WPCarSync was a popular way to pull mobile.de stock into a WordPress dealer website. Its sales page on Digistore24 now marks it as an outdated product, and it is not listed on WordPress.org. If your dealership’s website still runs on it, here are your options and how to switch without losing your vehicle pages or your Google rankings.
Why it matters if your sync plugin is no longer maintained
A mobile.de sync plugin sits between three things that keep changing: the mobile.de API, WordPress, and PHP. When nobody updates the plugin, problems show up slowly:
- Sync stops quietly. Sold cars stay on your site, new arrivals never appear, and prices drift from what mobile.de shows.
- PHP and WordPress updates break it. Hosts move sites to newer PHP versions, and old code that worked on PHP 7 can throw fatal errors on PHP 8.
- Security fixes stop. A plugin that handles API keys and imports images from outside your site needs ongoing patches.
- Google notices stale stock. Search results and Google vehicle ads both suffer when listings on your site don’t match reality.
Your three options
| Option | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Keep WPCarSync running | A short bridge while you plan the switch | No updates; risk grows with every PHP, WordPress or API change |
| Switch to another sync plugin, for example Ad Integration for mobile.de API on WordPress.org | Dealers who want an off-the-shelf plugin and are happy to adapt their design to it | Its own page layouts and URLs, a licence check against the developer’s server, and your vehicle URLs will change |
| A custom sync built for your site | Dealers who want to keep their design, their URLs and their rankings | Higher one-off cost than a plugin licence |
How to switch without losing rankings
Whichever option you choose, the risky part is the vehicle pages. They are the pages Google has indexed and the ones your ads point to. A careful switch looks like this:
- Export every current URL from your sitemap: vehicle pages, listing pages and filters.
- Get your own mobile.de API access. Each dealer can enable API access for their own stock in the mobile.de dealer area, so the new sync uses credentials you control.
- Build and test the new sync on a staging copy, with your real stock, before anything changes on the live site.
- Keep URLs the same where you can, and add 301 redirects for every URL that has to change.
- Check the details Google uses: titles, photos, prices, structured data and the sitemap.
- Switch over, then watch Search Console for 404 errors and indexing drops over the next few weeks.
How we handle it
We have worked with German clients for more than 15 years, and we build and look after WordPress websites for mobile.de dealers in Germany, including sites that started on WPCarSync. We replace the sync with code written for your site, keep your design and URLs, and hand over a site you own outright, with no licence that can expire. See live examples on our projects page.
- Automatic sync with your mobile.de stock: new cars, price changes and sold vehicles
- Your existing vehicle URLs kept or redirected, tested on staging first
- Fast vehicle detail pages, ready for a Google vehicle ads feed
- A fixed quote before any work starts. New dealer websites start from €2,200 (see pricing); moving an existing site is quoted after a free check.
Frequently asked questions
Will my site stop working if I keep WPCarSync?
Not overnight. The risk is that a PHP upgrade, a WordPress update or a change to the mobile.de API breaks the sync, and with no updates there is no quick fix. Plan the switch before that happens, not after.
Can I keep my current design?
Yes, with a custom sync. Off-the-shelf plugins usually bring their own vehicle page layouts, so expect some redesign if you go that way.
Will I lose my Google rankings?
Not if URLs are kept or redirected properly and the new pages carry the same content. Dropped rankings after a switch almost always come from missing redirects.
Does this work with AutoScout24 too?
We start with mobile.de, which offers dealers official API access. AutoScout24 only gives listing API access to approved partners, so we check what is possible for your dealership before quoting.