Three customers booked in tomorrow and two courtesy cars on the drive
The whiteboard says four cars are free tomorrow. In reality, one is out with a customer whose repair has been held up by parts, one is at the valeter, and one came back yesterday with a warning light and has not been looked at. Front of house discovers this at eight in the morning when the first customer arrives expecting a car.
Courtesy cars are one of the things customers remember about a repair. They are also one of the least organised parts of many bodyshops, because the fleet is small enough to manage by memory until the day it is not.
Availability depends on repairs, but the board does not know that
A courtesy car is free when the repair it is covering finishes, and repairs slip. The whiteboard shows the date the customer was originally told, not the date the parts now say. Returned cars also need fuel, a clean, a check for damage and sometimes their own small repair before going back out.
- Ready dates change in the management system, but the courtesy board is updated by hand.
- Returned cars are marked free before they have been checked.
- Some work providers specify the class of car a customer is entitled to, which limits which car can go to whom.
- Mileage, fuel and condition on handover are recorded on paper, if at all.
What the muddle costs
Short of a courtesy car, you either delay the customer's booking, which pushes out the repair, or hire a car in at your own cost. Neither helps your standing with the work provider. Cars that go out unchecked collect damage, fines and fuel disputes that nobody can prove either way.
The fleet itself is also under-used and over-used at once: some cars do most of the miles while one sits waiting for a repair nobody booked.
How we build a courtesy car tracker
- Every car in the fleet is listed with its class, registration, service and MOT dates, and current state: out, returned awaiting check, being cleaned, available or off the road.
- When a car goes out, it is linked to the repair job it covers. The expected return date follows that job's ready date from your management system, so when parts delay the repair, the courtesy car stays out on the plan too.
- Handovers are done on a tablet: fuel level, mileage, photos of each side, and the customer's signature against your own terms.
- Returned cars go to 'awaiting check' until someone completes the return check, so nothing is marked free by accident.
- A calendar shows tomorrow's and next week's needs against the cars that will really be available, with any shortfall flagged early.
- Where a work provider requires a particular class of car, the tracker only offers suitable cars for that job.
| Event | Whiteboard | Tracker |
|---|---|---|
| Repair delayed by parts | Board unchanged | Return date moves with the job |
| Car returned | Marked free | Awaiting check until inspected |
| Handover | Paper sheet or nothing | Photos, fuel, mileage, signature |
| Shortfall next Tuesday | Found on Tuesday | Flagged when the bookings are made |
What front of house sees each morning
One screen shows which cars are going out today, which are coming back, which need a clean, and whether any booking next week has no car to go with it. If a repair slips, the effect on the fleet is visible straight away, so you can move a booking or arrange cover while there is still time.
When a customer disputes a scratch or a fuel charge, the handover photos and readings are on the record with a time.
Signs your courtesy fleet needs this
- The courtesy car board is a whiteboard or a shared spreadsheet.
- Customers have arrived to find their promised car is not available.
- Returned cars have gone straight back out without a check.
- You have hired in cars because the fleet looked full.
- Damage and fuel disputes end with you absorbing the cost.