new car purchase - What is "window etch insurance"?

[Todds]

I'm about to buy a new car and they are trying to charge me $189 for "window etch insurance". Is this something I want? I figured it was bullshit.

[assman]

total bullshit. they etch the glass with part of the vin to help with parts theft tracking

DO NOT PAY FOR IT. WALK AWAY FROM THE DEAL IF NEED BE

Also don't pay for "paint sealant" "seat sealant" "document fees etc. tell them you want the car but will not pay a cent for dealer add ons.

In this market, go find another dealer.

[smmokan]

Totally legit. Make sure you pay for the rust-proofing and undercoating too.

[jon gaper]

you can do it yourself with a $2 tool in 5 minutes if you care

[Todds]

Thanks all. I figured it was pure dealer profit and told them I wouldn't pay for it. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong before I took delivery.

[RShea]

Around here they have at least 1 time a year that the Police Department does it (and I think for free too). Drive through and they put the vehicle Vin number on each of the Windows. If the vehicle ends up in a chop shop- they can always strip and sell everything else but the glass and the actual Vin plate, so not sure what the extra vin number etching does other than if the vehicle is recovered before it gets pulled into the chop shop.

[advres]

Talk to your insurance co. Some give you a discount for it but it may not be worth the money depending on the savings. At least that's what my buddy said after he had it done. Maybe he lied after he realized he got rooked?

[MontuckyFried]

Dealers all like to add on all sorts of crap like window etching, fabric protection, pin-striping, rust-proofing, etc., and tell you it's standard on all their cars, yet expect you to pay big bucks for them. It's a gimmick that most dealerships try and pull. It's easy not to pay for it, though. Just tell them you just want to buy the car as it was from the factory, and you aren't willing to pay a dime for the stuff THEY decided to do. Since they've already done all the work, they'll give you the car anyway. It's not as if they could remove the window etching anyway. And besides, a lot of manufacturers do that themselves at the factory anyway, yet the shady dealerships claim THEY did it. Don't fall for it. It was probably delivered to them that way. And the so called "fabric protection" is really nothing more than a $2 can of ScotchGard.

[MontuckyFried]

Oh yeah, and while you're at it, knock 'em down a few more grand. Dealerships are pretty desperate these days AND it's the end of the month. If they don't make the sale, they could be missing out on a $50,000+ manufacturers bonus.

I used to work at a dealership, and saw this all the time. They'll work with you. Go pay for a full report at consumerreports.org, and you can find out exactly how much the dealership paid for the vehicle. Not what the dealership tells you is "invoice", but TRUE dealer invoice, which is what they paid. At the end of the month, dealerships can usually afford to take a big loss on a few vehicles in order to snag that wonderful manufacturers bonus. If they've already made their monthly bonus, then you don't have as much negotiating power, but there's always next month. Dealerships probably hate me, but I ALWAYS score great deals. Muahahaha.

[Todds]

I told them no on $189 and they didn't push the point.

I picked up the car today and the windows appear to be etched. The contract said "window etch insurance". Maybe they were trying to charge for some sort of insurance on the window etch.

[stuckathuntermtn]

Did you get the speed holes?