<The culture of the VW dealership in California is formed this way
and they lose new car buyers to Japanese competitors like a collapsed
dam that it is simply impossible to reverse the flow of water afterwards.>

It's not a California thing. When I went with my wife to buy her a new 2003 Beetle at Stohlman Volkswagen in N. Virginia, we were treated like teenagers buying their first car.  I've bought and sold over 70 cars, and I was not happy with the way we were being talked to . My wife ended up buying a Mitsubishi Lancer-and even though Stohlman also sells Mitsubishi as well we bought it from another dealer.   Jeff