Welcome to Industry Spotlight—a focused series hosted by Sam D’Arc, highlighting standout dealerships and innovative companies, and exploring the trends driving success in today’s automotive market.
Today, Sam sits down with Dorian Jimenez, Owner-Dealer Operator of Classic Chevrolet OKC, and Chuck Stilwill, EVP of Ikon Technologies.
Together, they dig into Dorian's journey from GSM to owner, best practices for protecting inventory, and the real cost of car theft.
Theft risk varies dramatically based on dealership volume and location.
At high-volume stores like Classic Grapevine (retailing 10,000 to 12,000 units annually), losing one or two trucks worth $60,000 to $80,000 each year was consideredan acceptable loss.
"We would lose one or two cars a year. So, an average truck is 60, 80 grand. You're talking about losing $150,000 a year. Not a big deal at a store like that." — Jimenez
But when six vehicles were stolen by a Mexican drug cartel during COVID, even high-volume operations had to shift from accepting losses to preventing them entirely.
Organized theft operations require coordinated law enforcement response.
After cartel members walked the lot in broad daylight and stole five vehicles, a coordinated sting operation involved planting tracking devices in targeted inventory so law enforcement could monitor and intercept the thieves.
"We were able to get them and the state authorities stopped all five vehicles and we were able to recover them. So right there we had an opportunity of losing almost $400,000 worth of inventory that we recovered." — Jimenez
The key difference was giving law enforcement direct visibility into vehicle locations on their own laptops, removing delays that typically kill recovery efforts.
Factory-installed tracking systems are easily defeated by thieves.
OEM systems like OnStar can be disabled in seconds, making them unreliable for theft recovery and frustrating for law enforcement partners.
"They're able to disengage those systems in just a matter of seconds really. You can get on YouTube and see videos that'll tell you how to disengage the OEM system within seconds or minutes even." — Stillwell
Third-party telematics that bypass OEM vulnerabilities give authorities the real-time coordination capability they need to actually pursue stolen vehicles.
Insurance carriers are flagging high-risk vehicles and requiring extra protection.
Floorplan lenders now send dealers endorsement requirements for theft-prone models, including Silverados, Camaros, Corvettes, Challengers, and Mustangs.
"For any Chevy Silverados, any Camaros, Corvettes, Dodge Challengers, Mustangs, any kind of supercars, trucks, you've got to sign this exclusionary policy that you have to have enhanced coverage." — Jimenez
Dealers who proactively install telematics on high-risk inventory can negotiate insurance discounts instead of paying premium increases.
Presented by:
1. Ikon Technologies - Ikon Technologies delivers a connected vehicle program for dealers that maximizes Customer Lifetime Value by driving sales efficiency and securing non-cancellable PVR on your front end while delivering an average of 50 additional customer-pay ROs every single month for your service bays. At NADA 2026 in Las Vegas, visit Stand 1763 West to see the benefits for yourself and take your chance to roll the dice to win a Rolls-Royce (terms and conditions apply; no purchase necessary). Plus, as an exclusive offer for listeners, mention “Car Dealership Guy” when you sign up at NADA to have your entire initial installation fee waived—book your demo today at ikontechnologies.com/CDG
Identity fraud now rivals physical theft as a dealership threat.
Dealers are receiving fraud-related calls with the same frequency as stolen-vehicle reports, driven by synthetic IDs, credit washing, and fake financing instruments.
"We're seeing about as much fraud now as we are stolen vehicles. It went from every couple of weeks we might get a phone call from a dealer saying, 'Can you help us?' to it's really a couple times a week, if not daily now." — Stillwell
Telematics embedded in every retail deal creates an immediate recovery path when fraud is discovered, turning total losses into recoverable situations.
Installing telematics on every unit creates both protection and profit.
At Classic OKC, every vehicle includes Classic Connect, window tint, and bedliners for trucks—disclosed transparently on an addendum, with finance teams achieving 25 to 30 percent upsells from three-year to five-year terms.
"99% of my clients understand it because the way we pitch the value and show them as part of the pricing. There's nothing hidden. We explain everything on it." — Jimenez
Training the team to position it as a connected device, not a tracking device, removes objections before they surface.
Connected-car data keeps customers engaged with the dealership eight times per month.
Customers open the dealer-branded app an average of eight times monthly, creating 100 touchpoints per year, while sales staff pull up vehicle location, battery health, and full descriptions on their phones instead of walking the lot, clicking key fobs.
"Wherever they're at, they can show it to a client." — Jimenez
That constant engagement keeps the dealership top of mind every time a customer checks their vehicle status or location.
Telematics-driven service outreach consistently generates 100 to 150 extra appointments monthly.
At Classic Grapevine, using mileage data and proactive communication delivered a steady stream of incremental service traffic because customers already trust the connected-car platform.
"These individuals are already part of Classic Connect. So when they hear somebody from Icon reaching out to them, it's a trusted voice." — Jimenez
Dealers who leverage this relationship can recapture service customers before they defect to independents or quick-lube chains.
Knowing exact mileage prevents service revenue from slipping through the cracks.
Many GPS systems rely on algorithms that can be off by as much as 40,000 miles, causing dealers to miss high-value maintenance intervals entirely.
"We're trying to catch it just in time. The event happens, the customer's communicated with it, and then we're communicating with them to get them back to Dorian's dealership." — Stillwell
Precision timing transforms maintenance intervals from guesswork into scheduled revenue opportunities.
Speed monitoring and geofencing protect dealership liability and improve culture.
Jimenez sets speed alerts on loaner vehicles and sends customers email screenshots showing every location and speed violation before calling them, with repeat offenders losing loaner privileges.
"I send that to them first. Then, I call them and I say, 'Hey, by the way, we're on the phone. Can you go and open up your email?' And 99% of them go, 'I'm so sorry. I apologize.'" — Jimenez
One dealer group reduced insurance premiums significantly after implementing speed monitoring following a double-fatality incident in a parts truck.
