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Troubleshooting Dealerbase API issues

Shane Breckon
Updated
Table of contents

    If you're experiencing issues with your Trade Me listings after updating to the Dealerbase API, please complete the following in order. If your problem persists please create a ticket with our support team who can investigate further.

     

    STEP 1: Ensure all computers are on the latest version of Motorcentral

    1. Select Help > Run Updates.



      You will be redirected to our website where you can download the latest Motorcentral DMS version.

    2. Click the Download button.



    3. Locate the downloaded file and run it.

      If you are already on the latest version you will receive the below message otherwise please complete the installation instructions to install Motorcentral.



    4. Please repeat this process for all computers that currently have Motorcentral installed.

     

    STEP 2: Complete an export to Trade Me

    1. Navigate to the Export tab and select Trade Me Motors (Dealerbase API)



    2. Click Export Now

      Motorcentral will analyse the vehicles you have selected to export and identify any with potential issues by marking them with a warning symbol.



      Placing your cursor over the warning symbol will help identify what issues have been identified for that vehicle.

      Note: If a vehicle has an issue, it will NOT be included in this export. This means if the vehicle is already on Trade Me it will not be updated.

    3. Correct those vehicles that have identified issues until the warning symbol is removed.

      You can double-click on a vehicle to open it and make any necessary edits. Motorcentral will remind you of any items that need updating.



      Note: If a truck, caravan, motorhome etc has an error, ensure it has the correct vehicle class in Motorcentral. Trade Me will not accept these vehicle types as Passenger Vehicles.

    4. (Multi) For multi-dealerships complete Step 3 for each Account tab you have at the top of the window



    5. Click Export to Trade Me

      Motorcentral will begin to send your vehicles to Trade Me including images. You can see progress via the progress bar at the bottom of the window.



    6. Once complete, if there are still issues with listing your vehicles on Trade Me a dialog box similar to the below will appear.



      Any vehicles listed here have not been updated on Trade Me.
    7. Correct any vehicles that still have identified issues.

      You may find it easier to Copy to Clipboard the errors and work through them.

    8. Repeat Steps 2 thru 7 again until the Export to Trade Me completes without errors.

     

    STEP 3: Resolve specific errors

    Below are a list of common issues and how to resolve them:

    Listing manufacturer 'XXX' is not valid

    This vehicle manufacturer name does not match a manufacturer on the Trade Me Make list.

    This is due primarily to two reasons:

    1. The manufacturer you have in Motorcentral doesn't exactly match the one Trade Me uses eg. Mercedes vs Mercedes-Benz; or
    2. The vehicle class you're using is incorrect. ie. You're trying to list a caravan as a passenger vehicle.

    Manufacturer doesn't match Trade Me

    If you want to update your manufacturer to match a Trade Me one, then:

    1. Go to Tools > Lookups > Vehicle...
    2. Select the tab for the vehicle class this manufacturer belongs to. eg. Passenger Vehicle
    3. Click the Manufacturers... button
    4. Double-click the manufacturers you wish to edit
    5. Edit the Display As field to match the Trade Me manufacturer (you can see the Trade Me manufacturers using the Make dropdown on their website - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors)
    6. Click Finish to save your changes

    If you prefer to keep your own manufacturer, it's possible to tell Trade Me which (of their) manufacturers you'd like this vehicle to be listed under:

    1. Right-click on the vehicle in the Trade Me Motors (Dealerbase API) export window
    2. Select Edit Export Mappings...
    3. In the Export Overrides section select the manufacturer from Trade Me's list that matches your vehicle.
    4. Click Save

    Vehicle Class is incorrect

    When entering a vehicle into Motorcentral you must choose the correct vehicle class.

    If you haven't selected the correct class, the list of manufacturers may not match correctly. For example, the manufacturer Hino will only be available when listing a truck.

    You can check the vehicle class of a vehicle by opening it and looking at the icon in the top left-hand corner of the window.



    To resolve:

    1. Add a new vehicle to stock in the correct vehicle class (click the small arrow on the Vehicles tab)



    2. Copy across ALL the details of the original vehicle to this new one.
    3. Deactivate/delete the original vehicle.

     

     

    Listing manufacturer 'XXX' is not valid

    This vehicle manufacturer name is invalid.

    In this case it has a <space> character at the end of it. This needs to be removed.

    To correct it:

    1. Go to Tools > Lookups > Vehicle...
    2. Select the tab for the vehicle class this Manufacturer belongs to. eg. Passenger Vehicle
    3. Click the Manufacturers... button
    4. Double-click the manufacturers you wish to edit
    5. Edit the Display As field to match the Trade Me manufacturer (you can see the Trade Me manufacturers using the Make dropdown on their website - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors)
    6. Click Finish to save your changes

    Listing model 'XXX' is not valid

    This vehicle model name does not match a model on the Trade Me Model list for the selected manufacturer.

    If you want to update your model to match a Trade Me one, then:

    1. Go to Tools > Lookups > Vehicle...
    2. Select the tab for the vehicle class this model belongs to. eg. Passenger Vehicle
    3. Click the Models... button
    4. Select the model you wish to edit from the list and click the Edit button
    5. Edit the Model Display As field to match the Trade Me model (you can see the Trade Me models using the Make & Model dropdowns on their website - https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/motors)
    6. Click Finish to save your changes

    If you prefer to keep your own model, it's possible to tell Trade Me which (of their) models you'd like this vehicle to be listed under:

    1. Right-click on the vehicle in the Trade Me Motors (Dealerbase API) export window
    2. Select Edit Export Mappings...
    3. In the Export Overrides section select the model from Trade Me's list that matches your vehicle.
    4. Click Save

    Listing must have a transmission

    The vehicle doesn't have a transmission entered.

    Please enter one.

    1. Right-click on the vehicle and select Edit vehicle...
    2. Navigate to the Mechanical tab of that vehicle
    3. Select a value in the Transmission field
    4. Click Save & Close to save your changes

    If the error remains you may need to ensure a  Transmission type has been selected for this transmission. To do this:

    1. Go to Tools > Lookups > Vehicle...
    2. Select the tab for the vehicle class this transmission belongs to. eg. Passenger Vehicle
    3. Select the Mechanical tab within that vehicle class tab
    4. Click the Transmissions... button
    5. Double-click the transmission you wish to edit
    6. Ensure the transmission type is set



    7. Click Finish to save your changes

    Listing must have a registration plate, chassis or VIN

    The vehicle doesn't have a registration plate, chassis number or VIN entered.

    Please enter at least one.

    1. Right-click on the vehicle and select Edit vehicle...
    2. Navigate to the General tab of that vehicle
    3. Enter at least one of the following:
      • Registration Plate No
      • VIN
      • Chassis No
    4. Click Save & Close to save your changes

    Stock No XXXX -:

    Error encountered when creating vehicle.

    This VinNumber has been used for another vehicle (YYYY). Please use a unique VinNumber.

    You have listed a vehicle in the last 120 days with Trade Me that already uses that VIN.

    Trade Me does not allow a vehicle that has previously been listed (in the last 120 days) to be listed again as new. Instead the old listing needs to be reactivated.

    To resolve:

    1. Log in to Dealerbase and navigate to the Current stock page
    2. Locate the vehicle with the Motorcentral stock number 'YYYY' (as shown in the error received). Note: this will likely be in your Deleted Stock


    3. Edit the vehicle


    4. Change Stock# to the current Motorcentral stock number of your vehicle ('XXXX' in the error received).


    5. Click Save & Return to save your changes.
    6. Immediately after complete an Export To Trade Me in Motorcentral (ie STEP 2 above)

    When viewing on Trade Me, a vehicle's description no longer includes the Dealerbase Standard Vehicle Text (SVT)

    You must tell Motorcentral which vehicles should have the SVT applied. To do this:

    1. Open the vehicle you want the SVT to apply to and navigate to the Export tab
    2. In the Trade Me section ensure the Apply standard vehicle text checkbox is checked



    3. Click Save & Close to save your changes

    Next time you export this vehicle to Trade Me successfully the standard vehicle text will be applied.

     

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