Loaner Car Net

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How many computers can I use with Loaner Car Net at my dealership?

A: There is no limit to how many computers can be used with Loaner Car Net at your dealership. Some dealers have all of their service advisors connected and some dealer have a single individual who is responsible for issuing and tracking all loaner cars. The subscription price of Loaner Car Net allows you as many connections as you feel necessary,

Q: Do I need to agree to a long term commitment in order to try Loaner Car Net?

A: No! In fact you can try it for just one month and all it will cost is $65.00. You do not need to make a long-term commitment. There is no additional cost for setting up Loaner Car Net unless you have extensive changes to the actual printed contract. Modest changes to the contract that customize it for your dealership are made at no charge. If more extensive changes are needed, they will be charged at $70.00 per hour.

Q: Can I try it before I buy it?

A: Absolutely. Call our toll free number (888-436-9776) and we'll tell you how you can work with the actual operating Loaner Car Net web software. Be sure you have a web-connected computer at your disposal when you call. There are two fictitious dealerships set up in the system that can be used to examine all of the features of Loaner Car Net. Each of these trial dealerships have loaner cars, customer lists and a history of loaner contracts so that you can experience the real thing. You will be invited to try the system at your own pace and you can log in as many times as necessary to show it to others.

Q: Is there a setup fee for Loaner Car Net?

A: There is no cost for setting up Loaner Car Net unless you have extensive changes to the actual printed contract. Modest changes to the contract that customize it for your dealership are made at no charge. If more extensive changes are needed, they will be charged at $70.00 per hour.

Q: How do I sign up for Loaner Car Net?

A: It's simple. Click on the link at the side of this page titled "User Agreement". This link will display a copy of our user agreement. Print a copy of the agreement and fill out the bottom and sign it. Be sure to select the billing method you want - monthly, quarterly or annually. Mail or fax the completed agreement according to the information at the bottom. We will call you and set up a login for you. If you fax it, you can usually be up and running Loaner Car Net on the same day or the next day.

Q: Where is the data used in Loaner Car Net actually stored?

A: Both the web site and the database are hosted by a company which specializes in online hosting. They are located in California in an unidentified and secure, guarded building. This company hosts hundreds of other mission-critical applications as well as Loaner Car Net. They have on-site power generation, state-of-the-art fire protection and 24/7 professionals to manage the computers and software. The databases are maintained in Microsoft SQL Server and are backed up each night. Periodically, a copy of the database is transmitted to a location in a different state so that there is no chance of total loss of information.

Q: Can I assign additional users myself?

A: Absolutely. When your dealership is first set up for Loaner Car Net, only one login is established. This first login always has 'administrator' privilege. The person assigned as the administrator then can establish additional logins for all of the users in the dealership. Additional users can be set up as administrators or as agents. Administrator logins have the ability to maintain the list of cars and the list of employees that are referenced by the system. There is also a preferences screen in which certain default settings can be made. Agent logins have all of the other capabilities of Loaner Car Net, but not the specific administrator items just mentioned.

Q: Can I make reservations for customers for future days?

A: Yes. Loaner Car Net has a reservation feature so you can establish a list of customers that need loaner or rental cars on any future date. It does not assign specific cars on future days, however. The logistics of doing that would present problems if a car was assigned but not returned from a previous loan. Instead, there is a viewer screen that allows you to get a list of customers that have had reservations entered. You can view this list anytime, but it is typically viewed at the end of each day so the next day's cars can be allocated - or - it is viewed at the beginning of the day so as to see the list of customers expected that day. The number of cars needed on any given day is always shown at the bottom of the reservation viewer screen to help manage availability.

Q: Are there additional fees involved with Loaner Car Net?

A: Only if you require extensive changes to the contract that is printed for your customers. Modest changes to the contract that customize it for your dealership are made at no charge when you initially sign up. If more extensive changes are needed, they will be charged at $70.00 per hour. Of course, you will need to have the computer(s) and the connection to the internet, and you will need a printer. The paper that the contracts are printed on may have your terms and conditions for loan pre-printed on it. This is sometimes on the back of the page and sometimes on the face of the page with space left for Loaner Car Net to print the specific logistic information.

Q: Does Loaner Car Net interact with my Dealership Management System (DMS)?

A: No, Loaner Car Net is a stand-alone application and does not interact with any other software. Loaner Car Net maintains its own list of your customers. This list is established as customers need loaners. Actually, there would be very little synergy in interfacing to a DMS because the information that Loaner Car Net needs is usually not maintained in a DMS. For example, Loaner Car Net needs customer driver license number and expiration date as well as insurance company, policy number and policy expiration date. About the only data that would be common between Loaner Car Net and a DMS is the customer name, address and phone.

Q: Do I need special computers or printers?

A: Maybe. Any standard PC that is connected to the internet and runs one of the standard internet browsers is acceptable. Loaner Car Net is designed specifically to work with the Internet Explorer® provided by Microsoft in their Windows Operating System. The printer can either be a laser printer or an ink-jet printer. The only issue here is speed. Laser printers are faster, but an ink-jet will work just fine. Most dealerships print two copies of the contract; one is a customer copy and one is a dealership copy. It is usually best to have a printer dedicated to the task of printing loaner contracts. That way it can be placed in a location that is convenient to all loaner agents. Another possible consideration is if the printed contract is a two-page document where the second page must print on the reverse side of the page. In this case, a "duplexing" printer is needed.

Q: Do I need a high-speed internet connection?

A: No, but it is best to have a high speed connection. Within the dealership, you most likely should have high speed. If you have a somewhat remote location, like a stand-alone gatehouse where returned cars are processed, it may not be attached to your network. In that case, a dial-up, telephone connection could be used.