Hidden Dealer Fees are EVERYWHERE | Here's How to Beat Them

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We've all seen them: BS, unfair dealer fees tacked on to a deal we thought was secure. There are multitudes of them, often with confusing names for similar items. How do you make sense of it all? Ray and Zach break it all down in this video, going over a comprehensive list of fees you may come across in your car-buying journey, as well as how to negotiate them off.

[hectorrivera]

I tell the dealer upfront that I don't want any junk add-ons. If they tell me 'They're already on the car, we can't take them off', I walk out. I don't have time for nonsense.

[Andrew-zstc]

I bought a car yesterday and came up with a new approach to the back office sales after the sale. I told the finance person, that I will take everything they recommend as long as it is included in the price we already negotiated. If he though I should have it and is willing to include it, please include it.

He quickly listed the packages and didn't even mention prices. It was a quick and painless purchase.

[reyfontjr]

Thanks to you and the homework guy i was able to go from an OTD price of 39k to 33k i had a long day getting this price but your tips and tricks got me home driving a new 2023 civic si with tints, wheel locks and rubber floor mats.

[Starlighterigniter]

When I bought my car the dealer said there was a 499 fee for nitrogen, I had my compressor with me so I told him to let all the nitrogen out of the tires and I would fill them with my compressor, he said oh ok we will deduct that fee!

[wrenw]

I worked for a supplier to the auto industry and a clear top coat is applied to the car at the factory. I’m not sure a paint protection is needed to be applied by the dealer. 🤔

[musicloverme]

7:56 "Crystal Fusion" made me think of Crystal Blue Persuasion!

[trk]

I had a dealer tell me an accessory package was non negotiable (this was Covid times) I asked, is this a mark up and you are using accessories for a cover up? They said yes, and I appreciated the honesty and liked the accessories so I made them discount it 1k and kept the 500 cost because buying cars Covid times was crazy. If you tell them to be straight up with you if it’s negotiable or not, most likely they will be up front unless they are really shady.

[anthonyruiz]

When i bought my mazda 3 in 2014 i bought the stupid windshield and tire protection and i used the windshield replacement and when i got a crack they only came out and fixed it by stopping it from spreading that was it! They didn't replace the windshield at all and thats what the salesmen claimed they would do. Never again will i by any add on crap

[Dan-cmow]

A fee I got hit with a few years ago is a "CPO fee" where they advertise a car as certified then tell you it's only PRE-certified and you need to pay the money to have it actually certified. It was almost an extra $3k for a Honda Accord.

[wilkruner]

How do you know dealers are being honest with you when you want to be charged the "internal price.".. I mean the whole thing has gotten out of control and seems like one huge scam...

[tonygutierrez]

Hi Zach & Ray people should hear/know about this shady dealership in NJ. My son who's 24 and I went to a Hyundai dealership and I asked for the out the door price. When the salesperson came back the price was almost $6, 000 more than what the internet advertised price was. This was because he added $3, 495 Certified pre-owned certification fee(CPO)??? This is actually a 10 year or 100, 000 mile warranty, $1, 000 non-Military fee and $1, 000 Loyalty fee! The salesperson said because we WEREN'T Military it an extra 1K and an extra 1K because we had never bought a car with them before. This makes me mad 😡because those two are discounts you give to people who are eligible for them, these should not be a PENALTY or actually and excuse to just raise the price. I told the salesperson that we don't want the CPO we don't want because that's a warranty, but he said no thanks for the CPO - warranty. Saleman said "We only sell our cars with the CPO certification fee". Those two fee are the CPO is something you think about possibly getting a warranty with the finance office in the back. They are trying to do "Tied Selling" or bundling products as a force add-on 🤬

[MojaveMuse]

would love for you guys to go over Pulse modules, that was a new one for me that I ran into

[wvokskj]

Texas charges dealers a Vehicle Inventory Tax on new cars. Although not statutorily required, dealers often pass this on to customers as a non-taxable fee. It is negotiable, and I was able to negotiate a rebate of the VIT for both of my last two vehicle purchases. Neither dealer wanted to remove it from the invoice so that they could tell customers that "everyone pays it." Both dealers cut me a post-purchase check though.

[matthiller]

I live in Oregon and we have no sales tax. Does anyone know if they still have a line item that says "taxable fees" or know of a good way to spot bogus fees?

[dantesantoyo]

Do you guys have a video explaining how dealers can still make a profit even if they sell a car at MSRP or slightly below ? I’m looking to order a new car and want to know how to negotiate if they try and tell me they “only make a profit if sold over” thank you for all the information 👏🏽

[ChristopherSmith-okni]

is a delivery processing & handling fee negotiable? It seems to be added to the total price of the vehicle.

Thanks for all your great information!

[Pinkkermit]

I have been a ‘deposit” on a 2024 Honda HRV and I straight up told them I didn’t want dealer add ons, then they straight up told me it was non-negotiable fro the 2 they are adding. I am fairly ok with one of them - splash guards - but one of them is a total waste in my opinion - Reva Break alert. They are selling me the car under MSRP, so I feel lucky in that sense, but I do think these dealers find a way to screw you one way or another.

[angelbeezy]

What I am seeing is a (Dealers Name) Advantage Program being added on for a lump sum that includes all those line items as one package deal that is "already on the car" and cant be removed. These include paint protection, window etching, nitrogen, etc. I saw one as high as $3995 taking advertised price from $23, 625 to $32, 301.94 otd after dealer fee $1198, tax $1827.36, and non taxable fee $1268.58. Im seeing it at multiple dealers. How would you handle this bulk package add on?

[drbcrb]

Unnecessary fees and dealer stuff = WALK AWAY.

[rntt]

How to find a dealer with no fees? I would seriously pay to have someone find me one!