Why Don’t Car Dealers Let Customers ‘Unwrap’ Their Cars?

A hidden pleasure.

Why Don’t Car Dealers Let Customers ‘Unwrap’ Their Cars?

One of the best parts about buying a new high-profile purchase – like a phone or a computer – is unwrapping them and peeling off all the protective coatings they come with. But why aren’t we allowed to do the same with new cars?


While it might seem obvious, something that a lot of consumers don’t realise is that new cars are typically shipped to dealers with a whole bunch of protective coatings, such as foam strips along bumpers and door panels, plastic wheel covers, UV-resistant wraps across bonnets and of course, thin transparent plastic on interior fixtures – just like a phone screen protector.

In this modern, always-online age, some car dealers even share videos of themselves ‘unwrapping’ these brand new cars upon delivery. Unboxing therapy is a huge thing, so watching these videos are exceptionally satisfying.

The real question is this: why don’t car dealers let customers do this to their own vehicles?

WATCH a Porsche dealer in New Jersey unwrapping a brand new Porsche 911.

We can’t imagine anything more satisfying than unwrapping your own car. If cars are just ‘big boy’s toys’, then surely we should be afforded the same privilege we get with our other toys and get to unwrap our new car?

RELATED: Tesla’s Build Quality Exposed By Disgruntled Customer

Jalopnik suggests that it should be a dealer option you can tick off, but we don’t think you should have to pay for this privilege. Indeed, you’re actually saving the dealer time and money by unwrapping your own car. It’s a win-win.

Oh, and while we’re at it: can they sell us a bottled form of ‘new car smell’? Those little tree-shaped air fresheners don’t really hit the same…

Read Next