What is MonsterAuto.ca?

Shop used cars online in Canada from licensed dealers with all-in pricing, secure checkout, financing tools, and delivery coordination. MonsterAuto.ca.

v2.0 Production Ready

MonsterAuto Inventory Feed API

Production-grade vehicle data ingestion for Canadian dealerships

Quick Start

Endpoint

POST https://api.monsterauto.ca/v1/dealers/inventory

Authentication

X-Monster-Api-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

Get your API key from the dealer portal Feed Setup page

Example Request (cURL)

curl -X POST https://api.monsterauto.ca/v1/dealers/inventory \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-Monster-Api-Key: YOUR_KEY_HERE" \
  -d '{
    "incremental": true,
    "vehicles": [
      {
        "vin": "1HGBH41JXMN109186",
        "make": "Honda",
        "model": "Accord",
        "year": 2022,
        "price": 28995,
        "odometer": 35000,
        "location_city": "Toronto",
        "location_province": "ON",
        "latitude": 43.6532,
        "longitude": -79.3832,
        "status": "Available"
      }
    ]
  }'

Response 202 Accepted: Your feed is queued for processing. Check job status in the dealer portal within 10-60 seconds.

Required Fields (10 fields)

Field	Type	Example	Notes
vin	string	1HGBH41JXMN109186	Must be unique per dealer
make	string	Honda	Manufacturer name
model	string	Accord	Model name
year	integer	2022	Model year
price	integer	28995	CAD whole dollars (no decimals)
odometer	integer	35000	Kilometres (also accepts "km", "mileage")
location_city	string	Toronto	Dealer city
location_province	enum	ON	2-letter province code (AB, BC, ON, etc.)
latitude	number	43.6532	Decimal degrees
longitude	number	-79.3832	Decimal degrees

Optional Fields (Recommended for Quality Score)

Basic Details

trim - Model variant
exterior_colour - Paint color
interior_colour - Interior color
body_style - Sedan, SUV, etc.

Technical Specs

transmission - Automatic, Manual, CVT
engine - e.g., "2.0L Turbo"
drivetrain - FWD, RWD, AWD, 4WD
fuel_type - Gasoline, Hybrid, Electric, etc.

Marketing Content

description - Text description (150+ chars recommended)
photos - Array of URLs (max 40, HTTPS only)
features - Array of feature strings

Status & CPO

status - Available, Sold, On Hold
is_cpo - Boolean (Certified Pre-Owned)

Photos Policy: Only valid HTTPS URLs accepted. Max 40 images. Empty photos array will preserve existing photos (will not delete them).

Feed Modes: Incremental vs Full Replacement

Default

Incremental Mode

"incremental": true

Updates/inserts vehicles you send
Missing vehicles: NO ACTION (preserved)
Safest for frequent updates

Advanced

Full Replacement

"incremental": false

Updates/inserts sent vehicles
Missing vehicles: SOFT DISABLE (status → "On Hold")
Safety lock prevents mass deletion (>10 + >20% drop)

Safety Lock Protection: If full replacement mode would remove >10 vehicles AND >20% of your inventory, the job is paused and requires admin approval to prevent accidental data loss.

Field Mapping & Normalization

Price Normalization

"38995" → 38995

"38,995" → 38995 (commas removed)

"$38995" → 38995 ($ symbol removed)

38995.50 → 38996 (rounded to nearest dollar)

Odometer Aliases (all accepted)

Accepts: odometer, km, or mileage

Photos Validation

Only HTTPS URLs accepted

Maximum 40 images per vehicle

Invalid URLs automatically skipped (not fatal)

Empty array preserves existing photos

Features Auto-Normalization

"NAV" / "GPS" / "Navigation" → "Navigation System"

"Backup Cam" / "Rear Camera" → "Backup Camera"

"Heated Seats" / "Seat Heaters" → "Heated Seats"

...and 50+ more mappings

Response Codes

Code	Meaning	Action Required
202	Accepted	Feed queued for processing. Check portal in 10-60s.
401	Unauthorized	Missing or invalid API key
403	Forbidden	Dealer account must be 'live' or 'on_hold' status
413	Payload Too Large	Maximum 10MB per request
429	Rate Limit Exceeded	Max 60 requests/minute, 1000 requests/hour

Visibility & Security Rules

LIVE

Public Visibility

Vehicles appear in public search and customer-facing pages

ON HOLD

Private Testing

Vehicles visible to dealer + admin only. NOT public.Perfect for testing your feed before going live.

SUSPENDED / ONBOARDING

Feed Ingestion Blocked

API returns 403 Forbidden. Contact support to resolve.

Uniqueness & Upsert Logic

Unique Key: dealer_partner_id + vin

Same VIN sent again: Updates existing vehicle (never creates duplicate)

New VIN: Creates new vehicle record

Locked attributes: Fields manually edited by dealer cannot be overwritten by feed

Complete Example Payload (3 Vehicles)

{
  "incremental": true,
  "vehicles": [
    {
      "vin": "1HGBH41JXMN109186",
      "make": "Honda",
      "model": "Accord",
      "trim": "EX-L",
      "year": 2022,
      "price": 28995,
      "odometer": 35000,
      "exterior_colour": "Crystal Black Pearl",
      "interior_colour": "Black Leather",
      "transmission": "Automatic",
      "engine": "2.0L Turbo",
      "drivetrain": "FWD",
      "fuel_type": "Gasoline",
      "body_style": "Sedan",
      "description": "One-owner Honda Accord with full service history.",
      "photos": [
        "https://example.com/accord_front.jpg",
        "https://example.com/accord_interior.jpg"
      ],
      "features": ["Heated Seats", "Sunroof", "Backup Camera"],
      "status": "Available",
      "location_city": "Toronto",
      "location_province": "ON",
      "latitude": 43.6532,
      "longitude": -79.3832,
      "is_cpo": false
    },
    {
      "vin": "5UXCR6C0XL9C25123",
      "make": "BMW",
      "model": "X5",
      "trim": "xDrive40i",
      "year": 2021,
      "price": 54995,
      "odometer": 42000,
      "status": "Available",
      "location_city": "Mississauga",
      "location_province": "ON",
      "latitude": 43.5890,
      "longitude": -79.6441,
      "is_cpo": true
    },
    {
      "vin": "3VWDX7AJ9CM654321",
      "make": "Volkswagen",
      "model": "Jetta",
      "year": 2023,
      "price": 24500,
      "odometer": 18000,
      "status": "Sold",
      "location_city": "Ottawa",
      "location_province": "ON",
      "latitude": 45.4215,
      "longitude": -75.6972
    }
  ]
}

Questions? Email support@monsterauto.ca or contact your account manager.