Every car deal ends the same way: a printed sheet slides across the desk with numbers you've never seen before. Some of those numbers are legitimate. Several were invented to see if you'd notice.
Here's the 2026 field guide — what's real, what's padding, and what to say.
The legitimate fees (pay these)
The padding (fight all of it)
Each entry includes the fee, the typical range, what it actually is, and the exact words to remove it. Save this page before your next dealership visit.
Nitrogen-filled tires
Air is 78% nitrogen already. This is the most profitable balloon inflation in America.
"Remove it, or remove the valve caps and refill them with air — either way I'm not paying for it."
VIN etching
Etching your VIN on the windows. A DIY kit costs $20, and your insurer doesn't require it.
"Remove it. If it's "already done," that was your choice, not my expense."
Paint protection / fabric protection
A $30 bottle of sealant applied by the detail kid.
"No thank you — remove it from the sheet."
Dealer prep
The factory already pays dealers to prep vehicles. Charging you again is double-dipping.
"Prep is reimbursed by the manufacturer. Remove it."
Market adjustment / "additional dealer markup"
A sticker addendum that means "we think demand lets us charge more." Sometimes it does. Usually — especially on anything sitting 30+ days — it's an opening bluff.
"I'm not paying over MSRP. If you can't remove it, I'll buy the same vehicle from the dealer who will."
Appearance packages
Pinstripes, wheel locks, mud flaps you didn't order but that are "already installed on every unit we sell."
"I didn't order these. Remove the charge or find me a unit without them."
Theft deterrent / GPS recovery systems
Pre-installed tracking subscriptions with enormous markup.
"I didn't order these. Remove the charge or find me a unit without them."
Extended warranty (as a line item, not a choice)
Sometimes valuable, never mandatory, and always negotiable itself if you want one.
"Remove it. If I want a service contract we'll discuss it separately — starting at a much lower number."
GAP insurance markup
GAP itself can be smart on low-down-payment loans — but your insurer or credit union sells it for a fraction of the F&I price.
"I'll source GAP myself."
Interest rate markup
Dealers can legally present you a higher rate than the lender approved and keep the spread. This one hides in your monthly payment for years.
"What's the buy rate? I'm pre-approved at X% — match it or I'll finance outside. (Get pre-approved before you shop. Always.)"
"Protection packages" bundled into the payment
$23/month on a 72-month loan is $1,656. The F&I move is quoting everything as a monthly delta so the total stays hidden.
"Quote me the total price, not the monthly."
The one-line defense that covers everything
Before any of this starts, use this sentence — in email, before you visit:
"Please send me the full out-the-door price, itemized, including every fee."
Padding thrives on surprise. An itemized OTD quote in writing kills the ambush, makes dealers comparable, and signals you're not the customer the sheet was designed for.
Or never see the sheet at all
Reviewing fees and flagging padding is a standing part of every DriveAdvocate negotiation — we request itemized out-the-door pricing from every dealer and push back on anything that looks like padding as part of the negotiation. Here's the math on whether that's worth the fee. And if you're deciding between a broker and a flat-fee service, who pays them is the only question that matters.
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