Topic: Question about anti-theft windows etching

[citydude]

My buddy went shopping for a used Corolla.  Markville Toyota charges $350 for anti-theft windows etching on a used 2002 Corolla.  The etching was done when the car was new, not something they just did.

Was that a rip-off?

Citydude

[JoeY]

What I can recall is when I join APA, they offer full kit for etching...

Here it is:

http://www.apa.ca/template.asp?DocID=10
(includes six stencils and complete instructions) for $44.95 (GST included).

[msian]

As a side note, you could buy the etching kits for less than US$30....and apparently receive some 20% discount if you work for some certain company.

I am assuming you are talking about etcing the VIN on the windows.

[citydude]

I think I need to clarify my question.

Since the etching was done when the car was new, they have already charged the 1st owner.  Is it fair for them to charge the fee again?

Citydude

[JoeY]

I think I need to clarify my question.

Since the etching was done when the car was new, they have already charged the 1st owner.  Is it fair for them to charge the fee again?

Citydude

No, it's not as if they did etching again, this makes absolutly no sense.

[ovr50]

IMO that is BS and is something the individual dealer has cooked up. Never have had that issue on any Toyota I ever bought, new ones included. The local Toy store doesn't do the window etching game at all.

That's a rip.  

[AVToller]

That is an utter outrage, if true. That makes as much sense as paying (again) for alloys that were part of the original purchase price. 

[bmorton]

I've seen window etching packaged with some kind of theft insurance product (the local Volvo dealer here does this). Could that be the case here? Would explain the price and why it's being charged on a car that's already been etched.

[Snowman]

Window etching deters what?  By the time you realize your car is gone it has been chopped in many bits. The window will be piled up like cord wood in the corner of the garage.

[Drivesideways]

   What exactly does this deter?

[ovr50]

IMO the entire window etching thing is BS - just another way for the dealer to make a buck - absolutely useless.....

[Giant Dwarf]

My car has it because apparently Audi Canada mandates that all their leased vehicles must.  Beats me... the cost (which I know I paid) was buried in all the other upfront costs.  It is not intended to be a deterant but rather a means by which cars can more easily be tracked in the event of being stolen (if the VIN number goes missing, every window still has the same code and can be instantly identified as car "A")... likewise if any of those windows showed up somehere else (? seems strange, but what do I know?) then, again the car is instantly track-able. 

I wish someone would steal my car.  With this so-called "protector plus" program, not only do I get full replacement value for my car (through my insurance) but also a 'bonus' $5,000 from Protector Plus.  Giddy up STI if that happens, ha ha. 

In the case of the used Toyota, If this service was provided for the original owner, s/he damn-well paid for it at that time.  You wouldn't pay for your windows to be tinted twice, why would you pay to have them etched twice...

...UNLESS... it's the "Protector Plus" service that refuses to keep track of the car's detail / information / registration now that it has been sold from the original owner.  Perhaps the $350 this time 'round is for the 'insurance service' -- in which case... screw it, they shouldn't be able to force you into it the second time around.

[claudster]

    Its a big money making scam. I wouldn't bother dealing with them at all. One thing that I would do before I walk would be to ask all sorts of pointed questions, like asking for a copy of thier documentation to show your insurance broker. They should have no problems giveing a clear upfront answer if it isn't a big money making scam. what does HSG think of this?

[ovr50]

The wind shield is probably the most changed piece on a vehicle. I have had at least 4 w/shields changed out for stone chips, etc in the past 5 or 6 years. Seems to be a silly way to track a vehicle - a number etched into the w/shield. I repeat - useless. 

OTOH - maybe they etch the rear window??

[quadzilla]

As its already been said, rip off.

Also, $350 is more than the $$299 I was quoted (funny, I don't remember asking for it) on a NEW Subaru I was looking at in the spring.  I think its mostly a TO thing, just something to make a buck on. 

I wonder how much the PDI will be on this used car?

[articsteve]

Its pretty effective for identiying stolen cars in wrecking yards.   Keeps the wrecking yard people on their guard so they are less likely to take a vehicle in from a suspicious party.

[neil]

  Its a big money making scam. I wouldn't bother dealing with them at all. One thing that I would do before I walk would be to ask all sorts of pointed questions, like asking for a copy of thier documentation to show your insurance broker. They should have no problems giveing a clear upfront answer if it isn't a big money making scam. what does HSG think of this?

It's a money maker, but it's not a scam.  The etch program provides two things:

Lot protection.  The dealer's inventory is protected, and in case of theft from the lot (we lost 5 last year) the underwriter reimburses for deductables.

Customer protection up to 10 years.  Reimbursement for rental car for 30 days, airfare if away from home, deductables, and $3000 if vehicle not recovered/destroyed.  Cheap coverage that supplements the insurance co.

I have personally seen the cheques written to my customers for their benefit on the program.  It's not bullcrap, it's not a scam there is true value to the product.  We charge only $186 for it, I guess we should raise the price to market value .

Ovr50, if you replace your windshield you see the dealer and they re-mark it.  All windows are marked.

[sterling]

Wow, lots of misinformation here. To expand on Neil's comments, there is very minimal value in window etching as a theft deterrent. Cars already come with a 17 digit number to identify them. There is no central etching number database anywhere except at the insurance company so they can see who paid for the insurance. The police have no knowledge of these etch numbers. If a car is etched and the buyer does not pay for the insurance transfer, the etch number may as well be in the garbage because no one on earth keeps track of it.

The only true scam mentioned here is the $44 that someone said the APA charges for an etching kit. Talk about wasting your money.

The cost of dealership etching is for the insurance that it provides. We sold a truck to a guy 2 weeks ago that was using his $5,000 insurance cheque as downpayment.

As to whether a used car buyer should be charged again? Of course, if they are getting the theft insurance associated with the etch number transferred to their name.

[ovr50]

Neil - thanks for that info - I assume if the w/shield is replaced, the dealer redoes the etching for free? Or otherwise?

At to the insurance coverages, the Roadstar program thru ICBC here covers rental car, airfare, cash payments, etc. I'm a bit confused why I would pay the dealer about $200 for something that ICBC gives me for about $35/yr? Of course, maybe that's why no one I have heard of offers the etching thing in BC.

[Snowman]

So…..to summarize. The consumer pays but automotive dealers and insurers benefit. Where do I bend over.