PDI's-service dept

[cain12]

Well we have recently started doing our PDI's through the service department. I am the Service/Parts director of a medium-sized Chevy dealer. The attitude from the sales department was very negative from the beginning. "You know this isn't going to work!" is what they kept telling me and the dealer. My service manager BOASTS about how well the PDIs are going, while sales is telling me this isnt service's priority. We've only given it about 2 months or so. How many of you all have your own PDI tech if you are an average size dealer? Or how do you deal with this problem? Thanks

[Old Irish]

What specifically are they dissatisfied with? Is it the quality of the PDI work? Time from receipt of car until it is lot ready ?

If quality then that's your baby, of course.

If it is timliness, then, what's the road block? Or are their expectations unreasonable?

At our dealership the service department does all PDIs and all UVIs (used vehicle inspections). Funny thing....they can have 450 cars on the sales lot but if they fall short of their sales forecast it is always because of the 20 or 25 cars that "service department hasn't finished yet." Gimme a break.

Anyhow, if there's a back log make to coordinate with sales as to which they need most urgently. If they aleady have 40 Tahoes on the lot and 6 more come in well while, at the same time, they have NO lot-ready Malibus well....you know where I'm headed with that.

Before this new arrangement who was doing the PDIs and who was collecting the income for them ?

Post back

DD

[Fixedopsmgr]

When I came to my current dealer the PDI's and the used cars were done by hourly techs in the service department.It took me a year to make the change to having my regular tech's get the work. My way of thinking was that this is all gravy work that would help them turn a bad day into a good day. We all know that PDI's and used cars are easy to do. Just make sure that they do them properly. You should spot check them occasionally to be sure.

[cain12]

No, it's not quality. It's timing. What you said perfectly explains it, we have 95% done and the one car they need to sell isn't-therefore we are not doing our job. Prior to this we had a PDI tech that technically worked for new car dept. He was always at their beck and call. Of course he was a 8am-5pm, M-F so if a car was sold on Saturday not PDI'd, service would do it.

[y2jcoot]

I do not have a department for PDI's, I have my regular techs do them and I have told them all that if they are not done the day they receive them then I will go to a PDI department. They all realize that this is gravy work and I have found that they will stay late to get them done if needed so they will not lose them. I used to have the same problem they would not have the one that was sold done and it was always an issue.

[dmotox]

This is an easy one ....Our technicians are required to do a min. # of online tests to earn the right to do PDI's for the next month. If they dont do the min. no PDI's for 30 days...You will only have 1 tech do it 1 time....secondly we evenly assign the PDI's to the technicians and they have two days to fully complete the PDI , if they do not have it done in two days they loose the PDI and it goes up for anyone who wants it. If the PDI is sold we tell the tech it is assigned to we need it ASAP , if he can not do it immediatly it is pulled and given to another tech..... Technicians like this method as long as you as a manager are consistant and fair across the board.