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Tread Lightly Questions

21K views 98 replies 33 participants last post by  dsmith14 
#1 ·
Who has used this? Can the discount be used immediatly or does it take a week or so to get the letter? Must the car be in stock and delivered immediatly? Can the discount be used on a lease?
 
#3 ·
Most of the info is here:

http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/chrysler_discount

They mail membership packets out each Friday from Utah, so it generally takes first class mail time Utah -> You starting from the Friday after you join online. When the info arrives, after you sign onto the Chrysler Affiliates site online you are good to go.

There is no announcement if Chrysler will be continuing with this program support in 2011. Orders placed before will be included.
 
#5 ·
Most of the info is here:

http://www.treadlightly.org/page.php/chrysler_discount

Found on this page:
"*The Preferred Price is the maximum amount to be charged by a participating U.S. dealer for an eligible vehicle. See dealer for details."

I see at least two red flags here: (1) "participating U.S. dealer, and (2) "eligible vehicle".
Let me explain. Yesterday I learned that as a Costco member, I can get a invoice + $500 price on a new GC. Sounds nice, but only one dealer in the Seattle area
(out of dozens) is participating, and they apply this discount only to Laredos. In stock Limiteds and Overlands are NOT eligible vehicles. The Internet sales rep said they are so popular, they sell them $6000 over invoice.

They will still honor my Costco member special price, but I have to order my Limited or Overland.

So, how can I find out which dealers in my area participate with Tread Lightly and what vehicles are eligible BEFORE joining Tread Lightly?
 
#6 ·
The dealer doesn't participate with Tread Lightly. They participate with the Chrysler Affiliate Rewards Program. I called Chysler Affiliates and got my control number. I too had already ordered. I asked if that would be a problem, and was told that as long as they participate (which they do when I called the dealership), I will get 1% below invoice. We'll see in about 4 weeks....
 
#10 ·
Not sure about now, but I used the Treadlightly discount three weeks ago on a in stock Overland with the 6 and rear DVD had no problems, dealer just needed to see my membership letter and control number and we were good to go.I got invoice minus %1 and also had $1500 in rebates. I would try another dealer.
 
#11 ·
... and also had $1500 in rebates...
Wow! Congrats.

I have yet to see any rebates offered in in the Key States region, only financing "specials".

Which dealer region are you in?
 
#14 · (Edited)
Sorry to all who opened - Apparently I need 10 posts to PM someone.

This is No. 10

Of course site tells you after you hit reply on the PM and it erases your reply on backspace!
 
#15 ·
any news yet if Chrysler is going to keep the treadlightly benefit in 2011? I just signed up but they won't mail my membership letter until Jan 7, 2011. I am going to try to order my GC Overland (with 730N - RHR) tomorrow and didn't know if I would be able to do it at 1% off the invoice or not without the official letter.
 
#16 ·
any news yet if Chrysler is going to keep the treadlightly benefit in 2011? I just signed up but they won't mail my membership letter until Jan 7, 2011. I am going to try to order my GC Overland (with 730N - RHR) tomorrow and didn't know if I would be able to do it at 1% off the invoice or not without the official letter.

You wont need it until the Jeep comes in and you actually purchase it. Just make sure you clarify with the dealership you are ordering from that they honor affialiate pricing.
 
#18 ·
Thanks for the feedback - here's what is written on their website so it looks like i'll have to wait until next year:

Thank you for supporting Tread Lightly! Please be advised that our office will be closed Dec. 22-Jan. 3rd. All memberships purchased between these dates will be processed and mailed out Jan. 7, 2011. Please do not call or email for the Goodyear redemption code or Chrysler control number, these will be provided in your membership letter mailing out Jan. 7th. Thank you for your cooperation and patience.
 
#19 ·
Make sure your dealer will commit to Affiliate pricing BEFORE you order. My dealer will honor affiliate pricing but only for cars on the lot. They specifically excluded any discounted pricing for ordered vehicles (affiliate pricing, employee pricing, etc.). This makes no sense to me since there is less overhead on a vehicle that is paid for and out the door the day it arrives. But maybe their justification is they don't HAVE to discount an ordered vehicle - it is essentially already sold when it is ordered.

Anyway, make sure you dealer will honor affiliate pricing upon delivery and tell him you will have the code when you pick up the car. The code is only good for 45 days or so, so you will need to apply for it right before delivery.
 
#20 ·
Make sure your dealer will commit to Affiliate pricing BEFORE you order. My dealer will honor affiliate pricing but only for cars on the lot. They specifically excluded any discounted pricing for ordered vehicles (affiliate pricing, employee pricing, etc.). This makes no sense to me since there is less overhead on a vehicle that is paid for and out the door the day it arrives. But maybe their justification is they don't HAVE to discount an ordered vehicle - it is essentially already sold when it is ordered.

Anyway, make sure you dealer will honor affiliate pricing upon delivery and tell him you will have the code when you pick up the car. The code is only good for 45 days or so, so you will need to apply for it right before delivery.
My understanding (and I could be wrong) is that if you have a dealer that will not honor the affiliate pricing, then you should call Chrysler and notify them as they are required to honor it. More then likely they will tell you to just go to another dealer that will honor it but still... :)
 
#26 ·
Hey Mookie10 does your Jeep have a problem with most of one cylinder? Just curious how you arrived at a 5.2 liter Jeep.
Changed it. Are you happy now?
My Y2K WJ is a 5.2L and didn't update it with the new WK2 (5.7L)
Now, as for TreadLightly issues...

I stopped by my dealer today to check on slush mat availability. I talked to my salesman while I was there, and asked about how I will pay for the car when it arrives (personal check vs cashiers check, etc.). I mentioned that I will need to know the total. Mentioned that I am now elligible for prefered pricing. He said the price would be what we had agreed upon when I put down the deposit (about 2K over invoice). I told him that when I got my control number from Jeep, they said my initial deal no longer mattered - I get preferred pricing now. My salesman said it is up to the managers, and he will talk to them. I left quietly tonight. We will see if I'm in for a fight once the car arrives....
My advice is to start doing a dealer inventory search for any in-transit vehicles with same specs so you have a back-up plan if they don't want to honor the program. Stand firm with original dealership - especially if it comes in this week or near the end of January. Dealerships are just trying to maximize every penny on the Overlands and Limiteds until the novelty wears off this new version.
TL and CARP really has no recourse except to get Chrysler to admonish the dealership - but it seems either would be reluctant to do so short of a class-action (any lawyers out there???).
 
#25 ·
I stopped by my dealer today to check on slush mat availability. I talked to my salesman while I was there, and asked about how I will pay for the car when it arrives (personal check vs cashiers check, etc.). I mentioned that I will need to know the total. Mentioned that I am now elligible for prefered pricing. He said the price would be what we had agreed upon when I put down the deposit (about 2K over invoice). I told him that when I got my control number from Jeep, they said my initial deal no longer mattered - I get preferred pricing now. My salesman said it is up to the managers, and he will talk to them. I left quietly tonight. We will see if I'm in for a fight once the car arrives....
 
#27 ·
I mentioned that I will need to know the total. Mentioned that I am now elligible for prefered pricing. He said the price would be what we had agreed upon when I put down the deposit (about 2K over invoice). I told him that when I got my control number from Jeep, they said my initial deal no longer mattered - I get preferred pricing now. My salesman said it is up to the managers, and he will talk to them. I left quietly tonight. We will see if I'm in for a fight once the car arrives....
This one is a tough call for me because everyone wants to get the best deal possible, but if the original deal was made in good faith, then both parties have a right to rely on the fact that it won't change. This protects you from the dealer coming back and saying "hey, we didn't realize this vehicle would be so popular and we have someone who is offering us more for it than you are, so in order to keep it, you need to pony up or lose it." You would be outraged if that happened and rightfully so.

The original deal also protects the dealer. You guys negotiated the price and the dealer had a right to expect that this is what they would make on this vehicle. Now you're coming back insisting on a lower price and hitting them with it out of the blue. Put yourself in their shoes and ask how you would react.

This is where the art of the deal comes into play. You have options which include bailing on this order and starting over with the TL discount discussed up front. The original dealer loses a sure sale but can probably sell that order pretty easily. You would incur the penalty of another long wait but would save some money. How this unfolds depends on how motivated both sides are to compromise, but there are always creative solutions.

I placed an order with my local dealer last week. Long before I sat down to order, I had verified that they would honor TL pricing. I then obtained my control number and had all documentation with me when I met with them. As we were placing the order, I told the guy point blank that I was going to continue looking for this vehicle and that I would cancel if I found it elsewhere, which he fully understood. As it turns out, I DID find the same Jeep elsewhere (except it includes the tech package which I'm happy to get). When that dealer contacted me, I told them about TL and they were happy to honor it. I'm completing the paperwork now and hope to take delivery early next week, just in time to have my Overland for a New Years Eve trip to the Shenandoah Mountains! This will involve a road trip a la bpmcgee's and I can't wait!! Once the new Overland is parked in my garage I will call my original dealer and break it to him gently, but it won't come as a surprise.

The point of this is that candor and transparency are important to me in my personal and professional dealings. I was not happy, for instance, when my first dealer told me that they would be cashing my deposit check. Earlier he had made a big production out of the fact that they would just clip it to my order and hold it till the vehicle arrived. This is why I went to them over my other local choice. So I won't feel too bad about canceling the order.

Bottom line-- IMO it's the dealer's call whether they adjust the price for you and you should prepare yourself accordingly. Hopefully you guys can find a way to split the difference so everyone wins. Depends on a lot of factors such as local demand for WK2's, dealer competition, and your tolerance for further delays. Good luck and let us know what happens. PS: Get comfortable with the advanced search feature of cars.com to find your unit on someone else's lot. That's how I did it.
 
#28 · (Edited)
You make some good points Cperez. I was thinking the same thing when I first considered Tread Lightly. I was surprised when Chrysler affiliates told me my initial deal no longer mattered. We will see what happens. Part of the problem is that Chrysler is taking so long to deliver my built vehicle, that I have now sold my car, and will have to start renting a car in a week. Chyrsler's failure in this regard is going to cost me, and I doubt the dealer is going to help. I remember reading that Chrysler gives the dealer a larger kick-back with the preferred pricing. Anyone remember the numbers?
 
#29 ·
If it makes you feel any better, when you get right down to it you have the most leverage in this situation. You can cancel your order, you can buy off someone else's lot (unlikely in the short term though since your dream rig contains all sorts of late availability options), you can take your money elsewhere in a number of ways. The dealer knows this but also knows that the best outcome is to keep your business. You might even go through these options with your dealer, and then say "but I hope I don't have to do any of those things because you lose a sale and I have to start over." They may not like it, but I'd bet that they come around. You also have a strong case that this delay is going to start costing you money very soon (rental). This is the hand that I would play. You can say that you don't expect them to put you in a loaner, but by freeing up a couple thousand (by honoring TL pricing), you will feel better about taking on that cost and waiting for your ride to arrive.

If I can be honest, the original deal you agreed to was not great. In fact, it was pretty lousy. As an example, the first number one of my dealers put on the table was $500 over invoice. If I heard you right, your deal was about $500 under MSRP. The spread between MSRP and invoice is about $2700. Your dealer must've been licking his chops after you guys got up from the table. Now he knows you've got more info and the playing field has leveled out considerably.

The printout from my order shows "HB: $1317". I'm pretty sure this is "hold back" that goes to the dealer.
 
#30 ·
Just called and asked if the Tread Lightly membership and control number for the Chrysler Affiliates rewards would be valid for 2011.
I spoke with Tracey and she was great, she told me that it would be good for 2011. She also did the membership over the phone and told me she would email me the packet later today. We did everything over the phone because I have a military address and it would not take all my info online.
 
#32 ·
If you have an affiliate price control number, that is the price you pay no matter what was said at the time of ORDERING... Jeep will alter the price, configuration (like 430N versus 730N $305), etc. so you should have no qualms about the price at the time of ORDERING when you want to use the control number at the time of delivery. I would not worry about any previous pricing agreement on an ordered vehicle if you have an affiliate pricing control number. The dealer will honor the affiliate price. An order is not a contract (i.e., a court enforceable promise) and the "penalty" is, at most, the loss of a deposit ONLY if it is stated it is non-refundable and even that would be debatable under most state consumer protection laws. People backing out of an ordered vehicles happens occasionally and since this is NOT some odd custom color or something the vehicle would just go into the dealership's stock...no biggie. Don't worry about it, take the affiliate pricing.
 
#33 ·
I would not worry about any previous pricing agreement on an ordered vehicle if you have an affiliate pricing control number. The dealer will honor the affiliate price. An order is not a contract (i.e., a court enforceable promise) and the "penalty" is, at most, the loss of a deposit ONLY if it is stated it is non-refundable and even that would be debatable under most state consumer protection laws.
Are you sure? Are you a lawyer? Because I have an order for my loaded overland with a $1000 non-refundable deposit with an agreed upon price of $47,000. I now have Tread-lightly, but my salesman says I'll get the vehicle for the price I had agreed upon.... :(
 
#35 ·
In my experience, it is tough to predict human behavior with blanket assurances, especially in the business world. Obviously it all boils down to leverage, and who has more of it. I chose a few dealers to work with who would a) offer a fully refundable deposit, b) honor affiliate pricing, c) honor any other incentives that might come along after we agreed to a price.

rdalcanto, your salesman's insistence that you will pay the previously agreed-upon price is a reasonable first gambit on his part, but is by no means the last word. I don't blame him for trying to assert that you have no options but to pay the price you negotiated. These guys are pros at pushing deals through. I agree with mjw930's advice. If you can show that you are genuinely prepared to leave your money on the table, maybe you can get them to compromise. If you can save more than $1000 by leaving, it makes sense for you to do that. If your dealer can make more by pocketing your deposit than by compromising and selling you the vehicle, then he may do that. It won't cost you anything to confront him with the stark reality of what you are willing to do, although admittedly it is an awkward situation for many people (the dealer is banking on this). Dealers live and die by units moved and they will blink first before letting you walk away. I would not consider it a slam dunk, but it is a reasonably high percentage play.
 
#37 ·
I would recommend telling the dealer at the time of order that you plan to use the Chrysler Affiliates program. My dealer would NOT honor the Affiliates number when I went to pick up my vehicle. According to him, they (that dealership) never allows Affiliate pricing for any ordered vehicle, even though they do honor it for most cars on the lot. He honored $1500 in other discounts I was eligible for but that was it. He told me they were selling Overlands in stock at $1200 over MSRP and had no problem selling them within a couple of days of hitting the lot. So depending on demand in your area, your dealer may decide to let you out of the deal but that would mean your months of waiting would have been for naught. Getting it established up front at the time of order that they will accept Affiliates pricing will save heartache later on.

(It was the first ACC and ORA II Overland that they had seen and there were no other Overlands on the lot, so I wasn't giving up the car I had ordered and waited for.)
 
#39 ·
I would recommend telling the dealer at the time of order that you plan to use the Chrysler Affiliates program. My dealer would NOT honor the Affiliates number when I went to pick up my vehicle. According to him, they (that dealership) never allows Affiliate pricing for any ordered vehicle, even though they do honor it for most cars on the lot. He honored $1500 in other discounts I was eligible for but that was it. He told me they were selling Overlands in stock at $1200 over MSRP and had no problem selling them within a couple of days of hitting the lot. So depending on demand in your area, your dealer may decide to let you out of the deal but that would mean your months of waiting would have been for naught. Getting it established up front at the time of order that they will accept Affiliates pricing will save heartache later on.

(It was the first ACC and ORA II Overland that they had seen and there were no other Overlands on the lot, so I wasn't giving up the car I had ordered and waited for.)
Agree with Redbolt here, let them know upfront.

But, I would add, anyone paying $1,200 over MSRP for the Overland is going to look really foolish when they are selling far under MSRP and 0% APR for 60 come Spring.
 
#38 ·
When I spoke with the person in the affiliate pricing department, she informed me that

1.) a dealer can choose to either accept or deny to affiliate pricing but if they accept it is on all orders, cars they have on the lot or cars they order, it doesnt matter. (they can't pick and choose).

2.) all incentives that are in effect at the time of PURCHASE are taken into account in the final purchase price. for example, if they are running a 0% 60mo special when you order, however it has expired by the time your order arrives and you sign the paper work, you can no longer take advantage. However if they have rolled out new incentives at the time of your physical purchase, you can take advantage of any of those.

I have said it before, if you are going to use affiliate pricing, you need to be up front with the dealership before you place your order and I would speak directly with the New Car Sales Manager (not a sales rep) to get confirmation.
 
#45 ·
Thanks for the tip. I'll try it tonite.

First, I didn't know if Jeep would renew the program for 2011. Second, didn't know if I had to pay for a new CN. Third, also nice to know that the CN is good until 12/31/2011, in case I wait for a 2012.
 
#47 ·
Just left a dealer who said "no problem"!! Thanks so much to everyone here for turning me on to this. Gonna order in the next few weeks after we make up our minds color etc., etc.

Does anyone have a link to someplace where I can find the Dealer Invoice price on the Overland? I found the Summit, but can only find MSRP on the Overland??
 
#49 ·
Yeah, I knew about those, but w2kjeeps did a nice write up for the Summit, & I just thought someone might have had something similar for the Overland.
 
#50 ·
Just ordered Summit yesterday using FFP. Got control number through affiliate program with my employer not TL, but same thing from my understanding. So I gave a $500 deposit which really was a credit card authorization. That is all I signed, no purchase agreement. They gave me a copy of the Configuration Preview and then he called me over to watch him enter it in the system. For Black Overland summit, HEMI, & Mopar Chrome, MSRP was $49,765, FFP (my price) was $46,036. Two questions:

1. After entering it in the system, he wrote down an 8 digit number for me- can I assume that is the VON and if so, what are the next steps in the process?
2. In the "emails where I requested pricing info, the sales rep quoted a dealer fee of $899. Is this allowed under the Affiliate program? I feel this is padding I shouldn't have to pay, but feel kind of stupid having given a card authorization with nothing in writing. I'm hoping to find it in writing that the dealerships that participate in affiliate pricing are not allowed to charge fees like this to show them when I sign the buyer's order. Anyone with thoughts or experience doing this?
 
#51 ·
1. Yes, that number should be the VON number. There's not much more to do but wait:). Once the order goes through Jeep, you will go to C status, and then about a month later (give or take), you will go to D status. That is where your VIN number will be assigned. The process seems to be about 2 months from order to delivery. You can see all the different stages here. http://wk2jeeps.com/wk2_vin.htm

2. My guess is that might be a dealer doc fee. They are allowed to charge a doc fee even under the program. However $899 seems really high to me. Most are $250 or so. Some dealers don't even have doc fees.
 
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