Car Toys: Who Owns It Now, Install Warranty, Returns and Tint

If you searched for Car Toys, you probably want a stereo, remote starter, camera or window tint fitted, or you are looking at a car that already has Car Toys work in it. The short answer: the name now covers several separately owned businesses, and which one you deal with decides your warranty and your return rights. On 16 October 2026 we read cartoys.com’s terms, its Lifetime Installation Guarantee, its Return Promise, its price-match, protection-plan, tint, shipping and restructure pages; the filings in In re Car Toys, Inc., No. 25-12288-TWD in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Washington; Washington’s tint statute; and the pages of Car Toys Oregon and Car Toys Audio. This site has no commercial relationship with any Car Toys business or with any installer.

Who owns Car Toys after the 2025 bankruptcy

Car Toys started in Bellevue, Washington. Its About page says the first store opened on April 1, 1987 and that the company was founded by “current Chairman and CEO, Dan Brettler”; it is 39 years old in 2026, by our arithmetic. In a sworn declaration filed with the bankruptcy court, Daniel E. Brettler describes himself as “the founder, chairman and majority shareholder of Car Toys, Inc.” and also “the company’s senior secured lender,” with a loan balance of $20,645,081.89 when the case began.

Car Toys, Inc. filed its voluntary Chapter 11 petition on August 18, 2025, when it ran 47 stores in Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Texas, plus a distribution center and an Oregon upfitting annex. Brettler’s declaration gives the business reason: “Modern vehicles now typically come with complex, factory-installed infotainment systems that require specialized knowledge and tools to interface with or upgrade,” and revenues “remained unable to keep pace with its expenses.” Net losses were $2,687,474 in 2022, $6,271,445 in 2023 and $16,281,715 in 2024, about $25.2 million over the three years by our arithmetic. The company’s own FAQ for the case puts it differently, blaming “debt issues unrelated to company performance or operations.”

The declaration says Car Toys aimed to sell 35 stores in four states to five purchasers “for a combined purchase price of approximately $13.95M,” and that “Each Purchaser holds no interest in Car Toys.” The FAQ says the remaining stores, the distribution center and corporate headquarters would close: 12 stores, by our arithmetic. The buyers, as the filings and Car Toys’ restructure page name them:

The declaration links the Washington buyer to Foss: “Led by Ed Weber, Foss Car Audio has five locations in Western Washington.” The restructure page’s per-buyer figures add to 38 stores by our arithmetic, against the filing’s 35; its Puget Sound count may include Foss’s own shops, but it does not say. The court’s notice of March 12, 2026 states that “an Order Confirming the Plan was signed” by Judge Timothy W. Dore, and the case website lists Bush Kornfeld LLP as plan administrator. We did not read the sale orders or the plan itself.

The sister company. Brettler founded Wireless Advocates, LLC in 2004 “as a subsidiary of Car Toys”; it ran “private-label wireless kiosks” in “over 600 retail locations,” principally Costco stores and military exchanges, until Costco gave notice in 2022 that it was terminating its contract; the business closed that December. An involuntary Chapter 7 petition against it was granted on February 27, 2023. Former employees allege in Karroll v. Wireless Advocates, LLC (Adv. No. 23-01005-TWD) that about 1,800 kiosk staff were let go without notice; the documents we read describe a $3,625,000 settlement, $125,000 of it from Car Toys (3.4 percent, by our arithmetic), preliminarily approved, with a final hearing set for August 22, 2025. We did not read a final order. Our searches on 16 October 2026 found no state attorney-general or Federal Trade Commission action against Car Toys.

Which Car Toys are you dealing with?

Brettler’s declaration expected the buyers to provide “extension of the Car Toys brand,” so a Car Toys sign no longer tells you who owns the shop. Three websites use the name, each with its own terms:

• cartoys.com. The tint page says “18 locations” and names Washington and Colorado; the dealer page says “some (18) stores.” That matches the six Colorado stores and 12 Puget Sound locations given to Foss Audio and Tint, 18 by our arithmetic, but no page names the business now running the site; the terms still say it is “provided by Car Toys.” The store list built into the Store Locator page still holds 45 stores in four states, both Spokane stores included, with 2024 holiday hours.
• Car Toys Oregon (cartoysoregon.com) serves Portland and the Willamette Valley “from five Oregon locations.” Its About page says that in 2025 “the Oregon locations stayed open under local, independent ownership, led by longtime Car Toys veterans.”
• Car Toys Audio (cartoysaudio.com) calls itself a car audio and stereo store “in Colorado Springs” with “over 39 years in business.” The pages we read do not say who owns it.

We found no website for the Texas buyers. The three sites we read disagree on returns and warranties:

Read the name on your receipt, and ask whose warranty you are getting and whether the store honors work done before the sale.

What Car Toys installs, in its own words

cartoys.com’s service pages describe these lines:

• Stereos and phone integration. “Yes, you can have Apple CarPlay/Android Auto in your vehicle, no matter what you drive,” with a replacement receiver, or a “Factory Sound Upgrade” in three tiers that keeps the stock head unit. An integration harness, Car Toys says, “is imperative to retaining factory features and safety alerts.”
• Remote start and security. The installation page offers to fit remote start, and the shop sells car alarms, remotes and keyless entry. Car Toys Oregon lists remote start and security “from Compustar.”
• Safety electronics. Backup cameras, dash cameras, radar detectors and an Intoxalock ignition interlock device are in the shop’s menus.
• Tint, film and coatings. Window tint (covered below), paint protection film that “Protects up to 10 Years,” a paint coating that “can last one to two years,” and a ceramic glass treatment whose “Standard pricing for the service is $99.99.”
• Beyond cars. Marine and powersports audio; fleet upfitting such as “shelving, ladder racks, partitions”; and a dealer program selling entertainment, safety and security products for dealers to add to vehicle sales.

So a remote starter or tint on a dealer’s car may be an installer’s add-on: ask for its invoice, and see our guide to dealer fees and add-ons.

Car Toys says its installers are “professionally trained and MECP Certified” (Mobile Electronics Certified Professional) and that “We currently have about 180 Skilled or higher certified installers.” Install prices are not printed: “Contact a store for details about installation pricing and availability.” Free installation offers cover “standard installation, but additional custom labor and parts, if needed, are extra.”

The lifetime installation warranty, clause by clause

cartoys.com promises installs “guaranteed for life.” The Lifetime Installation Guarantee covers “installation workmanship performed by Car Toys Technicians for the lifetime of the vehicle, including all mounting and wiring,” on conditions. Taken apart, as printed:

• What it covers: the labor, mounting and wiring Car Toys did. It “is not a product warranty”; if covered equipment that Car Toys sold and installed fails, Car Toys says it will “remove, repair or replace the covered equipment in the original vehicle at no charge.”
• How long: “for the lifetime of the vehicle.” The tint page words it as “as long as you own the vehicle,” and only “On ceramic tint.”
• Who can use it: “This Service can only be Redeemed by the original purchaser.” A later owner of the car cannot.
• What ends it: any further installation work on the product by anyone other than “an authorized Car Toys Installation Center.”
• What to bring: “the original installation and product purchase receipts.” Both, not one.
• Where: “any Car Toys,” according to the guarantee page; “any Car Toys across Washington and Colorado,” according to the tint page.
• What costs extra: Car Toys pre-checks equipment that was already in the car, and “Equipment that is non-functional will be assessed with a bench test fee,” waived if you buy a replacement. Curing engine noise in a radio or amplifier install carries “an additional charge.”

Products carry their makers’ warranties. The terms say “All manufacturers require product registration for warranty purposes,” that registering is the buyer’s job, and that “The customer/buyer is responsible for any costs involved in obtaining warranty coverage.”

After the sale. The restructure page tells customers: “Enjoy peace of mind knowing that your Car Toys coverage warranty has not changed and will be fully honored.” It does not say by whom. The “Customer Programs” Brettler’s declaration asked to keep honoring for a limited time were gift cards, Groupon vouchers and short-term deposits, not the installation warranty, and we did not read the sale agreements. If your install predates the sale, ask the store now at that location whether it will honor it, in writing.

Extended Service Protection and Customer Care Protection

Car Toys sells two kinds of add-on cover, and its pages describe them more generously than the contract does.

Extended Service Protection. The ESP page promises “up to 5 years of coverage,” “No additional fees for diagnostics, repair, removal or reinstallation. No deductible,” and “Transferable (if you sell your car, the Protection Plan can be transferred to the new owner at no additional cost).” Eligible items include decks, speakers, amplifiers, multimedia systems, “Alarms and Radar Detectors,” and the agreements are “Administered by Bankers Warranty Group, Inc.” and related Bankers Warranty companies. The bankruptcy schedules list $196,883.77 paid to “Bankers Warranty - Centricity” in the 90 days before the filing, each payment described as “Remit Customer Warranty Purchases.”

The contract, posted as the Mobile Electronics Protection Plan, reads differently:

• “This is not a contract of insurance.” Bankers Warranty Group, Inc. is the obligor unless your state disclosure names another entity, so the promise is the administrator’s, not the store’s.
• “You must call prior to receiving service; all repairs must be authorized in advance.”
• It does not pay for failures that the maker’s warranty covers during the maker’s warranty period.
• Removal and reinstallation is paid only if the retailer installed the product, and then only “up to sixteen dollars ($16.00)” while the maker’s warranty runs and “up to forty two dollars and fifty cents ($42.50)” after it. Bought online, the benefit “may not be available.”
• Excluded: “Damage resulting from unauthorized repair or product modifications or alterations” and “Conditions, which existed prior to Your purchase.”
• Transfer works “only if You notify the Administrator by mail with the name and address of the new owner within fifteen (15) days of the change of ownership.”
• Cancel within 30 days for a full refund less claims paid; later, a pro rata refund less a fee of up to 10 percent of the price or $25, whichever is less.

Customer Care Protection. A newer page offers “up to 5 years of extended coverage on products and installation” for electronics “purchased and installed at Car Toys locations,” with one unusual term: keep the plan for its full term without a claim and Car Toys will “issue a store credit for 100% of the plan’s value.” That credit “has no cash value,” must be used before its stated expiry (“up to 1 year after expiration”), and any claim cancels it. “The covered product must remain in your possession and installed in the original vehicle unless the plan explicitly allows transfer.” Printed prices run from $15 for one year on a product under $300 to $1,750 for five years on one costing $5,001 to $10,000; in every band, three years cost three times one year and five years five times, by our arithmetic. No administrator is named, only “A-rated insurance carriers.”

The Federal Trade Commission makes the same point about auto service contracts: one “is not a warranty as defined by federal law, because you buy it separately,” as this site recorded on 9 October 2026. Our extended warranty guide explains what that changes.

Returns, exchanges and the price match

cartoys.com’s Return Promise opens with “All eligible products can be returned within 30 days of purchase,” new, complete and with the receipt, at “any Car Toys retail location.” The terms add that “Car Toys reserves the right to deny any return or exchange.” The windows and exclusions, as printed:

Once a product is wired into your car, treat it as kept. Refunds go back the way you paid: cash over $150 as a check “within 14 business days,” financed purchases to the finance company within 7 to 10 days, and gift-card purchases as store credit “redeemable up to 90 days after issue.”

Online, mailed returns need a return authorization number first. The terms make the buyer “responsible for all return costs,” with a $15.00 fee on an item that shipped free, while the Return Promise offers “the free postage label provided by the Car Toys Customer Care Team.” Cancelling before shipment costs “a minimum 5% cancellation fee.” Ground shipping is free on orders over $100.

The price match. “If you find a lower price from an authorized dealer, including qualified online retailers, within 14 days of your purchase, we will gladly refund 100% of the difference,” including Car Toys’ own later sale prices. You must show the ad or online offer, the product must be “identical to the make, model, color and in stock,” and the guarantee “does not apply to services,” promotional periods including Thanksgiving weekend, unauthorized dealers, loyalty rebates, financing or bundle offers.

Elsewhere under the name. Car Toys Oregon’s sales are final, with exchange or credit within 14 days, 16 days less than cartoys.com’s return window by our arithmetic; it says “We’ll match any authorized dealer’s price.” Old Car Toys, Inc. gift cards are another matter: the restructure page says cards “Purchased prior to Oct. 1 2025 will only be honored thru December 31 2025,” and that Car Toys stopped honoring Groupon vouchers from December 31, 2025. At filing, the declaration put unredeemed gift card balances going back five years at $1,145,625.

Remote start, alarms and your car’s factory warranty

Car Toys does not say in writing whether remote start affects a factory warranty; its “Remote Start Buying Guide” link sent us to the homepage on 16 October 2026. What its pages do say:

• On tint: “Professionally installed aftermarket window tint does not void your vehicle’s factory warranty.”
• On audio, in the terms: “Some car audio modifications can adversely affect the electrical and/or Engine Control Modules of a vehicle,” Car Toys recommends professional installation, and “Car Toys is not responsible for any adverse effects resulting from car audio modifications.”
• Car Toys Oregon says its remote start installs are done “to maintain safety, factory function, and long-term durability.”

The federal rules fill the gap. Under 15 U.S.C. 2302(c), “No warrantor of a consumer product may condition his written or implied warranty of such product on the consumer’s using” a branded article or service unless it is free under the warranty or the Federal Trade Commission grants a waiver (this site’s reading of 16 October 2026). The FTC’s interpretation at 16 CFR 700.10 adds that no warrantor may make a warranty depend on “authorized repair service and/or authorized replacement parts for non-warranty service and maintenance” (read for this site on 8 October 2026). On those rules, fitting a remote starter or stereo somewhere other than the dealer does not by itself end a carmaker’s warranty.

Damage is different. The FTC’s guide to auto warranties, as this site read it on 8 October 2026: “if someone installs a defective aftermarket or recycled part, or doesn’t install a part correctly, it could damage a part that the warranty covers,” and the maker or dealer can then deny cover for that part, though it “must prove the aftermarket or recycled part caused the damage.” Remote starters and alarms connect to the car’s wiring, so keep the installer’s invoice. Shops have a duty too. Under 49 U.S.C. 30122, a “motor vehicle repair business,” meaning one that holds itself out to repair vehicles for pay, may not knowingly make inoperative equipment fitted to meet a federal safety standard. A paid installer falls within that definition; our RealTruck page applies the same rules to truck accessories.

Car Toys window tint: films, price ranges and Washington’s rule

The tint page calls Car Toys a “3M Authorized Dealer” and “Protint Certified Installer,” says installers are trained in-house, “not subcontracted, not seasonal,” that patterns are computer-cut so “No blade ever touches your glass,” and that older metallic films are not installed. It offers three film tiers and, unusually, prints estimated prices:

Most sedans take 2 to 3 hours, and the windows stay up for 3 to 5 days while the film cures, the page says.

Car Toys’ Washington figures match the statute. RCW 46.37.430 allows film on any window except the windshield with “a light transmission of twenty-four percent or more” and reflectance of 35 percent or less, if the car has mirrors on both sides; behind the driver of a truck, motor home or multipurpose vehicle it may be darker. On the windshield, tint may not reach into the AS-1 area or run more than six inches from the top. Mirror finishes and red, gold, yellow or black film are banned, as is more than one sheet of film on a window. A paid tinter “shall supply a sticker to be affixed to the driver’s door post,” certifying the job meets the standards, and driving with film that does not comply is a traffic infraction. Colorado is less clear on Car Toys’ own page: its table says “24% VLT or more,” and its text says “Colorado (27% VLT minimum).” We did not read Colorado’s statute, so check it before you choose a shade there. Tint World, which also sells tint, has its own page on this site: Tint World.

Buying a used car with Car Toys work in it

Aftermarket electronics are a modification, so start with our guide to buying a modified used car: a history report cannot see them, and your insurer may want to know about them. Then work through what Car Toys’ documents mean for you as the second owner:

• The workmanship warranty stays behind. Only the original purchaser can redeem it, so wiring faults are yours to fix.
• A protection plan may follow the car, if the seller acts. The Bankers Warranty contract moves to a new owner only if the administrator is told by mail within 15 days of the sale. Customer Care Protection is tied to its buyer and the original vehicle.
• Product warranties are the makers’. Ask whether the product was registered, and read the maker’s terms on resale.
• Inherited gear gets a pre-check. Car Toys checks equipment already in a car before new work and charges a bench test fee if it does not work.

On the test drive, work every added function and watch the dash: Car Toys says its harness keeps “all displays, warning lights, and system sounds” working. Car Toys Oregon lists pre-purchase inspections that cover “electronics” among other systems; ask any inspector to include the add-ons, and see what an inspection covers in our pre-purchase inspection guide. In Washington, look for the tinter’s sticker on the driver’s door post.

Website terms and disputes

cartoys.com’s Terms and Conditions carry no date and can be “modified by Car Toys without notice at any time.” They choose Washington law and send any legal action “exclusively” to a federal or state court in Washington, and a claim about the site “must be commenced within one (1) year” or it is barred. We found no arbitration clause and no jury waiver. The site is provided “AS IS,” Car Toys excludes incidental and consequential damages where the law allows, “is not obligated to honor any price or product misprint,” may cancel any order “for any reason,” and may assign its rights “to any party at any time without notice.” Use is licensed for “personal use” and “noncommercial purposes only,” and robots and scraping are barred, which is why this page quotes only short passages. Linking is not barred.

Where Car Toys’ own documents disagree

• Restocking fee: “at least 25%” in the terms, “20% or more” in the refund policy.
• Return postage: buyer pays all return costs (terms); a free label (Return Promise).
• Portable electronics online: 14 days (terms); day of delivery (Return Promise).
• Warranty length and reach: “lifetime of the vehicle” but “original purchaser” only; “any Car Toys” or only Washington and Colorado.
• ESP: “up to 4 years” or “up to 5 years”; “No additional fees” against the contract’s $16.00 and $42.50 caps; transferable “at no additional cost” against the 15-day mail notice.
• Colorado tint: 24% in the table, 27% in the text.
• Size: “some 1,000 employees” in four states (About), 45 stores (locator data), 18 (tint and dealer pages).
• The sale: 38 stores by the restructure page’s numbers, 35 in the filing; “Foss Audio and Tint” on the site, “Sound Distribution” in the FAQ.
• Why it filed: debt “unrelated to company performance” (FAQ); losses every year from 2022 (declaration).
• Return address: a Tukwila distribution center the FAQ said would close.
• Price bands: a $1,000 product fits two Customer Care Protection rows.

Common questions

Is Car Toys going out of business?

Car Toys, Inc. filed for Chapter 11 on August 18, 2025, sold 35 of its 47 stores to five buyers and closed the rest; its plan was confirmed on March 12, 2026. The sold stores stay open under new owners, several still using the Car Toys name.

Who owns Car Toys now?

It depends on the store. Sound Distribution (Foss) bought Western Washington, Northern Colorado and the Portland annex; Troy Parcels and Chris Pritts the Texas stores; Don Longworth and Raul Shakarov five Oregon stores; Drive In Autosound and Aspen Sound one Colorado Springs and both Spokane stores.

Does the Car Toys lifetime installation warranty transfer to a new owner?

No. It “can only be Redeemed by the original purchaser,” needs the original installation and product receipts, and ends if another shop works on the install. A Bankers Warranty protection plan can transfer if the administrator is told by mail within 15 days.

What is the Car Toys return policy?

On cartoys.com, most products within 30 days, new and complete with the receipt; portable GPS units and radar detectors within 5 days in store. Labor and installation are not refunded, and cut-wire items are not eligible. Car Toys Oregon’s sales are final, with exchange or credit within 14 days.

Does a remote start void my car’s warranty?

Not by itself: 15 U.S.C. 2302(c) bars a carmaker from requiring its own brand of parts or service. If the install damages something, the maker can refuse that repair and, the FTC says, must prove the cause. Car Toys publishes no remote-start warranty statement.

Does Car Toys price match?

Yes, within 14 days: it refunds 100% of the difference if an authorized dealer advertises the identical in-stock product for less. Services, promotional periods, bundles and financing offers are excluded.