Cars sitting at the back of the site
Walk round the back of most dealerships and you will find a line of cars waiting for something. One is waiting for the workshop to do its inspection. One has been inspected and needs a service, but the job card has not been raised. One is back from the SMART repairer and waiting for a valet. Two have been valeted and are waiting to be photographed.
The used car manager asks where the white Polo is. Nobody is sure. The workshop says it went to the bodyshop, the bodyshop says it came back last week, and it turns out to be behind the valet bay with a flat battery.
Prep crosses departments that each see only their part
Used car preparation is a chain, and every link belongs to someone different. Each department manages its own list well. Nobody manages the chain.
- The workshop sees a job card, not a car that needs to be on sale.
- The bodyshop or SMART repairer works to its own schedule.
- Valeting and photography happen when someone asks.
- Approvals for extra work wait for the used car manager to be free.
The DMS usually has a stock record and a status, but the status is updated after the fact, if at all, and it does not say what is blocking the car.
What slow prep costs
A car that is not on sale is not earning. Every day in prep is a day it cannot be advertised, and a day closer to the point where its age starts to affect how you price it. Stock that sits also takes up space you need for incoming part exchanges.
There is a customer cost too. A buyer who reserved a car on the promise it would be ready on Saturday gets a phone call on Friday afternoon.
And when nobody can see the chain, the same car can be sent round twice: inspected again because the first inspection sheet was lost, or valeted twice because nobody knew it had been done.
How we build the prep board
- Every used car entering stock gets a prep record, created from the DMS stock entry where it has an API, or from a quick add screen.
- Your prep stages are set as columns: inspection, approval, mechanical, MOT, body or SMART, tyres, valet, photos, ready.
- Each team moves cars forward on a phone or tablet as they finish their stage, with a note if something needs approval.
- Extra work found at inspection goes to the used car manager as an approval request with photos and your estimate, which they approve or reject from their phone.
- Cars that have sat in one stage longer than your target are highlighted, with the reason if one was given.
- When a car reaches ready, the sales team and the person who does adverts are told automatically.
| Stage | Owner | Typical hold-up |
|---|---|---|
| Inspection | Workshop | Not booked in |
| Approval | Used car manager | Waiting for a decision |
| Body or SMART | Bodyshop or contractor | Not collected or scheduled |
| Valet and photos | Valeter, marketing | Nobody told them it was ready |
The board does not replace job cards in your DMS. It sits over them and shows the whole chain in one place.
A forecourt that fills sooner
The used car manager opens one screen and sees every car in prep, what stage it is at and what it is waiting for. Approvals are made from a phone between customers. Teams know what is coming to them next, and the valeter is not surprised by six cars on a Friday.
Over time you can see which stage holds cars up most, which is where to put attention.
Is this your used car operation?
- Nobody can say quickly where a car is in prep.
- Cars wait between departments for days.
- Extra work waits for the used car manager to approve.
- Cars are ready but not photographed or advertised.
- Reserved cars are not ready when promised.