Inventory Imports

Sync your Frazer DMS (or any CSV) inventory into AutoFire automatically

Inventory Imports

Bring existing inventory into AutoFire without re-typing every VIN. Imports read CSV from your DMS (Frazer is supported out of the box; any CSV export works) and keep AutoFire aligned with your lot.

In this guide

• 1-click website migration from a compatible dealer site
• CSV column mapping and dry-run preview
• VIN reconciliation (insert, update, mark sold)
• HTTPS automation with upload tokens

Imports dedupe by VIN, update existing vehicles in place, and automatically mark any vehicle that is no longer in the file as Sold. You will not end up with duplicate listings.

What you can do

Map your CSV once

A HubSpot-style mapper auto-detects columns like VIN, Year, Make, Model, Price, and Photos. You confirm the mapping once and we remember it.

Upload manually or automatically

Drag a CSV in the dashboard, or post the same file to a private upload URL on a schedule from your DMS or a small bridge service.

Mirror photos into AutoFire

Photo URLs in your CSV are downloaded and re-hosted in your dealership storage so listings keep working even if your DMS images move.

Audit every run

Every import is logged with inserts, updates, sold marks, and per-row errors so you always know what changed.

1-click website migration

Paste your existing dealer website URL to crawl inventory, mirror vehicle photos, and pull basic branding (name, phone, address, logo, hours). DealerWebsites.com sites are supported; other platforms may work when AutoFire detects a compatible inventory API.

1. Open Imports

   From the dashboard sidebar, choose Imports.

2. Paste your old site URL

   In the 1-click website migration section, enter your current dealer website URL (e.g. https://youroldsite.com).

3. Preview migration

   Click Preview migration to see vehicle count, sample listings, and detected branding.

4. Apply branding (optional)

   Check Apply branding if you want AutoFire to import logo, contact, and address fields from the source site.

5. Run the import

   Confirm the preview and start the migration. Progress appears in the UI; large lots may take a few minutes.

Migration imports vehicles using the same VIN-based reconciliation rules as CSV imports—existing VINs update in place; missing VINs can be marked sold.

CSV import quick start

1. Open the Imports page

   From the dashboard sidebar, choose Imports.

2. Issue an upload token (optional, for automation)

   Click Issue upload token in the Frazer connection card. We will show the token once — copy it and store it somewhere safe like a password manager. You can rotate it any time.

   Treat the upload token like a password. Anyone who has it can post inventory updates to your dealership.

3. Upload a sample CSV

   Click Choose CSV… and pick a recent export from Frazer (or whatever DMS you use). We will read the column headers and a few sample rows.

4. Confirm the column mapping

   Each CSV column is matched to an AutoFire field with a confidence label:

   • Matched — we are confident this is the right field.
   • Suggested — likely match. Double-check it.
   • Unmapped — we could not find a match. Pick a field or leave it as — ignore column —.

   You must map a column to VIN, Year, Make, Model, and Price before you can import.

5. Save the mapping

   Click Save mapping. From now on, files with the same headers will import automatically using these settings.

6. Run a dry-run preview

   Click Dry run preview. AutoFire will read the file and show you exactly how many vehicles would be inserted, updated, marked sold, or skipped — without changing your inventory.

7. Run the real import

   When the preview looks right, click Import now. We update your inventory, archive the CSV, and add the run to your history.

Required Columns

These five columns must be mapped before AutoFire will accept an import:

VIN

17-character vehicle identification number. Used to dedupe and match.

Year

Model year (1900–next year + 1).

Make

e.g. Ford, Toyota, Chevrolet.

Model

e.g. F-150, Camry, Silverado.

Price

Asking price. Currency symbols and commas are handled automatically.

Optional columns we will recognize and use when available include Stock Number, Trim, Mileage, Exterior / Interior Color, Body Style, Transmission, Drivetrain, Fuel Type, Engine, Doors, Description, Features, Status, and one or more Photo URL columns (Photo1, Photo2, … or ImageURL_1, etc. are auto-detected).

How Reconciliation Works

Matching by VIN

Every row is matched to your existing inventory by VIN. Rows without a valid 17-character VIN are skipped and recorded in the run errors.

Insert vs. update

• VINs you have not seen before are inserted as new vehicles.
• VINs already in your inventory are updated in place — their photos, pricing, mileage, and details are refreshed from the file.

Marking sold cars

Any AutoFire vehicle whose VIN is not in the latest CSV is moved to Sold status. We never delete inventory automatically — sold vehicles stay in your dashboard for record-keeping and FireCompare history.

Duplicate VINs in one file

If a VIN appears more than once in a single CSV, we keep the last non-empty values for each field and log a duplicate-row warning so you can clean up the source export.

Photos

By default, photo URLs in your CSV are mirrored — downloaded and re-hosted under your dealership in AutoFire. That way, if your DMS image URLs change or expire, your AutoFire listings keep working. You can switch to hotlink mode in the future if you prefer to serve photos directly from the source.

What we never overwrite

AutoFire-only fields — like a vehicle being marked Featured on your homepage, or a generated FireCompare comparison — are preserved across imports. The importer only updates the columns it owns.

Automating Imports

AutoFire is hosted on a global serverless platform and cannot accept FTP or SFTP directly. Automation works over secure HTTPS instead, using the upload token from the connection card.

Once you have an upload token, you (or a small helper service) can post the same CSV to your dealership’s private endpoint:

curl -X POST "https://goautofire.com/api/imports/frazer/upload" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer afi_yourtokenhere" \
  -H "Content-Type: text/csv" \
  --data-binary "@frazer-export.csv"

The response includes the run ID, status, and counts:

{
  "run_id": "0b1ad4c8-…",
  "status": "completed",
  "counters": {
    "rowCount": 42,
    "insertedCount": 3,
    "updatedCount": 38,
    "soldCount": 1,
    "errorCount": 0,
    "duplicateVinCount": 0
  }
}

If your DMS only supports FTP/SFTP push, run a small bridge service (e.g. on a cheap VM, Raspberry Pi, or anywhere you can run a script) that watches the destination folder and re-posts new CSVs to the URL above. AutoFire handles everything else.

Reviewing Past Imports

The Recent runs section on the Imports page shows the last 25 imports for your dealership. Each row tells you:

• When the import ran and what file it came from.
• Whether it was a manual upload, a dashboard run, or an automated upload.
• Counts for inserts, updates, sold, skipped, and errors.
• Whether the run was a dry-run preview or a real import.

Per-row errors (bad VIN, missing required field, photo download failure, etc.) are stored alongside the run and surfaced when needed.

Troubleshooting

“Map a CSV column to: VIN, Year, …”

AutoFire could not find a match for one of the required fields. Open the mapping dropdown next to a column that contains that data and pick the correct AutoFire field, then click Save mapping.

“Invalid or disabled upload token”

The token may have been rotated or the import provider may have been disabled. Open the dashboard, rotate the token, and update wherever you use it. Old tokens stop working immediately when rotated.

Some rows show ‘invalid_vin_format’

VINs must be 17 characters and use only letters/digits (no I, O, or Q). Clean the bad rows in your DMS export — they will be skipped, not the whole import.

A photo did not appear

Each photo must be a public URL returning a JPEG, PNG, or WebP under 5 MB. Photo errors are recorded as row errors but do not stop the rest of the vehicle from being imported.

A vehicle is unexpectedly marked Sold

That VIN was missing from the most recent CSV. Add the vehicle back to your DMS export and run an import — AutoFire will set it back to Available and keep its existing data.

Next steps

1. Verify public listings

   Inventory management — review status, photos, and descriptions after import.

2. Preview your site

   Your dealer website — confirm VDPs look correct.

3. Pro: syndicate

   Distribution feeds — push the same stock to marketplaces.

Inventory

Manual edits and status workflow

Website

How imports appear on your public site