Rusty Jones Inc. was a company which provided aftermarket

Aftermarket (automotive)

The automotive aftermarket is the secondary market of the automotive industry, concerned with the manufacturing, remanufacturing, distribution, retailing, and installation of all vehicle parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and accessories for light and heavy vehicles, after the sale of the...

 rustproofing

Rustproofing

Rustproofing is a condition of preservation or protection, by a process or treatment whereby the rate at which objects made of iron and/or steel begin to rust is reduced. The degradation in the long term can not be stopped completely, unless the rustproofing is periodically renewed...

 for vehicles under their "Rusty Jones" trademark. Cars treated with the rustproofing displayed a sticker in the window with the name "Rusty Jones" and a picture of the cartoon character (also named Rusty Jones) from the company's TV commercials. The company was based in Chicago, Illinois, U.S.A..

Marketing

In a typical television commercial of 1979, the animated character rode on the roof of a car while saying, "Hi, I’m Rusty Jones, And you know what? I’m the one new car option you can buy that’ll appreciate in value. That’s right, cause I’ll stay with your new car as long as you own it. Winter and summer, day ‘n night, not even a coffee break. Workin' to save your car from rust. And a rust-free car is worth more. So at new car time, insist on Rusty Jones rustproofing."

Bankruptcy

Rusty Jones Inc. filed for bankruptcy protection in 1988 claiming that automakers' extension of factory warranties against rust had caused their business to deteriorate. Between 1985 and 1988, the company's distribution network declined from 3,000 new car dealerships to just 1,800. However, there is some disagreement regarding why the company went out of business, as former director of marketing Bruce Freud claimed in an interview that the company was "unbelievably profitable", but that their insurance carrier (who serviced the rust warranties on Rusty Jones treated vehicles) filed for bankruptcy, creating problems for the company.