Dealership software / Inventory syndication
Dealer inventory syndication: what pushes to CarGurus, Cars.com and Google, and what does not
Lead Friendly pushes your available inventory to CarGurus automatically, twice a day, once CarGurus has authorized it as your feed provider. Cars.com takes a file through Inventory Command Center, and Google fetches a feed URL that Lead Friendly serves. Facebook Marketplace is in progress and not live, and Autotrader is not supported. Status checked October 18, 2026.
Claims on this page were read against the code on October 18, 2026. Two independent stores in Kent, WA run their leads and inventory on Lead Friendly. Read the case study.
What pushes where
Four words, used the same way on every integration page: Live is carrying real traffic for customers today; Via feed means data moves by a file or feed URL that one side reads, with no API connection; In progress is not carrying real traffic; Not available means we do not offer it.
| Destination | Status | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| CarGurus | Live | Your inventory is pushed to CarGurus twice a day, and CarGurus leads come back as ADF email. Details |
| Cars.com, through ICC | Via feed | Cars.com takes your inventory through ICC; Lead Friendly sends one file per rooftop. Details |
| Google vehicle listings | Via feed | A feed URL in Google’s vehicle listings format. You add it on Google’s side; Google approves the listings. Details |
| Any other site that reads a feed | Via feed | A standard feed URL in CSV, TSV or JSON that a marketplace, DMS or website vendor can pull on its own schedule. |
| Facebook Marketplace | In progress | The feed format is built. It is not set up with Facebook for any dealer yet. Details |
| Autotrader | Not available | No Autotrader feed and no push. The standard feed is generic and has not been set up with Autotrader. Autotrader leads can still reach you by ADF. |
| DealerCenter | Via feed | Inventory moves both ways by feed: DealerCenter sends a file in, and Lead Friendly serves a cloud feed out. Details |
What gets sent, and what is held back
Available cars only
Each push is a full snapshot of what is available. It runs twice a day because the second run is what takes a car sold in the morning off the marketplace the same day. Push now runs it between the scheduled runs.
No photos or no VIN, no listing
A vehicle without photos or without a VIN is held out of the file on purpose. The push card names the cars and the missing field, so the fix is a photo or a VIN rather than a support ticket.
A guard against wiping the lot
If a file shrinks sharply against the last one, the upload is refused until you confirm the drop is real, so an empty export cannot clear your listings overnight.
You can see what happened
The last successful push, the count that went out, and the cars held back with the reason. A feed is better judged on last successful push and published count than on what sits in a folder.
One file per rooftop for Cars.com
ICC prefers one file per store, so a group gets one file each and one store failing does not blank out another. A vehicle without photos or a VIN is held out here too.
Leads come back by ADF
Marketplace leads arrive by ADF email or URL and become a contact, a pipeline card and a task. The AI texts a new lead only once you switch the Auto Responder or an automation on.
Setting up CarGurus
- Add your CarGurus dealer ID.
- Lead Friendly sends the provider-authorization email CarGurus requires, and you approve it. Until CarGurus authorizes, nothing is pushed.
- Once authorized, your store joins the twice-a-day push, and Push now runs it on demand.
- Point CarGurus’s lead email at your Lead Friendly ADF address so shopper inquiries come back as contacts.
What it does not do
- Facebook Marketplace is in progress, not live. The feed format is built, but no dealer’s inventory is sent to Facebook from Lead Friendly today, and Lead Friendly does not post to Marketplace.
- Autotrader is not supported: there is no Autotrader feed or push.
- Every connection is a file or a feed URL, never an API connection to the marketplace. CarGurus, Cars.com and Google decide what they list and rank.
- Lead Friendly cannot see Google’s per-vehicle result. A car shows as published when it is in the live feed, not when Google lists it.
- Nothing is written back to a DMS. Inventory from DealerCenter comes in by file, and nothing goes back.
- CarGurus must authorize Lead Friendly as your feed provider first. If another provider already feeds CarGurus for you, switch deliberately so two files do not fight.
What it costs
Syndication comes with the inventory manager in Lead Friendly for Dealers. That plan is $349/month, or $279/month billed annually ($3,348 a year), plus a one-time $500 setup fee. Lead Friendly does not charge per listing or per push. What CarGurus, Cars.com or Google charge you for listings is between you and them. The plan does not include a website: a dealer website is a separate done-for-you build, scoped and quoted per project.
Frequently asked
Does Lead Friendly post to Facebook Marketplace?
No. Lead Friendly can produce a feed in the column format Facebook’s vehicle catalog expects, but it is not set up with Facebook for any dealer yet. It is in progress, not live, and no inventory is sent to Facebook from Lead Friendly today. List on Facebook through Facebook’s own tools in the meantime.
Does Lead Friendly support Autotrader?
Not for inventory. There is no Autotrader feed or push. The standard feed is a generic CSV, TSV or JSON that a site can pull, but it has not been set up with Autotrader. Autotrader leads can reach Lead Friendly by ADF, to the address or URL Lead Friendly gives you.
How often does inventory go to CarGurus?
Automatically twice a day, after CarGurus authorizes Lead Friendly as your feed provider, and on demand with Push now. The second run is what takes a car sold in the morning off CarGurus the same day.
Why was one of my cars not sent?
Most often it has no photos or no VIN. Those are held out of the file on purpose, and the push card lists the car and the missing field. Add the photo or the VIN and push again.
How does Lead Friendly get my inventory onto Cars.com?
Cars.com takes dealer inventory through Inventory Command Center, not directly. Lead Friendly sends ICC one file per store, and ICC and Cars.com decide what is listed. It is a feed, not an API connection to Cars.com.
Do I need a separate inventory feed vendor?
Not for CarGurus: Lead Friendly acts as your feed provider once CarGurus accepts the authorization. For Cars.com it sends ICC the file, and for Google it serves a feed URL you add on Google’s side. If a vendor already feeds one of them for you, switch deliberately so two files do not fight.
Do marketplace leads come back into Lead Friendly?
Yes. CarGurus and Cars.com leads arrive by ADF email, and any marketplace that posts ADF can send to a URL. Each lead becomes a contact with the vehicle of interest, a pipeline card and a follow-up task. The shopper is texted only once you switch on the AI Auto Responder or an automation.
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