The finance person asked me if I wanted to activate it for a fee.
LoJack is registered in the company's database at the time of installation. Unless I am mistaken, the unit is activated when the customer reports the vehicle stolen to the police. I have no idea what the finance person means by "activation."
The cops could find it IF *their* car had the locator installed (often only one car in an entire precinct) and IF they had time to bother with it. Often by the time the thieves are done with it, you don't want to find it.
Often by the time the thieves are done with it, you don't want to find it
So true... my Dad had a brand new car stolen once (86 Shelby Charger) and unfortunately they found it.... with the spoiler ripped off, radio missing, two windows broken and the interior trashed. Naturally, being new they fixed everything under insurance. Who knows how they drove it.
I've seen some discussions on here about paint work. It seems many dealers have a negative view of it. Is it really a problem? I was under the impression that as long as a car was not totalled/suffered frame damage, it wasn't that big a deal.
Is a fender bender or a touched up bumper/quarter panel that big a deal?
I mean should a person not buy a used car with paintwork?
A total repaint, especially of a car that's not too old (10 years old) could mean that the owner is hiding something, or that is was in a major major accident.
Factory paint is always prefered to aftermarket paint.
Factory paint is always prefered to aftermarket paint.
It might be preferred but a car has to have paint to be of any value. I had a ’95 Bonneville that started to shed paint in large patches in 2000. That car would have been useless had I not had it repainted.
I bought an ’85 Grand Prix in 88 that had a right front fender replaced. I could see some over spray on the inside of the wheel well and if you looked closely you could see that the paint didn’t match perfectly when compared to the right door but it was a first class repair and I didn’t hesitate to buy the car.
Let’s face it, when you’re buying a used car you can’t expect it to be perfect, at least I don’t. If the car has had first class minor repainting (hood, trunk or door) what’s the big deal? It makes me wonder if this isn’t a way for a dealer to try to steal someone’s trade.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Much more of an issue with a luxury car than with a mass market car. People who buy luxury pre owned want them to be perfect. Someone buying a used Taurus or Accord is generally less picky.
I could see some over spray on the inside of the wheel well and if you looked closely you could see that the paint didn’t match perfectly when compared to the right door but it was a first class repair
Honestly, it wasn't a "first class repair" The door should have been properly blended and the overspray cleaned. Maybe the paint job was "good" but there were steps left out. Right before my '06 Avalon came off lease it was backed into in front of my Grandfather's house. It was a pearl white color so although only the fender was damaged the driver's door, hood and bumper all had to be blended. When it was done you really couldn't tell. Of course, that came at a price it was over $1400.
"...It makes me wonder if this isn't a way for a dealer to try to steal someone's trade..."
Such a cynic you are. Everyone knows that the dealer shouldn't trust a repainted trade-in because customers are all rotten cheaters. However, once that same car goes out on the dealers lot the paint job magically becomes OK.
I think there is a magic wand involved but I'm not sure. :P
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Honestly, it wasn't a "first class repair" The door should have been properly blended and the overspray cleaned. Maybe the paint job was "good" but there were steps left out.
I feel it was a first class repair but not perfect. I’ve heard the words “blended” before and when I’ve talked to repair shops they have said that to “blend” means to paint several panels and you have to draw the line somewhere otherwise you’re talking about a total repaint which as we have learned is taboo.
The strange thing about this paint job was that where the right front fender met the hood it was perfect and if you stopped looking at this point you would never have know the fender was replaced. Maybe the door was replaced at one time and I missed that but the door matched the right rear quarter panel so maybe the whole right side was reworked some other time and I was really snookered.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
so here's a question... what about my '01 S-10. Not quite 10 years old, but seen pretty good use a "REAL" truck. Towing, hauling, dump runs, moving runs, wok vehicle and such. It has been taken care of. Body is straight, it runs excellent, interior is in great shape, everything works. It does have over 100K on it, which will turn most people away if I decided to sell it. So would a total re-paint really turn off the rest?? The truck could really use a total repaint.
My line of thinking is that the kind of people that would walk away because of a repaint wouldn't even come close to my vehicle. Those that would buy a vehicle like mine wouldn't care one whit about whether it was repainted or not. So the only reason I would repaint is to satisfy me in knowing that the truck looks good again... besides all that, I am not about to sell it anyway since it is way more valuable to me as a paid for well maintained, good operating vehicle than trading it in for something new. I could care less about it's trade-in or resale value since by the time I am done with it, no one is going to want it.
My line of thinking is that the kind of people that would walk away because of a repaint wouldn't even come close to my vehicle. Those that would buy a vehicle like mine wouldn't care one whit about whether it was repainted or not
Depends on the car too on your average vanilla sedan a repainted hood or fender isn't too bad. A slight deduct but thats it.
So which is the larger deduction? A repainted hood or the un-repainted hood with 8-12, maybe more, small chips in the paint that are starting to rust? Seems to me the owner is damned if they do and damned if they don't repaint.
We disagree because it IS harder to sell a car that has been painted.
Last time I weighted in on this paint thing, all you guys in the biz (shifty too) were saying the vast majority of the buying public couldn't car less if a hood/car was repainted or not. That we wouldn't know a good or bad paint job if it rose up and bit us on the [non-permissible content removed]. So which is it... harder to sell repainted car or not?
Basically the dealer lowers the price on my trade-in because it has been repainted, but does not lower the price when selling this repainted car? I guess that's called making a profit. :sick:
I believe we were clarifying our statements regarding specific cars. Most folks don't care if a Taurus is repainted. Most folks definitely care if their 911 is repainted.
Dodge Neon repaint? - Don't care. Corvette repaint? - Care
So which is it... harder to sell repainted car or not?
Depends on where it was painted and what car it was. If you are just looking for a broad statement, then it is more difficult to sell a repainted car.
If the entire car is repainted, and it's a 5 to 10 year old vehicle, then red flags and questions will pop up. Why would a vehicle this new need an entire repaint?
If it's just a door, or a hood, then it's not a big deal.
Yeah I agree that on high end cars it does make a difference. On low end cars it might not, but still I'd prefer a $7500 car with original paint and a few chips or dings rather than a $7500 car with a brand new repaint. That's because most repaints I've seen (at least the cheapo ones, which is gonna be the ones you see on most low end cars) will start peeling and chipping in a matter of years and will look worse than the original painted car with a few dings and chips. Not to mention an entire repaint of a car, if not done properly will have overspray, dust under paint, and driped paint drops, and that alone ruins the car too.
When they are selling the exact same car, the salesman will immediately tell the customer about the prior body work and flawed paint job. NOT!
Do you know how many times I have asked a customer if the car had been painted and they said "No", only for me to do my little inspection to discover the car had infact been painted. Then I ask them, "what happened to the front fender and hood?"...only to be followed up with..."oooh yeah, my teenage daughter accidently hit our basketball hoop, and we had it fixed"....how conveniently they tried to leave it out.....I can spot body work / paint work with no problem, no matter how good the paint job
I have never, ever in my many years is the biz have a customer volunteer to me that their car has been damaged / painted. Never!
If you are just looking for a broad statement, then it is more difficult to sell a repainted car.
That's not what you indicated in a previous post.
Moo Post #1156 Ya, I'm disagreeing with you that a repaint on the hood will screw up resale value.
Initially we were talking about a repaint on a brand new car, i.e a Traverse that costs in the neighborhood of 30 grand. So, any new or like new car (1-3 years old) from $14k-$30k is what we should be focused on... not Porsche 911 turbos or old beat up Dodge Neons.
So, I would care if a 2 or 3 year old Taurus, Accord, Camry (or similar car) had a "significant" repaint. Which would support the broad statement I am looking for, that it is more difficult to sell a repainted car... that the buyer knows about that is. As said before, most dealerships aren't going to point out to a customer that a car they are selling has been repainted, though they will ask and check when buying... reducing the value of the trade in if there has been a repaint.
Seriously, as a regular here that is a bit offensive. Kind of like somebody saying all salesmen are sleazy, cheat suit wearing, gold plated jewelry wearing alcoholics who beat their wives and cheat on their dogs... just not true in the majority of cases.
On that particular car, Jip. You could squish a Traverse into a cube and not hurt the resale value. It has 0 value. As soon as you drive a Traverse off the lot, it is worth nothing. See where I'm going with this? A brand new Pontiac Aztek with a repainted hood would not bother me in the slightest. Why? Because it is a rolling piece of crap.
Generally speaking, it is more difficult to sell a repainted car for the same value as clean car.
As said before, most dealerships aren't going to point out to a customer that a car they are selling has been repainted, though they will ask and check when buying... reducing the value of the trade in if there has been a repaint.
Correct. At my dealership, we always disclose any previous paintwork. We don't have to, and do our best not to sell any cars with paintwork. Sometimes a 911 will have some scratches on the bumper. We'll paint it and then put it back on the lot. At the point of sale, we will disclose that paintwork to the buyer.
If there is any significant paintwork on a vehicle that is being traded into our dealership, we will NOT even sell the vehicle. We will wholesale it. Bad CarFax? Wholesale.
yeah but don't use "repaint" as if it meant "lousy job".
When we (okay, I'll speak for myself) say "professional repaint" we mean one that is not distinguishable, and perhaps BETTER than the factory job---which is what a high class professional shop does for a living.
A $7500 car that was professionally repainted is BETTER than one with original chipped and faded paint and worth more. Why? Because it qualifies as "excellent" in the price guides, not as "fair".
A 2006 Porsche repainted? No, not so good.
If you are talking about going to Miraculous and watching someone gulp a mouthful of paint and spit it on your car, well then, yes, the original paint with chips and fading would be more desirable.
If I were selling my '97 Subaru for $4000 dollars and someone started pointing at a possible repaint spot done 6 years and 50,000 miles ago, I'm sorry, I'd have to laugh at him.
My opinion is that once a car is out of warranty, any car that has professional repainting is as good as an "original one".
Crappy paint is like crappy carpentry or crappy dental work. Of course no one is going to like it.
You could squish a Traverse into a cube and not hurt the resale value. It has 0 value. As soon as you drive a Traverse off the lot, it is worth nothing.
LOL. Howie Long says they are better than a Honda Pilot... with better mpg yet. Howie wouldn't lie to me would he?
Howie is an idiot, Jip. Don't listen to his lies. Isn't he from Canada?
He's American. Canadians are not idiots (on average they have an IQ 5-10 points higher than the average American), and they're not prone to lying any more than Americans.
Darn snake....you got us dealers figured out. :mad:
We secretly deduct thousands of dollars from trade in value because the cars have been painted at the factory, cause we really prefer primered no paint cars so that we can "custom" paint them when someone is looking for a specific color., helping us avoid the objections of "I'm not sure I/my wife like this color"
My opinion is that once a car is out of warranty, any car that has professional repainting is as good as an "original one".
I don't know if I would use out of warranty as the yardstick. A two year old Honda with 50,000 miles is out of warranty but if it had a complete repaint I would be very suspicious of it. I wouldn't want to retail something like that. I think you need a sliding scale that is make, original MSRP, year and mileage dependent.
Like you said a 10 year plus old Subaru with 150,000 miles no one cares. A 10 year old Honda with less then 60,000 miles well that might be different.
Seriously, as a regular here that is a bit offensive.
No need to take offence to it. It was meant as an inside joke to others in the biz here. They know what I'm talking about. Perhaps I should have used :shades: , or :P , or
As a regular here as well, I have never made a personal insult towards anyone. I don't do that. I'm sorry if I offended you personally, but, it was not intended to be that way.
On a side note, there are plenty here who constantly bash sales people. I'm ok with that because old school ways have hurt the reputation of our profession. Unfortunately, there are those who still do...
yeah but you are a dealer and you have a higher standard of accountability than a private party sale. You have to be more careful.
As for a 2 year old Honda with 50,000 miles, you're going to have to discount that car anyway, at least $1000--1500, so the depreciation for repaint is probably already built into it.
Besides, that car is probably eligible for extended warranty, so my warranty yardstick might still have validity.
Well yeah for private party sale then that is different.
Where do you draw the line on warranty though? You have those shady warranty companies that will warranty anything under 150,000 miles/less then 10 years old and no one really cares about a repaint at 150,000 miles.
I guess you could see your normal factory back extended warranties or reputable aftermarket warranty companies, there are still some of those right, might be a good yard stick.
Comments
LoJack is registered in the company's database at the time of installation. Unless I am mistaken, the unit is activated when the customer reports the vehicle stolen to the police. I have no idea what the finance person means by "activation."
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
I just looked this up myself. Should have done it first.
You just can't trust someone who's referred to as an F&I guy. :confuse:
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
Ahhh, he's heard it before. :P
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
So true... my Dad had a brand new car stolen once (86 Shelby Charger) and unfortunately they found it.... with the spoiler ripped off, radio missing, two windows broken and the interior trashed. Naturally, being new they fixed everything under insurance. Who knows how they drove it.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Is a fender bender or a touched up bumper/quarter panel that big a deal?
I mean should a person not buy a used car with paintwork?
A total repaint, especially of a car that's not too old (10 years old) could mean that the owner is hiding something, or that is was in a major major accident.
Factory paint is always prefered to aftermarket paint.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Now a repaint on something really high dollar like a S-Class, 7 series or the like is a much, much bigger deal.
Also matters if the accident shows up on carfax or not. If it doesn't show up and the repaint is very minor then it doesn't matter that much.
It might be preferred but a car has to have paint to be of any value. I had a ’95 Bonneville that started to shed paint in large patches in 2000. That car would have been useless had I not had it repainted.
I bought an ’85 Grand Prix in 88 that had a right front fender replaced. I could see some over spray on the inside of the wheel well and if you looked closely you could see that the paint didn’t match perfectly when compared to the right door but it was a first class repair and I didn’t hesitate to buy the car.
Let’s face it, when you’re buying a used car you can’t expect it to be perfect, at least I don’t. If the car has had first class minor repainting (hood, trunk or door) what’s the big deal? It makes me wonder if this isn’t a way for a dealer to try to steal someone’s trade.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
People who buy luxury pre owned want them to be perfect.
Someone buying a used Taurus or Accord is generally less picky.
Honestly, it wasn't a "first class repair" The door should have been properly blended and the overspray cleaned. Maybe the paint job was "good" but there were steps left out. Right before my '06 Avalon came off lease it was backed into in front of my Grandfather's house. It was a pearl white color so although only the fender was damaged the driver's door, hood and bumper all had to be blended. When it was done you really couldn't tell. Of course, that came at a price it was over $1400.
2025 Ram 1500 Laramie 4x4 / 2023 Mercedes EQE 350 4Matic / 2022 Icon I6L Golf Cart
Such a cynic you are. Everyone knows that the dealer shouldn't trust a repainted trade-in because customers are all rotten cheaters. However, once that same car goes out on the dealers lot the paint job magically becomes OK.
I think there is a magic wand involved but I'm not sure. :P
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I feel it was a first class repair but not perfect. I’ve heard the words “blended” before and when I’ve talked to repair shops they have said that to “blend” means to paint several panels and you have to draw the line somewhere otherwise you’re talking about a total repaint which as we have learned is taboo.
The strange thing about this paint job was that where the right front fender met the hood it was perfect and if you stopped looking at this point you would never have know the fender was replaced. Maybe the door was replaced at one time and I missed that but the door matched the right rear quarter panel so maybe the whole right side was reworked some other time and I was really snookered.
jmonroe
'15 Genesis V8 with Ultimate Package and '18 Legacy Limited 6 cyl
My line of thinking is that the kind of people that would walk away because of a repaint wouldn't even come close to my vehicle. Those that would buy a vehicle like mine wouldn't care one whit about whether it was repainted or not. So the only reason I would repaint is to satisfy me in knowing that the truck looks good again... besides all that, I am not about to sell it anyway since it is way more valuable to me as a paid for well maintained, good operating vehicle than trading it in for something new. I could care less about it's trade-in or resale value since by the time I am done with it, no one is going to want it.
There's your answer.
How do you cook chinese food in your truck? :P
With a wok, silly! The_Big_Al already told you that. :P :P
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
So which is the larger deduction? A repainted hood or the un-repainted hood with 8-12, maybe more, small chips in the paint that are starting to rust? Seems to me the owner is damned if they do and damned if they don't repaint.
You got that right. You're better off selling privately.
Seems like common sense to me, ,but dealers seem to disagree.
You can always net about $1200-+ more by selling private party. My guess is that only about 25 percent of all used cars are sold private party though.
We disagree because it IS harder to sell a car that has been painted.
Last time I weighted in on this paint thing, all you guys in the biz (shifty too) were saying the vast majority of the buying public couldn't car less if a hood/car was repainted or not. That we wouldn't know a good or bad paint job if it rose up and bit us on the [non-permissible content removed]. So which is it... harder to sell repainted car or not?
Basically the dealer lowers the price on my trade-in because it has been repainted, but does not lower the price when selling this repainted car? I guess that's called making a profit. :sick:
Dodge Neon repaint? - Don't care.
Corvette repaint? - Care
So which is it... harder to sell repainted car or not?
Depends on where it was painted and what car it was. If you are just looking for a broad statement, then it is more difficult to sell a repainted car.
If it's just a door, or a hood, then it's not a big deal.
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
When they are selling the exact same car, the salesman will immediately tell the customer about the prior body work and flawed paint job. NOT!
That's called being in the Car Sales Business.
:shades:
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Do you know how many times I have asked a customer if the car had been painted and they said "No", only for me to do my little inspection to discover the car had infact been painted. Then I ask them, "what happened to the front fender and hood?"...only to be followed up with..."oooh yeah, my teenage daughter accidently hit our basketball hoop, and we had it fixed"....how conveniently they tried to leave it out.....I can spot body work / paint work with no problem, no matter how good the paint job
I have never, ever in my many years is the biz have a customer volunteer to me that their car has been damaged / painted. Never!
#1 rule in the biz is "buyers are liars"......
That's not what you indicated in a previous post.
Moo Post #1156 Ya, I'm disagreeing with you that a repaint on the hood will screw up resale value.
Initially we were talking about a repaint on a brand new car, i.e a Traverse that costs in the neighborhood of 30 grand. So, any new or like new car (1-3 years old) from $14k-$30k is what we should be focused on... not Porsche 911 turbos or old beat up Dodge Neons.
So, I would care if a 2 or 3 year old Taurus, Accord, Camry (or similar car) had a "significant" repaint. Which would support the broad statement I am looking for, that it is more difficult to sell a repainted car... that the buyer knows about that is. As said before, most dealerships aren't going to point out to a customer that a car they are selling has been repainted, though they will ask and check when buying... reducing the value of the trade in if there has been a repaint.
I'm a buyer... you calling me a liar? :mad:
Seriously, as a regular here that is a bit offensive. Kind of like somebody saying all salesmen are sleazy, cheat suit wearing, gold plated jewelry wearing alcoholics who beat their wives and cheat on their dogs... just not true in the majority of cases.
Generally speaking, it is more difficult to sell a repainted car for the same value as clean car.
As said before, most dealerships aren't going to point out to a customer that a car they are selling has been repainted, though they will ask and check when buying... reducing the value of the trade in if there has been a repaint.
Correct. At my dealership, we always disclose any previous paintwork. We don't have to, and do our best not to sell any cars with paintwork. Sometimes a 911 will have some scratches on the bumper. We'll paint it and then put it back on the lot. At the point of sale, we will disclose that paintwork to the buyer.
If there is any significant paintwork on a vehicle that is being traded into our dealership, we will NOT even sell the vehicle. We will wholesale it. Bad CarFax? Wholesale.
When we (okay, I'll speak for myself) say "professional repaint" we mean one that is not distinguishable, and perhaps BETTER than the factory job---which is what a high class professional shop does for a living.
A $7500 car that was professionally repainted is BETTER than one with original chipped and faded paint and worth more. Why? Because it qualifies as "excellent" in the price guides, not as "fair".
A 2006 Porsche repainted? No, not so good.
If you are talking about going to Miraculous and watching someone gulp a mouthful of paint and spit it on your car, well then, yes, the original paint with chips and fading would be more desirable.
If I were selling my '97 Subaru for $4000 dollars and someone started pointing at a possible repaint spot done 6 years and 50,000 miles ago, I'm sorry, I'd have to laugh at him.
My opinion is that once a car is out of warranty, any car that has professional repainting is as good as an "original one".
Crappy paint is like crappy carpentry or crappy dental work. Of course no one is going to like it.
LOL. Howie Long says they are better than a Honda Pilot... with better mpg yet. Howie wouldn't lie to me would he?
So it must be very hard to sell cars since all cars have been painted. :shades:
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
He's American. Canadians are not idiots (on average they have an IQ 5-10 points higher than the average American), and they're not prone to lying any more than Americans.
We secretly deduct thousands of dollars from trade in value because the cars have been painted at the factory, cause we really prefer primered no paint cars so that we can "custom" paint them when someone is looking for a specific color., helping us avoid the objections of "I'm not sure I/my wife like this color"
2016 Audi A7 3.0T S Line, 2021 Subaru WRX
Salesperson: "Sorry, all I can give you for that 2008 Mercedes is $3200. It looks like the bottom of the left bumper was repainted"
Customer: "Oh, well, I see your point... okay I guess".
Then explain this:
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
That's easy, it's two guys making a better living than you and I do.
LOL
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
I don't know if I would use out of warranty as the yardstick. A two year old Honda with 50,000 miles is out of warranty but if it had a complete repaint I would be very suspicious of it. I wouldn't want to retail something like that. I think you need a sliding scale that is make, original MSRP, year and mileage dependent.
Like you said a 10 year plus old Subaru with 150,000 miles no one cares. A 10 year old Honda with less then 60,000 miles well that might be different.
Seriously, as a regular here that is a bit offensive.
No need to take offence to it. It was meant as an inside joke to others in the biz here. They know what I'm talking about. Perhaps I should have used :shades: , or :P , or
As a regular here as well, I have never made a personal insult towards anyone. I don't do that. I'm sorry if I offended you personally, but, it was not intended to be that way.
On a side note, there are plenty here who constantly bash sales people. I'm ok with that because old school ways have hurt the reputation of our profession. Unfortunately, there are those who still do...
As for a 2 year old Honda with 50,000 miles, you're going to have to discount that car anyway, at least $1000--1500, so the depreciation for repaint is probably already built into it.
Besides, that car is probably eligible for extended warranty, so my warranty yardstick might still have validity.
Where do you draw the line on warranty though? You have those shady warranty companies that will warranty anything under 150,000 miles/less then 10 years old and no one really cares about a repaint at 150,000 miles.
I guess you could see your normal factory back extended warranties or reputable aftermarket warranty companies, there are still some of those right, might be a good yard stick.
Yeah, I've done that before. The ole winky eye emotorcon gets a lot of use from me, though sometimes I forget to use it as well. Thanks.