True story…
I knew a young fella a few years ago that had inherited a signoficant company. He wore cheap suits and talked as if he were Donald Trump. He bought a big Mercedes S-class and had the logos removed because he didn’t “want to appear pompous” (his words). I’m not certain his elevator went all the way up.
Galant, most people feel better about their car maker than they do the dealership that sold them the car. Personally, I have experienced good dealerships and bad dealerships, but all along, I had warm feelings for my car maker because I am happy with the quality and design of my vehicle. Besides, keeping the Honda logos helps me sell the car. It affects prospective buyers’ perceptions. The dealership names and logos, on the other hand, don’t affect buyers’ perceptions, or might affect them negatively.
I don’t buy new cars anymore. You can toss a plate frame and the stickers come off very easily with a short blast from a hair dryer to soften up the glue. All those silly window stickers come off the same way.
My point was that no matter what you try to do, you are in some way or form “advertising for free”, even if the car brand that you bought is taking you to the mechanic on a daily basis. On the flip side, I guess if you see a particular brand stranded at the roadside on a daily basis, then that would be negative advertising. Now that should be an incentive for the auto industry to make maintenance at their dealerships more affordable and of higher quality.