For the first time in 20 years, we have full control of the technology that powers DealerRefresh. If you’ve ever thought, “I wish DealerRefresh would just…” – this is the time to say it. Big swings, small annoyances, and controversial ideas are all welcome. We have the power to evolve fast!
Not sure where to start? Pick one (or more) of these and drop a quick reply:
- One thing you’d change about DealerRefresh tomorrow if you had our keys.
- One feature or thread type you wish we’d never remove.
- A new section, tool, or recurring series you’d love to see us build this year.
- Where do you think DealerRefresh has the most untapped potential right now?
- How would you like to see AI used (or avoided) on DealerRefresh?
Alex, here are the biggest things I would change.
1. Update the mobile UI first. The thread should take up most of the screen, not the navigation. Collapse the top and bottom bars while someone is scrolling, tighten the member information above each post, and keep Reply, Quote, Follow, Bookmark, and Search easy to reach without covering the conversation.
I would also let members customize Daily Activity. Give us filters for Dealer Only, Following, Unanswered, Reviews, AMAs, and the ability to hide categories we do not want in the feed.
2. Never remove the raw threads. The names, dates, quotes, reactions, and full back and forth are what make DealerRefresh valuable. A summary can help someone catch up, but it should never replace seeing who said what and how the discussion developed.
3. Add a recurring “What Actually Worked” section. Have dealers break down the store type, the problem, the starting numbers, what they changed, what it cost, what happened after 30, 60, and 90 days, what failed, and what they would do differently. That would be useful across lead handling, CRM, BDC, recon, websites, service, AI, vendors, and pay plans.
4. The biggest untapped opportunity is the history already here. DealerRefresh has 20 years of real dealership conversations. Connect related threads, show what is still current, flag advice that may be outdated, and make it easier to find dealers who have already dealt with the same problem.
Verified dealer benchmarks would also be valuable. Show anonymous ranges by store type and volume for response time, appointment rate, show rate, sold rate, cost per sold, recon time, and vendor performance. Always show the date and sample size so dealers know how much weight to give the number.
5. Use AI to help members find the right human answer faster. Better search, thread summaries linked to the original posts, duplicate-question detection, stale-content warnings, topic tagging, and routing questions to members with real experience would all help.
I would not use AI to write member replies, auto-post opinions, or create fake activity. The people and the honest conversations are the reason the site matters.
My first move would be the mobile UI and customizable Daily Activity feed. The bigger long-term opportunity is turning the history here into current, usable dealership knowledge without losing the people who created it.
