CDK Global API
CDK Global is the software many car dealerships use to run their day-to-day operations. An unofficial API gives you programmatic hooks into that system, so you can read and write key dealership records (vehicles, customers, leads, appointments, repair orders) without manual exports
What is CDK Global?
CDK Global provides enterprise software for automotive retail. Its products (e.g., dealership management systems, CRM, service and parts, accounting, F&I, and websites/digital retailing) help franchised and independent dealers operate sales, service, and back office workflows.
Core product families include:
- Dealership Management Systems (e.g., CDK Drive): sales, service, parts, accounting
- CRM and Internet Lead Management: lead routing, desking, customer communications
- Fixed Operations: service scheduling, repair orders (ROs), parts inventory
- Digital Retailing and Websites: inventory syndication, pricing, online checkout
- OEM and Partner Connectivity: incentives, recalls, and certified data exchanges
Common data entities:
- Customers and household profiles
- Vehicle inventory (new, used, CPO) and pricing
- Leads, opportunities, and deals (desking/F&I)
- Service appointments and repair orders (labor, parts, totals)
- Parts inventory, suppliers, and purchase orders
- Accounting postings, invoices, and payments
The CDK Global Integration Challenge
Dealers rely on CDK daily, but turning portal-based workflows and varied DMS modules into automated pipelines is tricky:
- Product-specific access: Different modules (Drive DMS, CRM, Service, Parts) have distinct interfaces, schemas, and entitlements
- Strong enterprise security: SSO/MFA and dealer-specific network controls complicate headless automation
- Portal-first delivery: Many capabilities live in web apps rather than unified, public APIs
- Dealer-by-dealer variability: Custom fields, codes (op codes), and local processes require normalization
- Licensing and usage controls: Access must respect contracts, roles, and rate constraints programmatically
How Supergood Creates CDK Global APIs
Supergood reverse-engineers authenticated browser flows and dealer-specific network interactions to deliver a resilient API endpoint layer.
- Handles username/password, SSO/OAuth, and MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) securely
- Maintains session continuity with automated refresh and change detection
- Normalizes responses so you can integrate once and rely on consistent objects across dealerships and modules
- Aligns with customer entitlements and licensing constraints to ensure compliant access
Getting Started
- Schedule Integration Assessment
Book a 30-minute session to confirm your dealers, modules, licensing, and authentication model.
- Supergood Builds and Validates Your API
We deliver a hardened CDK adapter tailored to your workflows and entitlements.
- Deploy with Monitoring
Go live with continuous monitoring and automatic adjustments as CDK evolves.
API Endpoints
Authentication
/sessionsEstablish a session using CDK credentials. Supergood manages MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and SSO/OAuth when enabled. Returns a short-lived auth token maintained by the platform.
Authentication
/sessions/refreshRefresh an existing token to keep sessions uninterrupted.
Inventory
/inventory/vehiclesList vehicle inventory with filters and pricing details. Useful for website sync, marketplace feeds, and quoting.
CRM & Leads
/crm/leadsCreate a new CRM lead and route it to the correct dealer rooftop and salesperson.
Service
/service/appointmentsCreate a service appointment with requested operations and advisor assignment.
Service
/service/repair-orders/{roNumber}Update a repair order’s external status or add a customer communication marker (e.g., ready for pickup). Useful for customer messaging and workflow orchestration.
Use Cases
Digital Retailing and Lead Automation
- Push online leads and build deals automatically in the dealer’s CRM - Route leads to the right rooftop, department, or salesperson with normalized fields - Attach vehicle-of-interest and pricing to improve conversion and speed-to-contact
Inventory and Pricing Sync
- Pull vehicle inventory with trim, packages, photos, and price changes in near real time - Update website listings, marketplace feeds, and quote engines programmatically - Detect status changes (in-stock, sold, wholesale) and alert downstream systems
Service Scheduling and RO Visibility
- Create and manage service appointments from your app with advisor assignment - Track repair orders with line items, statuses, and totals to power status updates and payments - Notify customers when ROs change state (waiting parts, ready for pickup)
Dealer Onboarding and Data Migration
- Import customer lists and vehicles to bootstrap a new dealer on your platform - Validate field mappings across dealers (op codes, departments, price rules) with consistent schemas - Reduce go-live friction with automated credential handling and entitlement checks
Technical Specifications
Authentication
Username/password with MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and SSO/OAuth where enabled; supports service accounts or dealer-managed credentials
Response format
JSON with consistent resource schemas and pagination across rooftops
Rate limits
Tuned for dealership throughput while honoring licensing and usage controls
Session management
Automatic reauth and cookie/session rotation with health checks
Data freshness
Near real-time retrieval of inventory, leads, appointments, and RO updates
Security
Encrypted transport, scoped tokens, and audit logging; respects CDK entitlements
Webhooks
Optional asynchronous delivery for appointment reminders and RO status changes
Latency
Sub-second responses for list/detail queries under normal load
Throughput
Designed for high-volume lead intake, inventory sync, and service scheduling
Reliability
Retry logic, backoff, and idempotency keys minimize duplicate actions
Adaptation
Continuous monitoring for UI/API changes with rapid adapter updates
Frequently asked questions
Subject to your licensing and entitlements, Supergood supports workflows across commonly used modules such as Drive DMS (inventory, service, parts, accounting), CRM/ILM, and fixed ops. We scope coverage during integration assessment.
We support username/password + MFA (SMS, email, TOTP) and can operate behind SSO/OAuth when enabled. Sessions are refreshed automatically with secure challenge handling.
Yes. Where dealer entitlements permit, you can create leads, schedule appointments, and update repair order statuses. We enforce role-based controls and audit all writes.