Free dealer/garage advertising
Free dealer/garage advertising
Author
Discussion

rottie102

Original Poster:

4,033 posts

214 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
What's the opinion on dealers and garages fitting a numberplates/numberplate frames or window stickers with their company details?

Am I the only one who notices that and would make sure all this crap is removed before I would take the car away?

Has anyone ever asked for reimbursement for advertising? smile

soad

34,663 posts

206 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
Yes, i notice it too. Not a fan of those window stickers esp

McSam

6,753 posts

205 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
rottie102 said:
What's the opinion on dealers and garages fitting a numberplates/numberplate frames or window stickers with their company details?

Am I the only one who notices that and would make sure all this crap is removed before I would take the car away?

Has anyone ever asked for reimbursement for advertising? smile
Meh. You bought the car with the stickers on it, so you'd have a job trying to get reimbursement for something you agreed to wink

I take them off, but because I don't like stickers and stuff on my car unless they mean something to me, not because I specifically don't want to advertise the garage.

adycav

7,615 posts

247 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
I'm not generally a fan, but if it's an older or more unusual car buying from a renowned specialist can help with resale.

Ergo, the Hartech number plates and small window sticker are staying on my 911.

wink

BenMk3

245 posts

194 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
Dad bought an Alfa 156 a month or so ago, it's great but the "Arnold Clark" on the number plates are pissing me off, insisting he buys new plates hehe

carl_w

10,754 posts

288 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
When I buy a car from a dealer I tell them not to bother putting the stickers on as it won't make it out of the carpark like that hehe

Although when I bought an Impreza from the Netherlands the dealer stickers lasted as far as the fill-up in Dover.

Number plates don't really bother me though.

Truckosaurus

13,265 posts

314 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
Number plates have to show the name and postcode of who ever made them, so if you don't want "Joe Bloggs Motors" on it then you'll have to have "Halfords" on similar on them.

carl_w

10,754 posts

288 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all

PlayersNo6

1,102 posts

186 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
What is worse are cheapskate dealers who won't go to the expense of making up new plates and instead place a yellow or white reflective sticker with their details on the plates over the original manufacturer/dealer.

On a similar note are main dealers who put a badge or transfer with their name on the tailgate - big no no for me.

carl_w

10,754 posts

288 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
PlayersNo6 said:
On a similar note are main dealers who put a badge or transfer with their name on the tailgate - big no no for me.
I bought a second-hand car with one of those on the tailgate once. When I removed the transfer the paint underneath was less faded than the surrounding paint, so you could still see the logo furious

PlayersNo6

1,102 posts

186 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
"When I removed the transfer the paint underneath was less faded than the surrounding paint, so you could still see the logo"

Gentle T Cut and wax?

Lastly - old model LR Freelanders and those rear spare wheel covers. Were they standard fit and supplied blank, so the main dealers could put huge adverts on them or did the dealers chuck them in for free?

Makes them look a bit like a courtesy car.

McSam

6,753 posts

205 months

Saturday 14th May 2011
quotequote all
Truckosaurus said:
Number plates have to show the name and postcode of who ever made them, so if you don't want "Joe Bloggs Motors" on it then you'll have to have "Halfords" on similar on them.
Well, yeah - but the Halfords ones, for example, are only a very faint watermarking sort of thing that you wouldn't see unless hunting for it. And plenty of online ones don't have this, just the BS number in the corner.

Glosphil

4,882 posts

264 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
I did suggest to an Audi dealer that the advertising sticker in the rear window of a new A4 1.8T that was not a standard fitment on the car and had been added by them would cost them £50/year, in advance, to rent the space. They removed it.

Shotgun Rider

816 posts

200 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
One of the Renault dealers local to me used to put the sticker on the actual body of the car.

steveo3002

11,208 posts

204 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
dont mind original dealer plates but no back street motors plates and stickers

MarsellusWallace

1,180 posts

231 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
PlayersNo6 said:
What is worse are cheapskate dealers who won't go to the expense of making up new plates and instead place a yellow or white reflective sticker with their details on the plates over the original manufacturer/dealer.

On a similar note are main dealers who put a badge or transfer with their name on the tailgate - big no no for me.
This really sets the alarm bells ringing for me when I see this.If theyve skimped on a £15 set of number plates then it doesnt inspire confidence in how they have prep'd the rest of the car.

markmullen

15,877 posts

264 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
Glosphil said:
I did suggest to an Audi dealer that the advertising sticker in the rear window of a new A4 1.8T that was not a standard fitment on the car and had been added by them would cost them £50/year, in advance, to rent the space. They removed it.
Wow, I bet they were impressed.

And then reamed you royally on the deal for being clever.

bozmandb9

673 posts

210 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
rottie102 said:
What's the opinion on dealers and garages fitting a numberplates/numberplate frames or window stickers with their company details?

Am I the only one who notices that and would make sure all this crap is removed before I would take the car away?

Has anyone ever asked for reimbursement for advertising? smile
It depends, if it's the supplying dealer it can be quite useful. For example, lets say you have a BMW from Park Lane BMW, assuming the plates match the paperwork, that's good. Lets say front number plate no Park Lane logo, rear plate does have one, you know to look out for front accident damage.

As for stickers, probably best to remove unless they mean something to you.

But I don't really have a problem with a garage trying it on. It's only good business to try to get their name out there, fair play to them! Also if they're selling sheds, or write offs, they wouldn't do it. If they're doing shoddy work it would similarly backfire on them, so it's not always a bad sign.

DannyVTS

7,543 posts

198 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
Truckosaurus said:
Number plates have to show the name and postcode of who ever made them, so if you don't want "Joe Bloggs Motors" on it then you'll have to have "Halfords" on similar on them.
Halfords plates are actually really good the logo and post code are very stealthy

Glassman

24,997 posts

245 months

Sunday 15th May 2011
quotequote all
Many years ago while replacing a windscreen on a MB SL, the owner got ready to hand me my head because I didn't put his Stratstone of Mayfair sticker back in (he also wanted all his old Wentworth Golf Club passes put back in too - all eight expired ones).

There was me thinking I was doing him a favour by removing them and tidying the screen up.

Since then, I always ask, even it's a 'I Bought This from Arthur Daley'' type sticker.