If you pay hundreds of dollars to a car dealer and you could get the same thing on the internet for less than twenty bucks – which do you think is the better deal? And is it a good deal for you when it costs the dealer less than $10?

Well that’s what many car dealers pay for it and they commonly charge consumers $200 or more. Do you think you might be getting ripped off? You are very likely to be right – you could be getting ripped off big time. Especially since most new cars and trucks already come with a factory installed system or part that already does what the dealer wants you to pay them extra for.

One of the great ripoffs of the decade is the window etch so-called “theft guard” scheme. There are lots of different names for it but all that window etching amounts to is some almost invisible scratches on your window that you get charged hundreds of dollars for. It all boils down to lots of profit for the dealer and no real value to you at all.

We have filed numerous lawsuits against car dealers involving the window etching scam and you can see some of them on our Car Sales Fraud web page listing court cases we have filed for consumers.

And in one Southwest Ohio local car dealer operation’s case, they claim that the window etching, they call it “theft guard”, is already installed on the vehicle so you “have” to get it. Don’t believe it. Odds are, it’s just another car dealer scam designed to get into your wallet. If the dealer claims they put it on already, or they got the car from another dealer that way, that does NOT mean you have to pay for it. And the profit a car dealer makes off the etch a sketch scam is huge in one dealer’s case it was 95% of the $200 being charged the consumer. So just say “no” and do not let them trick you into signing up for it. And if they still want your money, then go somewhere else. And don’t waste your money.

So what is this window etching or theft guard stuff? Bluntly put, it is nothing more than “make believe” theft protection and it doesn’t “deter” much of anything – except maybe dollars out of your pocket and into the car dealer’s pocket.

Does the car dealer’s nice, shiny Chevrolet or Nissan or other factory sign out front of the car lot mean that their “theft guard” window etch is worth it? Not likely. In fact, odds are that the factory already installed a theft deterrent on your vehicle and the car dealer is just trying to rip you off.

So is window etching a good deal or just a rip? You be the judge.

Car dealers usually claim that window etching is theft protection or it is like theft insurance because it might give you an extra $2,500 or so if it fails to prevent your car from being stolen. Really? Do you think that some scratches on the glass that are less than half an inch tall are going to prevent a thief from breaking the window and stealing your car? Not likely. But it was such an obvious rip off car dealers had to dress it up into something more. So window etching is now promoted as just one part of what they call “layered protection” where other, more real theft protection devices may be installed. In other words, etch is so lousy that they have to put a real alarm system on the car too. That ought to tell you something, folks.

If you are a victim of car dealer sales fraud from an Ohio or Kentucky car dealer, or if any car dealer treated you unfairly, deceived you, or just plain lied to you, call us on our Toll Free Car Sales Fraud Hotline, 1.888.342.6422 right now for a Car Sales Fraud Case Review. Suing car dealers to get back your money? That’s what we do.

But perhaps the worst part of the window etch scam is that there seems to be no real proof that the window etching does you any good to prevent a theft of your car at all. If a factory installed anti theft device or system is already on your car or truck, then don’t waste your money on the car dealer’s window etch theft guard.

Maybe worse than the fact that it does you no good is the profit margin the dealer charges for window etching. It usually costs the dealer from less than $10 to maybe around $25. In fact, if you really want to get window etch, it is widely available on the internet for as little as $15.

One window etch marketing plan, proudly claims window etch profits can be as much as $900,000 a year at the average dealership. No wonder they are anxious to push it into your deal, sometimes telling you things like “the bank requires you to get this” (no bank does).

Don’t be fooled when the dealer says “And it only costs $3 a month” either. That’s nothing but just another clever way of trying to sell it. Car dealers figure that if they break the cost down like that, then maybe you won’t notice the fact that it’s probably just a huge waste of your money.

The window etch scam not only makes exorbitant and undeserved profits for the car dealer, but etching is virtually worthless to the average consumer. You might have a better chance at winning the lottery – and a lottery ticket is cheaper too.

The window etching ripoff used by car dealers like one big auto group in the Dayton, Ohio market, has been called the top car dealer scam you are likely to run into, and for good reason.