Looking for a Pinewood Alternative? Here's What Pinewood DMS Doesn't Track

Pinewood (now part of CDK Global in the UK) is used across many UK dealer groups. Its web-based DMS platform handles vehicle sales, aftersales, stock management, and manufacturer reporting for franchise and independent dealers alike. Pinewood's modern interface and cloud-based architecture have made it a popular choice for groups looking to consolidate their dealer management on a single platform. But Pinewood, like all DMS platforms, captures the deal — not the decisions that shaped it.

When a sales manager overrides a price during negotiation, Pinewood records the final selling price. It doesn't capture who authorized the deviation, why the price was changed, or the margin impact of that single decision. DealerInt captures the override decisions that happen inside the Pinewood workflow — pricing deviations, manager approvals, and margin impact — that the DMS simply passes through without recording.

What Pinewood Does Well

Pinewood's cloud-based DMS is one of the most modern platforms in the UK market. Its browser-based interface means dealers can access their DMS from any device without thick-client installations. Vehicle sales processing, part-exchange management, F&I product delivery, workshop scheduling, parts ordering, and integrated CRM all run through Pinewood's single platform. For dealer groups, the multi-site architecture provides consolidated reporting and stock visibility across locations.

Manufacturer integrations are another strength. Pinewood connects to OEM ordering systems, warranty platforms, and franchise compliance reporting. For groups running multiple brands, having these integrations handled natively within the DMS reduces operational complexity.

What Pinewood Wasn't Built For

Pinewood was designed to manage dealership operations efficiently. It processes deals, tracks stock, runs the workshop, and delivers manufacturer reports. But it wasn't designed to audit the pricing decisions that happen during a sale. When a desk manager adjusts the price, approves an additional part-exchange allowance, or overrides a finance rate, Pinewood records the result — not the decision.

• Override capture at the exact decision moment — who approved, what changed, and by how much
• Manager approval audit trail with timestamps and structured reason codes
• Margin deviation tracking that shows the pound impact of every pricing override
• Pattern detection across salespeople, managers, sites, and deal types
• Policy enforcement that flags deviations from group pricing guidelines

Why Pinewood Dealers Add DealerInt

UK dealer groups running Pinewood typically have strong operational processes. Stock turns are tracked, workshop utilization is measured, and manufacturer targets are monitored. But the sales desk remains a blind spot. When a deal manager approves a £1,200 discount on a vehicle that already had thin margin, the only record is the final deal number in Pinewood. There's no audit trail of who approved it, whether it was within group policy, or how it compared to the average discount on similar vehicles.

For groups running 10, 20, or 50+ sites on Pinewood, this visibility gap multiplies. If each site gives away an extra £300 per deal on average through untracked overrides, and each site sells 80 vehicles per month, that's £24,000 per site per month in potential margin erosion that nobody is measuring. DealerInt makes those invisible decisions visible and accountable.

How DealerInt Works With Pinewood

DealerInt is a Chrome extension that runs in the browser alongside Pinewood. Since Pinewood is already browser-based, the two work together naturally. DealerInt doesn't require Pinewood API access, doesn't need IT involvement, and doesn't modify any DMS settings or data. There's no integration project, no data migration, and no risk to your manufacturer compliance.

1. Sign up for DealerInt and install the Chrome extension on dealership computers.
2. Connect your store — no Pinewood API, credentials, or DMS configuration needed.
3. Start capturing overrides the same day. DealerInt runs alongside Pinewood in the browser without interference.

Not a Replacement — The Override Layer Pinewood Needs

DealerInt doesn't compete with Pinewood. It captures the decisions that Pinewood was never designed to record. Pinewood processes the deal. DealerInt records what happened before the deal was finalized — the overrides, the approvals, and the margin impact. Together, they give UK dealer groups visibility from pricing decision to completed transaction.

For dealer principals and operations directors who want to understand where margin is being lost at the desk, DealerInt provides the intelligence that Pinewood's operational DMS was never designed to deliver. It's the decision visibility layer that turns your Pinewood data into actionable margin intelligence.

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