A vehicle preparation planner checklist for your team

Start with one clear plan per car

Enter the correct registration and a useful vehicle description before adding the jobs. Check whether the car already has an active plan so that the team is working from the same record. You can plan preparation before a car is sold and leave the handover date unset until it is known.

List the actual work needed for that vehicle. Suggested jobs are a starting point, not a claim that every vehicle needs the same work. Break a broad task into smaller jobs where different people, due dates or dependencies would otherwise be hidden.

• Correct registration and vehicle details.
• Vehicle-specific jobs, including any work outside the workshop.
• Notes explaining what a completed job should include.
• Handover date added when it is confirmed.

Set job deadlines ahead of the handover

A job due date tells the team when that task should be finished. The handover date tells you when the whole car needs to be ready. Keep those dates distinct: leaving all the work until collection day gives you little room to resolve a delay.

Record the person responsible for each job and set a realistic due date. Think about the order of the work: repairs may need to finish before final inspection, and valeting may need to happen before the listing photographs. Prep Centre records the dates you enter; review dependencies with your team.

Make jobs on hold easy to follow up

Use Not started, In progress, Waiting and Completed consistently. If a job is waiting for a part, supplier or decision, record what is missing in its notes. Identify who will follow it up and when you will review it again.

A useful note names the next action. For example, a note could explain that a part delivery needs confirming before a repair can be booked. Update the job as the situation changes so another team member can understand the current position.

Review the overview and calendar together

Start with the cars nearest their handover dates. Read the countdown, check the remaining work and expand the full job list from the overview. Pay particular attention to overdue or waiting jobs on cars due soon.

Switch to the calendar to see dated work and handovers across the coming days. Undated work still needs a review in the overview; a clear calendar alone does not mean every job has been planned. Update deadlines when plans change rather than leaving dates that the team can no longer meet.

• Nearest handovers reviewed first.
• Waiting and overdue jobs followed up.
• Undated jobs checked and scheduled where appropriate.
• Responsible people and notes kept current.

Confirm the work before recording handover

Check the remaining jobs and their notes before marking the car handed over. A completed job should reflect work that has actually been done. If something remains outstanding, review it deliberately rather than treating the handover action as a way to complete the work.

Prep Centre keeps handed-over cars in their own list and lets you reopen a car for further preparation. The planner is separate from the VHC: update any related inspection finding in Dealer VHC as well, and review the buyer PDI through that product.

Prep Centre is free for life and does not require a paid VHC subscription or Photo Studio purchase. Use it through your business account for the planning tools, then choose the other products separately if your team needs them.