• This thread is just the tip of the iceberg.The people ahead of the curve aren't Googling for answers — they're already in here, having the conversations you haven't found yet. DealerRefresh is free.Get the full picture →

Deals

For vendors to post the latest deals, they want dealers to take advantage of.

Sticky threads

  • Sticky

DealerRefresh's leadership announced a new "Deals" forum section allowing vendors to post promotions and special offers to dealers, marking a significant policy shift after 20 years of strict restrictions on vendor promotions. The community response was overwhelmingly positive, with members praising the initiative and immediately beginning to post vendor deals, while one member expressed interest in collaborating to promote the forum to broader industry associations. The key insight is that the platform saw this as a win-win opportunity—giving dealers access to curated vendor specials while providing vendors a dedicated channel to reach qualified buyers and gather feedback.

Replies
10
Views
1K

Normal threads

Todd Reinbolt, founder of Gen X Ops, is recruiting 10 independent dealers to test his AI toolkit bundle (VDP copy generation, digital ads, and local SEO optimization) for free in exchange for honest feedback. A moderator vouches for the legitimacy of the offer and promotes it on LinkedIn, while at least one dealer (TonyMoon) expresses interest, leading to a personalized pitch based on Todd's analysis of their existing digital presence.

Replies
6
Views
658

Alexander.R, a software engineer with a decade of automotive tech experience, is offering 30 days free access to DriveReachAds, an AI-driven platform that automates Facebook/TikTok ad creation, lead management, and video generation for used car dealerships. The thread appears to be a product launch/feedback request with limited community responses visible, focusing on driving early adoption and gathering dealer input. No clear conclusion or feedback insights are documented in the provided excerpt.

Replies
1
Views
437

A software developer introduces a photo processing tool designed to automate tedious image editing tasks for auto dealers—including background removal, license plate blurring, and consistent branding—and solicits feedback from the community. Key insights that emerge include the importance of speed and ease of integration into daily workflows, the value of maintaining trust by keeping the vehicle itself untouched, and strong interest in AI-powered features like auto-populating banners from VIN data rather than generic background removal alone.

Replies
7
Views
1K

VehicleLyfe (formerly FRIKINtech) is a software platform that integrates sales and service data to identify opportunities for customer retention and upselling—such as trade-ins, lease upgrades, warranties, and service appointments—by automating targeted messaging to existing customers. The company highlights a key pain point: dealership DMS systems operate as isolated silos, and the platform addresses this by connecting F&I and service data to activate leads from "stale" customers, with a specific focus on retaining the ~30% of customers with negative equity (averaging $7,200 underwater). The underlying insight is that most dealers aren't effectively extracting or cross-referencing data they already have in their systems.

Replies
2
Views
638

A dealership photographer created an iPhone app tailored to automotive inventory photography, addressing the specific workflow challenges of maintaining consistency, speed, and standardized angles across multiple vehicles on a lot. The app targets in-house dealership photographers and inventory teams seeking to streamline their process and ensure uniform image quality across website listings. The post solicits feedback and testers from the DealerRefresh community.

Replies
0
Views
331

Autofusion introduced their F&I Product Cancel Tool, designed to streamline the cancellation process for F&I products like VSC and GAP insurance by automating document collection and eliminating manual follow-up work between dealers and customers. The tool was originally built for a major dealer group to reduce regulatory fines and negative reviews caused by processing delays. The solution aims to reduce operational burden on dealer staff while ensuring cancellation requests are processed consistently and completely.

Replies
0
Views
257

Jack Carlson introduces Carvia.ai, a VDP tool that uses AI to answer buyer questions about vehicles based on VIN data, and receives constructive feedback from the DealerRefresh community on two main issues: the choppy spinning vehicle gallery video needs improvement, and the AI report shouldn't highlight reliability concerns that create buyer objections. The key insight is that the product's success depends on optimizing the entire VDP user experience—particularly ensuring strong photo gallery engagement—since early data shows 39% increases in session engagement when the AI tool is positioned prominently on dealer pages.

Replies
10
Views
2K

AutoMagic Labs is announcing a free beta test of an automated VDP audit tool that identifies missing vehicle features and options on dealer listings by comparing VDPs against OEM build sheet data. The company found that approximately 5% of used vehicle listings are missing key features worth $2,000+, with a real example showing $9,000 in options invisible to shoppers on a single F-150 listing. The key insight is that dealers who fail to properly merchandise loaded inventory lose sales advantage to shoppers who discover the missing features themselves, and AutoMagic is inviting dealers to beta test the tool on their 20 oldest VDPs at no cost.

Replies
4
Views
571

Brian Michael West from Dealer Authority promotes "Inventory Everywhere," a service that automatically syncs vehicle inventory across multiple platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and Google Vehicle Listing Ads, offered at a discounted rate of $1,199 for DealerRefresh members with no long-term contracts. The vendor reports positive client feedback and indicates strong interest from forum members. The thread essentially serves as a promotional announcement for this multi-platform inventory management solution.

Replies
1
Views
439

A vendor pitches a mystery shopping service aimed at dealerships losing leads due to poor follow-up and call handling by sales teams, offering a free assessment plus a 90-day improvement plan rather than just a critique report. The post experienced formatting issues but the core message about converting leads through better process discipline came through. No meaningful discussion or conclusion developed beyond the initial pitch and a moderator cleanup.

Replies
2
Views
504

Stream Companies is promoting limited-time marketing offers to GM dealerships: SEO services at buy 3 months/get 3 months 50% off, and Connected TV advertising at buy 3 months/get 4th month free. The post emphasizes that combining both promotions delivers significant cost savings and performance improvements for dealership marketing campaigns.

Replies
0
Views
244

Banner InSite, a tool that automates the creation and publication of OEM-compliant promotional banners and graphics across dealership websites, is offering Dealer Refresh members an exclusive deal: 10% off and a 30-day free pilot. The vendor representative's post was well-received by forum moderators for being substantive and non-sales-pitchy, establishing a positive tone for vendor participation on the platform.

Replies
2
Views
428