Prep time

[justina3 518]

Is it me or do cars seem a lot longer to prep for sale these days, might be the stock I am buying guess you guys buying nearly new kit sling a bucket of water over them and there done. 

Collected a 09 Fiat punto as example.

it needed full polish as it was black and really dead and flat paint, now looks lovely took a full day.

interior just grubby so full steam clean and trims needed a lot of work as they where gunked up another full day.

mechanical needed alternator (everyone thought it was a box ( ho ho ) full service and suspension top rear doors cables stretched so wouldn’t open Hester resistor and cable fault pdi radio code another day gone.

pictures description looking to see what everyone else prices there’s at another half a day. 

3 and half days laters it’s up for sale. 

 

[grant8064 219]

I wish ours were three days.

Example recently is a 57 plate Fiesta.

Waits two days for delivery then a further three days before it can go into the paint shop, back a couple of days later so that's week one gone.

Alternator needs doing so that's two days waiting for a part and fitting at the garage.

Off for a valet and interior steam clean and back the following day, so that's week two gone before it's even got a price board in.

All in it was over a fortnight to get the thing ready for sale and it's not uncommon for us. Obviously the tidy stuff is just a PDi, order a few bits to replace the items the auction have nicked and a valet and it's good to go.

It's painful.

[It's me 615]

been all discs and pads its got to the stage i now buy off a seller on ebay as they are much cheaper than all the factors

quality is good too

i hate mucky ingrained cars,especially vauxhalls but im a vauxhall free area so no worries there

used to nick loads of puntos with seized alternators 

[justina3 518]

Ok so maybe mine Isn’t to bad then.

got to love a punto alternator scares loads of people off 

[NOACROSS 414]

We're lucky if it's on sale two weeks after buying the junk. My colleague gets tense about getting cars on and advertised.  I don't anymore, they rarely (if ever) sell immediately.

[AutoJacob 34]

Yeah prep takes the piss sometimes.. I guess we need to accept that these cars we all buy from auction fetching top dollar are old turds and there's many reasons (broken parts) the previous owners decided to get rid.

[justina3 518]

Two weeks!!  hope my boys dont see that if its bought on the Saturday sale and not ready on the lot finished and ready for sale by Friday then dont get there Friday fry up. 

 

[trade vet 704]

It was recently spelt out to me why selling older cheaper stuff is no longer viable and just creates ‘negative output’.While selling is not a problem,for a start there are no descent swappers or chucky commission.If you  correctly account for the average prep time plus cost of parts and average cost of comebacks,the VAT bill can exceed your net profit......

[justina3 518]

16 minutes ago, trade vet said:

It was recently spelt out to me why selling older cheaper stuff is no longer viable and just creates ‘negative output’.While selling is not a problem,for a start there are no descent swappers or chucky commission.If you  correctly account for the average prep time plus cost of parts and average cost of comebacks,the VAT bill can exceed your net profit......

I agree that is the case if your not set up for it, but if your business model is designed to work within that area you can do well, take your list whilst i do not get any descent swappers in my experience the stuff that gets offered comes with its own headaches and far from plain sailing, chunky commission ? again no but also no fools trying to kick it back in six months because the wipers need changing, and last time i looked the commission wasnt no where near as good as it used to be. 

Our average prep time is 3 days, cost of parts on the older cheaper stuff is far easier to work on and cheaper on parts than newer kit for sure, our comebacks are less than 1.5% and far easier and cheaper to deal with than the up in the models, this month our total spend on comebacks is less than £200 in parts on site fitters take care of labor.

VAT is just a % not a lot anyone can do about fire breathing dragon.

I think its all about how you set yourself up, in this day and age you have to know your market, business, staff and yourself inside out to make any form of progress. 

 And mostly common sense, my gran always used to say common sense isnt common and gesh was she right.

[trade vet 704]

11 minutes ago, justina3 said:

I agree that is the case if your not set up for it, but if your business model is designed to work within that area you can do well, take your list whilst i do not get any descent swappers in my experience the stuff that gets offered comes with its own headaches and far from plain sailing, chunky commission ? again no but also no fools trying to kick it back in six months because the wipers need changing, and last time i looked the commission wasnt no where near as good as it used to be. 

Our average prep time is 3 days, cost of parts on the older cheaper stuff is far easier to work on and cheaper on parts than newer kit for sure, our comebacks are less than 1.5% and far easier and cheaper to deal with than the up in the models, this month our total spend on comebacks is less than £200 in parts on site fitters take care of labor.

VAT is just a % not a lot anyone can do about fire breathing dragon.

I think its all about how you set yourself up, in this day and age you have to know your market, business, staff and yourself inside out to make any form of progress. 

 And mostly common sense, my gran always used to say common sense isnt common and gesh was she right.

Hi Justin

 ‘Chunky commission’,I like that,it finished long ago on everything.I was meaning there is no ‘chucky commission at all’ ( that is what we call HP up north ) on cheaper stuff.

I agree you are better off if you have an in house workshop rather than out sourcing work.However you must have cases where you would have been better off using staff time for doing outside work.

I would like a paintshop because stuff can be away 3 weeks at a time,but in reality reliable painters are hard to get,most of them appear to be nuts or have some addiction problem.No wonder not many kids want to be painters anymore,it is an awfull job.

[Arfur Dealy 823]

2 minutes ago, tradex said:

What is this word chucky, from where doth it come?

It means nothing to me as well.

 

1 hour ago, justina3 said:

And mostly common sense, my gran always used to say common sense isnt common and gesh was she right.

Great quote...... I'm gonna remember that one

[DBDlloyds 18]

4 minutes ago, tradex said:

What is this word chucky, from where doth it come?

[Arfur Dealy 823]

I'm no wiser..... But on initial thoughts... yes all three please  

[Ocsltd 133]

25 minutes ago, Dlloyds said:

That middle one is what I picture ‘Justina’ to look like......

[DBDlloyds 18]

Ha Ha, that's spooky me too....

[trade vet 704]

21 minutes ago, tradex said:

What is this word chucky, from where doth it come?

Chucky...Another name for HP......Chuck your money away.....It is common usage up north.The number of punters who have said to me ‘I will have it,mind I will need some chucky’....HP was frowned upon,I can remember when you would never get cival servents or even coal miners wanting chucky.

[Mark101 536]

He means this....surely

[BHM 994]

Back to the original question. Preparation time is bloody murder nowadays & mine certainly are far from ‘minted up’!!  Indeed I’ve seen tidier cars in the scrappage scheme pile.

1) Many punters don’t look after cars mechanically.

2) Many punters don’t look after cars cosmetically.

3) Cars are more ‘complicated’ & as such have more to go wrong.

4) in these financially chastened times many punters are only changing cars because they believe there old car is knackered. Hence the percentage of problem cars is higher than when times were better.

Depressingly it wasn’t until late March that I purchased my first vehicle this year that required virtually zero prep - just a bucket of water & 2 minutes with a touch-up pen.

Oddly enough I’ve bought 2 old shitters via Dealer Auction this week & both have required nothing other than a good bath. How long can this last...........

[DBDlloyds 18]

8 minutes ago, Mark101 said:

He means this....surely

Chunky Chucky

[trade vet 704]

22 minutes ago, BHM said:

Back to the original question. Preparation time is bloody murder nowadays & mine certainly are far from ‘minted up’!!  Indeed I’ve seen tidier cars in the scrappage scheme pile.

1) Many punters don’t look after cars mechanically.

2) Many punters don’t look after cars cosmetically.

3) Cars are more ‘complicated’ & as such have more to go wrong.

4) in these financially chastened times many punters are only changing cars because they believe there old car is knackered. Hence the percentage of problem cars is higher than when times were better.

Depressingly it wasn’t until late March that I purchased my first vehicle this year that required virtually zero prep - just a bucket of water & 2 minutes with a touch-up pen.

Oddly enough I’ve bought 2 old shitters via Dealer Auction this week & both have required nothing other than a good bath. How long can this last...........

‘Financially chastened times’,yes but most of it is self inflicted.....tee shirt for £60...just put it on the card etc.I am sure we all know   people who earn plenty,but they have so much debt and they think that is normal.Just wait until interest rates rise.

[tradegirl 112]

Depending on what it is. If it needs bodywork, obviously depends on workshop, lucky if we get it back in a week.
If it's just really grubby, 1-2 days and it's beautifully clean.
Bought a 1 owner Golf GT TDI though, looked like it just needed a clean and a new back seat, turns out the careful 1 owner had wrecked all the shocks, springs, and brakes....then the clutch broke a few days after. It took 2 weeks to get it all sorted. Lucky if we make £500 off the car after all that.

[Beautiful South Martin 24]

Ha Ha yes Trade Vet Im with you on this one....36 years Ive been in the trade and its always been "chucky" or " on the drip"

[have a word with the wife 299]

On 26/04/2018 at 5:35 PM, tradex said:

What is this word chucky, from where doth it come?

you can only get chucky on hatchbacks 

[Screenman 47]

How long do you guys wait for the dentman or other smart repair guys? I thinned my customer base down so that I could look after the quality one's properly, nobody waits more than 48 hours unless things go really wrong.

Edited April 28, 2018 by Screenman