Salahi PC has filed a class action in San Francisco Superior Court against Swickard Management Company and its California dealerships, including Audi Palo Alto, Audi of Oakland, Lexus of Fremont, Mercedes-Benz of Marin, Mercedes-Benz of Palo Alto, Land Rover San Francisco, Land Rover Redwood City, Swickard Toyota 101, Crown Toyota, Santa Monica Subaru, and the Swickard dealerships in Thousand Oaks.
The complaint alleges that Swickard does not honor the advertised prices for its cars once customers actually show up at the dealerships, including through undisclosed add-ons like “Max Shield” paint protection and by inflating government fees. In 2023, the Alaska Attorney General sued Swickard dealerships in that state over the same conduct: refusing to honor advertised prices and conditioning sales on expensive add-ons. Swickard settled that case in March 2026. California law requires that a dealer’s advertised price include every mandatory charge, and that the dealer actually sell the car sell at or below that advertised price.
Who may be affected
You may have a claim if, on or after October 23, 2019, you bought a new or used vehicle from a Swickard-owned dealership in California and either paid for a “max shield” product you were not allowed to decline, or were charged “license and fees” that exceeded the amounts actually collected by the government.
What to do next
If you believe you may have been affected, contact the legal team at Salahi PC for an evaluation. Please complete the intake form below.
Attorney advertising. The allegations described above have not been proven in court.