Man Buys Ram Truck. Then He Notices This Common Dealership Gimmick, And Takes Matters Into His Own Hands To Fix It

'Every new car I ever bought...'

Man Buys Ram Truck

Photo by: Unsplash.com

Stacy Fernandez

By: Stacy Fernandez

Mar 26, at 4:00pm ET

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There's a move dealerships make on almost every car that rolls off the lot that most buyers never even notice. Usually, people are too caught up in the excitement of a new car to realize that the dealership has put its branding all over the vehicle in ways that are visible yet subtle enough.

This truck owner is showing you what to do if you don't want to be a walking advertisement for your dealership. Do you think the extra steps are worth it?

Man Calls Out Dealership Tactic

In a viral Facebook video, @DippinDiesel is seen removing a dealership decal from the back of his new Ram truck with his fingers.

"They like to add little decals on the back of the vehicles that shows people the dealership that you got your car from. Always remove it. Never allow them to put free advertising on your vehicles. Always take this junk off," he says.

He has also covered the license plate frame, which also bears the dealership's name, with aluminum foil.

"Whenever y'all buy a new vehicle, be sure to take off the branding that the dealership put on. Always take them off or ask the dealership to take them off, because they are not paying you to advertise for their dealership,” he adds.

"Stop advertising for FREE,” he says in the caption.

It's Your Car After All

Most dealerships slap their name somewhere on a car before you drive it home, usually a badge or decal on the trunk or rear hatch, a sticker on the back window, or a branded license plate frame. Sometimes all three.

According to MotorBiscuit, you are fully within your rights to request the removal of all dealership branding before you drive off the lot.

The cleanest way to do it is to ask before the car is detailed during the sale; that way, there's no risk of paint damage and no awkward conversation after the fact. If you don't ask in time, a professional detailer can handle it safely.

The DIY route works too, but requires some care: a heat gun or hairdryer to soften the adhesive, a plastic scraper to lift the edge, and an adhesive remover like Goo Gone to clean up any residue. Using a metal blade or skipping the heat can scratch the paint, so patience matters.

RightOnDetail also recommends using rubbing alcohol to remove stickers, but then you’d have to take the extra step of adding auto wax back to the area the alcohol touched. Ice is another creative method to get stickers to unstick more easily.

The license plate frame is the easiest one. It comes off with two screws and takes about 30 seconds. There's no reason to let it stay on.

Commenters React

“All those advertisements get immediately removed, I have taken them off in the dealers lot before…” a top comment read.

“Why, is it hurting something to leave it on? Or just hurting you?” a person said.

“It’s people in here arguing for the dealer. Think about that,” another wrote.

What do you think?

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Comments

“My mom told a dealership this. Either take the sticker off, or hand her a thousand dollars. They took the sticker off,” a commenter added.

Motor1 reached out to @DippinDiesel for comment via email and Instagram direct message. We'll be sure to update this if they respond.

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