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Frequent Questions & Answers

Answers to our frequently asked questions are below.

What is Lot Wizard?

Lot Wizard is a computer program that runs on Microsoft Windows PCs. The software uses a database to hold a car dealership's contact and sales information in order to make managing sales and printing paperwork a more efficient process. Primarily, Lot Wizard will perform F&I calculations and print all deal paperwork for vehicle sales. The Lot Wizard software has been used by car dealers throughout the United States since its launch in 2001, and since then we have been adding and enhancing the program's features. Some optional features include buy here pay here account administration, downloading customer credit reports, inventory & sales reports, and complete online integration with websites and third party advertisers.

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How can it help my business?

Using Lot Wizard will save you time and money. Two of the most time consuming tasks for dealers are digitizing vehicle inventory and preparing paperwork. Lot Wizard makes both of these processes a breeze. Managing your vehicle inventory will be easier than ever because Lot Wizard customers don't have to deal with double entry ever again. With Lot Wizard, you only have to enter your inventory once. Our software can upload your inventory to third party advertisers like Autotrader, and dealer website integration is available with the websites we offer and third party website hosts. Lot Wizard will also keep track of other important information like all your banks and financing companies, state & local taxes, fees, warranty plans, and insurance rates, so when it comes time to calculate a deal and print paperwork, the majority of the work will already be done for you. Effective data management is the key to streamlining your workload, and that is what Lot Wizard was designed to do.

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How much does it cost?

Current pricing for our Lot Wizard systems can be found here.

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Is your company reputable?

Friday Systems, Inc. has been providing auto dealers with computer software solutions since 1983! Lot Wizard is our latest generation of dealer software, and it is recommended by a number of state dealer associations. We would be happy to provide you with references that will testify to our service.

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How do I use Lot Wizard's features?

For your convenience, the Lot Wizard User Manual is available online. It details the functionality of all Lot Wizard's features with descriptive text and pictures, allowing you to become familiar with any of our product's operations. Click here to access this resource.

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How do I replace the sample information with my own dealership’s information?

Call Friday Systems, Inc at 1-800-677-7160 and we will be happy to help you initialize the software so you can use it as your own.

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Do I have to pay extra for new forms or program updates?

No. Lot Wizard program updates and standard forms (contracts, odometers, warranties, etc.) are included in your monthly payment. There will be an additional charge for any custom form printed specifically for your dealership. If you're not sure what type of forms your dealership uses, please give us a call at 1-800-677-7160.

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Where can I get forms for my dealership?

Forms are usually available from the companies that print them. Many State Dealership Organizations also provide a variety of car deal processing forms.

• Reynolds & Reynolds Business Forms:  1-800-344-0996
• Gallagher Promotional Products, Inc.:  1-800-367-8458
• Sid Savage:  1-800-521-1712

• Bankers Systems, Inc.:  1-800-397-2341
• Banconsumer Service (BANCO):  1-800-225-0322

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How do I get Lot Wizard to print my forms?

1. Establish an Internet connection.
2. Load the Lot Wizard software.
3. Click the Utilities menu, and choose Download Updates/Registration Key.
4. When the Internet Downloads window appears, click the red Connect button.
5. After the Available Downloads list on the left is populated, navigate the form category tabs to locate the forms you would like to print.

Most of our forms have image previews so you may verify that you're getting the form you want. If a preview is available, a button with a picture of a camera on it will appear below the Disconnect button. Click this button and Lot Wizard will download an image preview of the selected form.

1. Select a form you would like to download by clicking on its name, and add it to the Selected Downloads list by clicking the Add to Downloads button.
2. When you have added all the forms you need to the list, click the Download button located below the Selected Downloads list.
3. After your downloads complete, your new forms will be available for printing from the Document Printing screen of the deal process (step 6).

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What if a form I want isn't on the Download List?

Give us a call and we will add the form to our constantly expanding library. 1-800-677-7160

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What type of Printer(s) do I need?

Lot Wizard supports two types of printing. For deal paperwork (contracts, state paperwork, etc), you will need a dot-matrix impact printer. We recommend the Okidata 320 and 321 series printers. Other impact printers may work but we offer support for the Okidatas.

For report and window sticker printing, an ink jet or laser jet is recommended. These types of printers will make your documents look much nicer, and allow our window stickers to be printed in color. This second printer should be able to connect to your computer using a USB cable.

Okidata ML320 Turbo (Narrow 8.5" Carriage [8" print path])

• BuyPrinters
• CDW
• NewEgg
• Dell

Okidata ML321 Turbo (Wide 16.5" Carriage)

• BuyPrinters
• CDW
• Dell

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How do I send my cars to the Internet?

1. Establish an Internet connection.
2. Load the Lot Wizard software.
3. Click the Utilities menu, and choose Internet Stock Transfer.
4. When the Internet Upload window appears, click the Upload button.
5. When your transfer completes, you will be notified by the software.

Although updates to websites that we host will be processed immediately, inventory changes will not be immediately visible on internet advertisers' sites.

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How do I get my cars on AutoTrader.com?

In order to send your inventory data to AutoTrader.com, you must first purchase an AutoTrader data feed from Friday Systems, Inc. and a listing package directly from AutoTrader.com.

To transmit your inventory, follow the steps provided in How do I send my cars to the Internet?

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How do I make sure my Lot Wizard software is up to date?

Important: We highly recommend backing up your data before downloading and installing new components. [How?]
To watch a video that answers this question, click here.
To check the most recent release version number, connect to the Internet Downloads interface by following these steps:

1. Establish an Internet connection.
2. Load the Lot Wizard software.
3. Click the Utilities menu, and choose Download Updates/Registration Key.
4. When the Internet Downloads window appears, click the red Connect button.
5. After the Available Downloads list on the left is populated, browse the Program tab for a Lot Wizard entry.
6. If a newer version of Lot Wizard is available, click Add to Downloads button to add the new Lot Wizard program to your downloads list.
7. Also add these files to your download list: Friday Systems Deal Library, Finish Library Update, FSFTP
8. Click the Download button to start the automatic installation.

The Lot Wizard update should complete automatically. If you encounter any problems please contact us.

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How do I prevent the Windows Firewall from denying Lot Wizard downloads and transfers?

1. Open the Windows Control Panel by clicking the Start button then Control Panel.
2. Load the Security Center by clicking its icon.
3. Click the Windows Firewall icon to access its configuration.
4. Ensure that Don't allow exceptions is not checked on the General tab.
5. Click the Exceptions tab.
6. Click the Add Program... button.
7. Browse the list for the Lot Wizard listing, and select it by clicking on it.
8. Click OK.
9. Click OK.
10. Close the Security Center.
11. Close the Control Panel.

Note: The instructions above were designed for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

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How do I prevent Norton Internet Security 2006 from denying Lot Wizard downloads and transfers?

1. Open Norton Internet Security by clicking the Start button, All Programs, Norton Internet Security, and then Norton Internet Security.
2. When the software loads, click the Norton Protection Center button on the left.
3. Click Security Basics under the Your PC and Data heading.
4. Click Personal Firewall on the new window that appears, and choose Configure Personal Firewall from the drop down list.
5. Click the Programs tab.
6. Click the Add... button under the Manual Program Control section.
7. Browse to the Lot Wizard folder, which is typically C:\Program Files\Lot Wizard
8. Select Lotwiz.exe in the program folder and click the Open button.
9. Make sure Permit is selected on the What do you want to do? drop down list.
10. Click OK.
11. Click OK.
12. Click Close.
13. Close the Norton Internet Security.

Note: The instructions above were designed for Norton Internet Security 2006 and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

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How do I prevent Zone Labs ZoneAlarm Pro from denying Lot Wizard downloads and transfers?

1. Open ZoneAlarm Pro by clicking the Start button, All Programs, Zone Labs, and then Zone Labs Security.
2. When the software loads, click the Program Control button on the left.
3. If Lot Wizard is already on the Programs list, go to step 5.
4. To add Lot Wizard to the Programs list, click the Add button and browse for the Lot Wizard program file. (Typically C:\Program Files\Lot Wizard\Lotwiz.exe)
5. Click the Trust level for Lot Wizard and choose Trusted from the list.
6. Click the setting for trusted Access and choose Allow from the list.
7. Repeat step 6 for internet Access, trusted Server, and internet Server
8. Close ZoneAlarm Pro.

Note: The instructions above were designed for Zone Labs ZoneAlarm Pro 6 and Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2.

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How do I print Window Stickers for my cars?

1. Load the vehicle you'd like a window sticker for into the Inventory Detail window. [How?]
2. Click the Inventory Forms menu, and choose any of the three available window stickers. If you do not see three window sticker options on the Inventory Forms menu, you will need to download the additional window stickers.

To print a custom-colored window sticker, choose Plain Paper Window Sticker II. Click the Defaults button before printing to change the colors, font settings, and custom text sections.

Self-adhesive window stickers can be purchased from Friday Systems or you can use plain paper with plastic sleeves.

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Do I need special paper to print payment coupons for my Buy Here/Pay Here customers?

Our software prints three coupons per single sheet of 8.5 x 11 paper. TOPS makes a perforated paper that works great for our coupons, but any paper that separates every 3 and 2/3 inches will work just as well. The TOPS paper is available online at the following web sites:

• InstaOffice.com
• Shoplet.com