I built a tool that dealers will either completely ignore... or absolutely love.

[lotprep]

Hey everyone,

I've been heads-down on a project for auto dealers for a while now, and I'm at the point where I need a reality check from people who actually run lots day to day.

Either I built something nobody actually needs, or this saves independent dealers real time and money. Genuinely not sure which yet, so here goes.

The backstory: I kept talking to independent dealers and hearing the same two complaints over and over. You're either getting hit with crazy per-VIN fees for basic Window stickers by VIN, or your lot manager is stuck manually typing out specs and checking boxes on FTC Buyers Guides in some Word template for 15-20 minutes a car.

So I built LotPrep. The idea is simple - type in a VIN, it pulls the build specs, equipment, and warranty info automatically, and spits out a compliant Window Sticker + FTC Buyers Guide in under a minute.

A few other things we added along the way:

• QR codes on the sticker so shoppers walking the lot after hours can pull up specs, contact info, or book a test drive from their phone
• Some basic analytics on which cars get scanned the most, with test drive requests routed to the right sales rep
• An AI tool that turns messy auction notes or rough bullet points into clean description copy for the sticker
• Custom branding on the stickers (colors, logo) if you've got multiple locations
• Ability to assign reps to specific vehicles so QR scans and inquiries go to the right person automatically

Where I actually need help: we've got ideas for what's next - AI-based pricing tools, recon tracking, Spanish-language Buyers Guides - but I don't want to keep building in a vacuum. There's a feedback board inside the app now where you can vote on what matters or throw in your own ideas.

Real question for this group: does a 60-second sticker + QR test-drive setup actually move the needle for an independent lot, or do most of you just stick with whatever clunky process you've already got?

You can grab 5 free VIN lookups, no card needed, no sales call - lotprep.com

I’d really appreciate your raw feedback — roast the idea, drop feature suggestions on the board, or tell me what’s missing!

 

[craigh]

For me (not a lot operator, work with many lot operators) this has always come down to 2 things:
1. Are the build sheets actually accurate? Can you take a Toyota VIN and accurately decode down to the trim and equipment?
2. Does it require the dealer to use yet another tool? (in this case, yes)

There are many inventory merchandizing solutions that have this as a feature, but very few are actually integrating it into their websites or actually implementing the QR codes. We tried QR codes that scanned to the VDP and the number of scans was shockingly low - consumers didn't seem to interact with it at all when looking at the physical car.

In this AI slop wasteland dealers are telling us every week one clear message: "we want less tools, not more tools"

 

[lotprep]

For me (not a lot operator, work with many lot operators) this has always come down to 2 things:
1. Are the build sheets actually accurate? Can you take a Toyota VIN and accurately decode down to the trim and equipment?
2. Does it require the dealer to use yet another tool? (in this case, yes)

There are many inventory merchandizing solutions that have this as a feature, but very few are actually integrating it into their websites or actually implementing the QR codes. We tried QR codes that scanned to the VDP and the number of scans was shockingly low - consumers didn't seem to interact with it at all when looking at the physical car.

In this AI slop wasteland dealers are telling us every week one clear message: "we want less tools, not more tools"

Really appreciate you taking the time.

1. We pull from multiple data sources so the info is almost always dead-accurate. Of course, no decoder is 100% perfect every single time, but the key is that everything is fully editable on the fly if something’s off—so you're just tweaking, not building from scratch.
1. Right now, this is just Phase 1. The bigger goal is to merge the whole lot-prep chaos into one place—stickers, FTC guides, photos, etc.—so dealers don't have to bounce between 3 different tools or hack stuff together in Word.


On the QR code thing—that's super interesting. Most setups just link the QR code back to a standard website VDP, which gives a shopper zero reason to scan it if they're already standing right in front of the car.

In your experience, did those QR codes actually have a quick Test Drive booking option / direct rep access, or was it literally just a link to the website?