So here’s a statistic you might find alarming.

Seventy percent of cars displayed for sale online have missing or improperly described factory option information, says Ned Nielsen, chief executive officer of MonroneyLabels.com.This finding is based on the company’s own internal research when it was building MonroneyLabels.com, Nielsen told Auto Remarketing. 

This can lead to dealers leaving money on the table, he says. Nielsen gives the example of a friend who had purchased a Lincoln Navigator from a non-Ford Motor Co. dealership that didn’t include the entertainment package in the online listing.

The dealership may have to eat money to make an issue right once the customer gets to the lot because it was listed improperly online.

Or worse, yet the dealership could be sued.

Describing a car correctly starts by getting it right from the get-go, when the vehicle comes in for an appraisal, he said. And MonroneyLabels.com — which, according to a news release, is “the fastest way to accurately reproduce vehicle window stickers” — is actually working with a few large data providers to help dealers in this regard.

“Usually they can get year, make and model, but they miss the colors and they miss the options on it,” Nielsen said. “And that’s the big thing. And they’re leaving things out, but when they appraise the car, it’s really important to get it correct when the car comes in the dealership. And that way, they don’t miss it.”

NADA UCG finalizes integration with MonroneyLabels.com

One of the companies that MonroneyLabels has worked with is NADA Used Car Guide, with which it recently signed a deal.

This gives dealers a fast and accurate way to reproduce vehicle window stickers containing the NADA Values Online product, the companies said in a news release.

Through the partnership, dealers who use NADA Values Online can print out an accurate, prepopulated, VIN-specific MonroneyLabels.com window sticker, the companies explained.

The sticker includes all original factory options and OEM pricing for the car on one sheet of paper.

“We are excited to work with MonroneyLabels.com on this product enhancement to NADA Values Online,” Mike Stanton, vice president and general manager of NADA Used Car Guide, said in a news release.

“Getting used vehicle inventory accurately priced and marketed quickly is a critical part of the selling process,” Stanton continued. “Our customers are empowered to deliver on that part of the process reliably and even more efficiently with this integration."

Nielsen said in the news release:  “NADA Used Car Guide is one of the most trusted names in the industry, and we’re ecstatic about integrating with their leading product, NADA Values Online.

“By using our VIN-specific technology with NADA Values Online, MonroneyLabels.com will help change the way used vehicles are described, appraised and priced by giving everyone the correct factory option packages and pricing as built,” Nielsen said.

Staff Writer Nick Zulovich contributed to this report.