9 Dealer Fees That Rip You Off (Don’t Pay These) Kevin Hunter

Nine dealer fees that rip people off every day. Let me tell you something most car buyers don't realize. You're not overpaying because of the selling price of the car, not typically. You're overpaying because of the fees and dealerships are very good at sneaking them in when you're tired, when you're rushed, or focused on the monthly payment. Today I'm breaking down nine fees that cost people thousands of dollars and more importantly how you can shut down every single one of them. Here's the rule you need to remember the entire time. If it's not a government required charge, you don't have to pay it. And when it's taxable, it's always negotiable. Up first is the dock fees. They'll tell you it's standard. Yeah, so is profit. I've seen these things be as low as $75 like Minnesota was for years. California right now is still at $85. But going to places like Florida, and I've seen them at $1,200. Same paperwork. You don't argue it, you say fine. Then reduce the price of the car by that same amount. At number two, dealer prep fee. This one drives me nuts. Dealer prep means they cleaned the car and checked it over. That my friends is their job. In a book value lookup, there's a big difference between private party value and clean dealer retail. And you already know why because the dealer had to clean the car. You don't pay extra for a restaurant to clean the kitchen before you eat, do you? Stop right here for a second and notice what we're not doing. We're not debating anything. We're controlling the deal. That's what you have to do. At number three is VIN etching. $300, $400, $500 for something you can buy for $25 on Amazon. It doesn't stop theft. That's a lie. It doesn't recover cars. That's another lie. It's just profit. You say I don't want it. Take it off. Remove the charge for it. At number four, nitrogen tires. Dealers charge hundreds for actual air. Your tires are already mostly nitrogen. This one is just insulting. Just say no thanks. At number five, protection packages. Paint protection, fabric protection, $1,000, $2,000, sometimes even more. Usually applied in about 10 minutes by some young kid making $15 an hour. You want protection? Buy it yourself or do it yourself later for a fraction of the cost. Here's where most people seriously lose. They try to fight this stuff while they're sitting at a dealership. When you do that, you're sitting on the dealer's turf. That's already far too late. At number six, market adjustments. This one is simple. You don't negotiate it. You get up and walk. There's always another dealer who isn't this stupid. At number seven, advertising fees. They want you to pay for their marketing. Now think about that a moment. You don't pay Walmart extra because they ran a commercial, did you? At number eight, the bank requires it. This one is flat out garbage. The bank does not require warranties, gap insurance, protection packages. The bank actually wants you to have as small a loan as possible, which is why they ask for cash down. So when they say these things, you respond, show me where that's required. They won't be able to show you a thing because it's BS. At number nine, mystery fees. If you don't understand it, like a line that just says dealer fees, you don't pay it. Ask, what is this? Who gets it? And is it required by law? Then stop talking and watch their face. Watch what happens. Now here's the mistake people make. They try to fight every fee one by one. That's exactly what the dealer wants. You absolutely don't want to do that. You control the out the door price. You take their offer, strip out and subtract what you don't want, and then send back one number. Just revise the bottom line number. That's the only thing you send back. You do it from home, not at the dealership. That's it. Now you are the one who controls the deal. And here's the truth. Most people might understand this when they hear it, but they don't execute it right when it really matters. That's why we built our hassle-free car buying service. We get real written OTD offers, structure the deal correctly, negotiate it down, and stay with you through the entire process. So you're not sitting in that dealership alone getting worked over. If you want us to handle the car deal on your behalf, go to thehomeworkguy.com. And if you want more straight answers just like this, follow The Homework Guy so dealers can't rip you off.