Rusty Jones

Rusty Jones Inc. was a company which provided aftermarket rustproofing 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..

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. [Associated Press. "Company News; Bankruptcy Filing By Rusty Jones." "The New York Times" December 7, 1988 [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=940DE1DD1F3EF934A35751C1A96E94826] ] 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. [Lundy, Dave. "Site aims to entertain, learn from Gen Y." "Chicago Sun-Times" January 16, 2003 [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20030116/ai_n9614556] ]

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