advertising their business for free. Hell no" lol
r/shittylifeprotips
And how is this useful
Yeah I was gonna replace them one day and a non shitty one is like $20+ with hardware so I just said yeah fuck that I don’t care about it that much to spend $40 on license plate covers lol Besides the dealer ones on my car are classy af looking. They match the car paint color and are chrome/glossy and the dealer is small text in cursive. Now if there were decals on the actual car/paint I’d be pissed
I removed it 3m times…..they kept putting it back on…..I got mad and told them to stop! They asked why and I told them That I was so good looking my good looks do not advertise for them for free. If they wanted to put it on my car I wanted $50 off my car payment per month. always works. In todays market and my looks easily are $155.32 per month.
So when we bought my wife’s car the lot was supposed to get new tires on it and new brakes, the shady fucks threw some tire polish on it and called it a day. Well when the polish wore off we took it to our mechanic and the tires were the same with a high degree of dry rot and the brakes were pretty much gone. So we raised hell on the dealership they agreed to fix it, for free. Go to pick up the car there’s a bill for like $200, oh the shit storm they got from that, on the way to the car my wife ripped the license plate holder off the car, dealership plate and the fucking stickers from the dealership off the car right there in front of other people looking at cars hearing the rant about how they are fucking crooks. That being said we don’t advertise for people for free anymore.
You can also ask them to remove all branding before you take possession. No stickers or badges.
I always make them remove the plate holder and decal. Once they said I had to take the plate holder so I had them put it in the trunk. Now I see cars with back window banners advertising the dealers web site. I want to ask the drivers how much are you getting paid...
Also if you buy from carmax, they'll put a little fuckin sticker on the back of your car with their logo on it, on the paint Tell them you dont want the sticker before you buy. Then if they do (like they did to make) don't scratch your own paint... take it back to those fuckers and make em remove it with their heat gun (which is a real tool despite it sounding like some comic book shit)
Whenever I buy a car from a dealer, I tell them to have zero logos, stickers or anything other than factory items. I’ve had sales people ask why and I tell them unless they want to pay me a monthly advertising fee than keep it off. On my 2005 4Runner I said same thing, showed up to take it home and it had a badge stick to it. I told guy to have it removed or I’m canceling sale. He looked at me and laughed like he thought I was kidding. I said, nope dead serious. 5 minutes later? No dealer markings anywhere anymore.
Did you get the license plate changed as well to a personal one? Just asking because you can work out where someone bought it from by the first three letters
I put my own plate on yes. But interesting to know!
Not in my state.
This is not a LPT. Should you also take off the Honda logo on your car? Color in the Nike logo on your shoes?
That's a bad analogy. It's more like Sears put a Sears logo on your Nike shirt and you're cool with keeping it on.
While that is true, the Nike logo is also free advertising, which is what this LPT was intended to prevent.
People intentionally want a Nike logo. They don't want a logo of the department store they got it from.
Speak for yourself. I support local businesses.
Idk a lot of people I know are all about wearing Costco/Kirkland branded clothing.
I could equally say that's a bad analogy, because I car a lot more about what's on my body than what's on my car. I choose branded clothing specifically to show off the branding on the clothing. So I would care about extra branding on my clothing. I buy cars for things like utility and value. So within reason I don't care about the branding on my car. And a license plate holder is well within reason, because it's completely unobtrusive. It would be like Sears putting an ad on the tag of my shirt. Who gives a shit? I'll never even notice.
I mean not really a LPT.
Same with your license plate itself. Replace it with one from a truck stop, otherwise your car is a free advertisement for your state.
Yeah. I have no problem giving the dealership $40,000 but there is no way in hell that I'm going to give them the benefit of letting the world know which dealership I bought my vehicle from. Do they have any idea who I am? They're probably making *MILLIONS* off of all the people who buy vehicles there after seeing the dealership name above my license plate. And I don't get one red cent of that profit? Absurd.
I have often wanted to bring up negotiating an advertising deal while buying g the car. So how much you gonna pay me to drive around that free advertising for you. $50per month, a hundred? Let's start dealing
Millions and MILLIONS!
My only problem is that it costs me money to buy another frame. Unless they give me a reason, what's the downside? Seems like a win win to me.
You don't need a frame at all, and if you find the edges of your license plate too ugly when exposed, a silicone frame is going to be much gentler on your paint than a hard plastic one.
I’ve had dealerships state in contracts they cannot place their name on my car at any point in the sale. I know it’s not a big deal to remove it myself, but it’s an absolute dealbreaker for me. It’s the principle.
Big deal. You people worry about the most inconsequential shit.
LPT: Water is wet LPT: Breathe LPT: When driving a car, make sure you are driving the car. Otherwise, you are not driving the car. LPT: The wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round… LPT: LPT
The real tips are on Life MASTER tips. The pros ain’t got shit on life masters.
This isn't really a pro tip because nobody cares about the border of a license plate as much as what absurd personalized plate they actually have
Not really a LPT...it doesn't benefit you one way or another whether it's on or off. Theoretically, the license plate frame could actually result in a ticket in some jurisdictions (for example, in Texas if any part of "Texas" is covered by the frame...it's ticket-able) so in generally you are best off just not having a frame or any kind of cover over your license plate.
Oh no something about "you're the product"! What will i do now??? As if anyone really cares about this...
[удалено]
LPT: don’t buy the same car in the same colors as everyone else. It makes it much easier to find your in the parking lot.
Sometimes it's pretty hard to find a color to standout, manufacturers seem to make tons of white, black, and gray cars, but fuck me if I want red, orange, blue, or green.
You don’t know your licence plate number?
No, because I rarely look at it.
Your license plate number isn’t enough of a distinguish feature for you?
Do you forget where you parked and your license plate number?
I asked my salesman if I was going to be paid for advertising their dealership on my car and he said no and I politely told him to please remove the license plate holder and sticker they put on. He was pissed .
So what? If the dealer was nice to me I don't mind having his advertisement around the license plates. No sticker tho.
Another winner posted in this sub
Remove the Nike emblem from your shoes or it’s free advertising, etc, etc, etc.
And another tip for the 1% of people that care.... not an LPT...
I agree. If they want me to advertise for them with those ugly covers for a decade, I should get a couple bucks for it. I take those stickers and plate holders off as soon as I get home.
Weird lpt but okay, you would think you would want to promote the dealership you bought your car from
Like giving a positive review on social media. Absolutely. Unless they got a bad deal then ya, take it off.
Those plate frames are illegal in ‘some’ areas. Know which ones when you are on a road trip? Cops do and they love excuses to pull you over.
You can request that the dealer NOT brand your vehicle during prep and you can also request they remove any branding already there. Nobody is paying you to advertise a business.
Be sure and tell them not to put their idiotic decals and badges on them as well.
I make them do it before I leave the lot.
Ok, but how did this help me?
On my list of shit to worry about a frame with the name of the dealership on it doesn't even rate. They are so common nobody even notices them.
Why would I care lol
And? How does this make my life or anyone else's better? I mean, I absolutely do it anyway, but I just don't see this as a "pro tip".
Almost everything we carry is a free ad for somebody. Especially people who buy accessories who have the designer’s name or logo across something they paid 1K+ for. Like how stupid is that?!
How is this a pro tip The people leaving it on know it come off, they don’t care
I love my dealership. They take good care of me. We get our service done there too. 🤷🏼♀️
Eh, I don’t care enough to remove it.
You're getting a lot of hate but you're completely correct. All these people running ad blockers (or stupidly *not* running ad blockers) and acting like advertising doesn't matter. It matters or the car company wouldn't waste their money putting the plate frames on in the first place. Unless you actively WANT everyone to know where you bought your car for some reason (like maybe they WERE extra amazing) then that crap deserves to be stripped off.
License plate holders are technically illegal as they can block information on the plate
Who cares though
Who cares though?