AMA Help Shape the Future of DealerRefresh - AMA

[Alex Snyder]

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:

1. One thing you’d change about DealerRefresh tomorrow if you had our keys.
2. One feature or thread type you wish we’d never remove.
3. A new section, tool, or recurring series you’d love to see us build this year.
4. Where do you think DealerRefresh has the most untapped potential right now?
5. How would you like to see AI used (or avoided) on DealerRefresh?

 

[Zack_AF]

When is the arcade section with flash games and a leaderboard going in?!

 

[Alex Snyder]

When is the arcade section with flash games and a leaderboard going in?!

It might not be flashy... it might not be as fun as Ling's Cars website... But we do have a Best of the Best Leaderboard: Best of the Best — 2026

 

[gavin.bannerinsite]

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:

1. One thing you’d change about DealerRefresh tomorrow if you had our keys.
2. One feature or thread type you wish we’d never remove.
3. A new section, tool, or recurring series you’d love to see us build this year.
4. Where do you think DealerRefresh has the most untapped potential right now?
5. How would you like to see AI used (or avoided) on DealerRefresh?

Hey Alex, I'd love to see a private 20 Group style section inside Dealer Refresh. The community has a huge range of experience, and I think a lot of knowledge sharing gets left on the table because some conversations may not be suited for a public forum.

It could also be cool to have some kind of member matching component that helps connect people with similar backgrounds, goals, or experience levels. The real value isn't just having a private room, it's getting the right people in the room together.

 

[KennySmithAutoUnite]

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:

1. One thing you’d change about DealerRefresh tomorrow if you had our keys.
2. One feature or thread type you wish we’d never remove.
3. A new section, tool, or recurring series you’d love to see us build this year.
4. Where do you think DealerRefresh has the most untapped potential right now?
5. 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.

 

[awolniewitz]

Hey Alex, I'd love to see a private 20 Group style section inside Dealer Refresh. The community has a huge range of experience, and I think a lot of knowledge sharing gets left on the table because some conversations may not be suited for a public forum.

It could also be cool to have some kind of member matching component that helps connect people with similar backgrounds, goals, or experience levels. The real value isn't just having a private room, it's getting the right people in the room together.

love this. I'll put something together to gauge interest throughout the community. I agree wholeheartedly, the power of the room cannot be understated. Pair that with the generous legacy that is DealerRefresh and it's an exciting thing to think about.

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.

fantastic feedback. A couple of months ago I tried convincing @Alex Snyder & @Jeff Kershner to migrate the community over to discord. They resisted, and i now see that they were correct in doing so. I do still believe a mobile first UI and more casual, instant message type of chat room is missing.

I'm going to build a simple 'what actually worked' module and we'll see where things go. Stand by.

 

[KennySmithAutoUnite]

love this. I'll put something together to gauge interest throughout the community. I agree wholeheartedly, the power of the room cannot be understated. Pair that with the generous legacy that is DealerRefresh and it's an exciting thing to think about.


fantastic feedback. A couple of months ago I tried convincing @Alex Snyder & @Jeff Kershner to migrate the community over to discord. They resisted, and i now see that they were correct in doing so. I do still believe a mobile first UI and more casual, instant message type of chat room is missing.

I'm going to build a simple 'what actually worked' module and we'll see where things go. Stand by.

I think you landed in the right place. Discord would make the conversation faster, but it would also pull a lot of the best information out of DealerRefresh’s searchable history. Keep the forum as the home base and add a mobile-first chat room inside it. When a chat becomes useful, let someone save it as a regular thread so it does not disappear.


For What Actually Worked, I would keep the first version simple: what was broken, store type and volume, starting numbers, what changed, cost or resources involved, the 30/60/90-day result, what failed, and what they would do differently.


I would also show whether the result came from a dealer, vendor, or consultant, along with the date. Then let the members question it and add their own results. That will keep it useful and stop it from turning into another vendor case study.


Put the newest ones in Daily Activity, but let members filter them so they do not take over the feed. I’ll test it as you build it. Done right, this could become one of the most useful parts of DealerRefresh.