So the finance guy from the Dodge dealer where I picked up my Challenger a month ago just called and said that my GPS tracker wasn’t working properly. He said they ping it once in a while just to test the battery and mine needed to be replaced. The car does not have navigation and I wasn’t even aware it had a GPS. I get the tracker could help in case of theft but what’s in it for the dealer? Are they required to make sure the GPS is working properly? This dealer is about an hour away from me so I asked if I could go to a local dealer and he replied it needed to be done there. Seem strange?
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Dont do it! Tell him you dont care for it, the vehicle functions as expected and no repairs are required unless you see a recall notice in the mail.
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Is this for the Lo-Jack stuff? And it could be because you paid for it and its part of the program they do is to test it periodically. I mean if its the Lo-Jack system I don’t see any harm, If you have USAA they’ll give you a discount for vehicle tracking.
here is my take from working in the sales/finance side of this business for awhile
there are many sub-prime lenders that will offer better incentives (approval wise) to dealers who put gps recovery devices in that particular car
so for example - i have a customer with less than perfect credit - normally i would either get a decline or a much higher interest rate - however a certain lender who requires the dealer to put a gps tracker in the car (prior to delivery) will give me a better approval (better rate/terms etc)
the only thing i could think is - it was never installed prior to them delivering the car - now they have to prove to that bank it is working/operational
question - as you mentioned you only had the car a month - have you received your first bill in the mail? or any documentation from the bank in which you financed the car with? the deal may not be funded and that is what is prompting the dealer to beg you back in the door.
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I can see a dealership doing this to avoid liability if something were to happen. Let’s pretend that the dealership did the ping, found a problem with the GPS tracker, but did nothing to inform you that there was a problem. The car gets stolen, you say “hey there’s a GPS tracker on it so it should be easily found” but then whoops turns out it was broken and the dealership did nothing about it.
What I’m wondering is what’s the risk? I wouldn’t mind a Lo-Jack type device in case of theft…
I have gotten a bill and already made my first monthly payment to Ally Financial
no all dodge /fca Uconnect 8.4s have tracking which allows you to use remote services as well as radio reporting on any error codes, mileage, maintenance and so on. (dealer has no access to these services)
If that is true you can go to any dealer, the reason they said that you only have to go to them is a major sketch situation. IMO they’re trying to get you back in on some BS.
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Was the tracking device disclosed by the manufacturer or dealer anywhere in the fine print? It’s your data and movements they’re tracking.
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and one other thing to note - there is no finance guy that i have ever heard of that will kindly make calls regarding “service type issues” with your car.
they are busy - and are working on putting another car on the road
i am willing to bet - there is an issue with funding - and even if the deal did get funded - and that bank did require this type of device to be installed - the dealer risks losing their relationship with that bank - if they do not get them what they are asking for.
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I get the liability part…Funny thing is I would never had known there was a tracker. I guess now I will look through all the fine print to see if they disclosed that one was installed.
I’m willing to bet its a down payment issue.
Wouldn’t that violate some privacy laws!? Will look at paperwork tonight.
i will tell you i have never heard of Ally being involved in gps tracker requirements - maybe in other states, but certainly not mine
i wouldnt go back to that dealer - especially since they are 1 hour away
next time you need an oil change, go into a more local service department for your particular brand of vehicle - they will always run a check to see if you have any open recalls - if its a listed recall - then your safe to have it done - as everyone else who has that type of car is also getting the same thing done
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i think what he’s means is -
take a look at your paperwork - if it says in the cash down/due line $5100 and you only gave them $5000, they are trying to get you infront of them to get that $100 off of you.
in my store we wouldnt bother calling you for anything less than $200, and even if i was calling you for $200-500 i would just ask for it over the phone - if its $1000 or more and they feel you will never come back is when they try to trick you into going in
also to note - could be a rebate issue - same idea - meaning they qualified you for $1000 (or whatever figure) in rebate and for some reason you didnt qualify etc, and they are trying to get that out of you
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Didn’t even consider that they would ask for more money…Can they legally keep the car against my will? I have already made a payment to Ally. So Ally technically would own the car now? This is known to be a shady dealer but that would be a new level.
I wouldn’t bother with them or bring it to them. Do you really want them to know where your car is at all times?
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there are many things you sign when getting a car, my organization, will have you dead to rights if we didnt collect the correct amount of money, the question is, is it worth it for a legal battle over a few hundred dollars, of course not.
i know many will say, you have a signed contract showing your cash down = xxxx - im talking about additional disclosures that state should something be incorrect, it is customers responsibility to furnish additional money etc etc. - im not saying he signed anything like that, im just saying in some cases the dealer can come after you - if you have already paid a bill to ally, ally is the owner of your car - until you pay it off - dealer cannot physically take your car - they could in extreme circumstances take you to court or send to collections etc
you need to check your contract first - only you will be able to tell if they are looking for a specific amount of money - what that specific amount of money is, will determine how persistent they are going to be
i had my boat winterized at my dealer, then had a storage contract with them over winter, then had them commission it prior to spring - when i picked it up in spring, the receptionist only billed me for the spring commissioning - i paid (without really thinking about it, as it was still a high number) and left - I received a call a month later, stating that I owed for winterization and storage - i told them i would double check to ensure it wasnt previously paid - and if not i would pay - i checked and i had not paid prior - which is weird as when they contract you, they take a crecit card, they just never charged it. i went in and paid - yes i thought about telling them to go scratch and never using them again lol - but i did the right thing, as they had always done the right thing by me
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Really interesting info, thanks for sharing that. That kind of lending sounds like something Santander was/is doing? I think NY sued them but I could have it wrong.
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Having a GPS tracker installed on your car isn’t just fun and games…
GPS tracker can show
- your time spent at various drinking facilities
- Your illicit love affair
- Your placement at the scene of the crime (any crime yours or not)
- You skipping hours at work
- That you violated posted speed limits
- Your connection to illicit drug activity
- Your position so that your car becomes an unwitting drug mule
- Your ex-spouse/ex-lover stalking activities
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