Every day a vehicle sits in reconditioning is another day of floorplan interest, depreciation, and lost sales momentum. The national average recon cycle is 10‑12 days—nearly two weeks before a fresh unit even hits the lot.
Dealers that digitise the workflow routinely cut that time by 50 % or more, freeing capital and boosting turn. Below you’ll find a step‑by‑step blueprint—built on lessons from Carketa stores—that shows how to move vehicles quickly to the frontline.
1. Why Slow Recon Hurts More Than You Think
| Hidden Cost | Typical Impact |
| Floorplan & depreciation | $40-$85 per day holding cost |
| Lost gross | Price drops average – $8 per day after 30 days on lot |
| Aged-unit write-downs | 5‑10 % wholesale loss vs. retail |
Holding‑Cost Calculator
Holding Cost / Day × Days in Recon = Cash Burn
Example: $60 × 12 days = $720 lost before the car is even photographed.
2. Where Traditional Recon Loses Time
- Paper check‑lists & clipboards → duplicate data entry
- No parts ETA visibility → techs “waiting on widgets”
- Serial approvals → service manager, then used‑car manager, then GM
- No single source of truth → daily “Where’s my car?” calls
Each hand‑off adds minutes that compound into days.
3. Real‑Time Workflow Visibility: The Heartbeat of Fast Recon
Nothing slows recon like uncertainty. When every stakeholder—from buyer to detailer—can see a vehicle’s exact status, hand‑offs happen instantly and problems get surfaced before they stall the line.
How Carketa surfaces the signal
- Color‑coded pipeline board shows every unit’s stage at a glance—green for on‑time, yellow for at‑risk, red for stalled.
- Mobile push notifications alert approvers the moment an RO is ready, cutting “phone tag” to nearly zero.
- Live ETA clocks recalculate automatically as techs clock on/off labor lines, so managers know if a car will miss its photo‑booth slot.
- Audit trail & comments replace hallway chatter with a permanent record, eliminating blame games and re‑work.
Outcome: Dealers report up to 80 % fewer “Where’s my car?” calls and a 30 % reduction in approval lag, shaving whole days off cycle time without turning a single wrench.
4. What “Half the Days” Looks Like in Dollars
What “Half the Days” Looks Like in Dollars
Scenario Old Recon (12 days) Digital Recon (6 days) Annual Lift (70-car lot) Holding cost @ $60/day $720 $360 +$25,200 Turn rate (7x vs. 9x) 490 sales 630 sales +140 units Extra gross @ $1,200/unit – – +$168,000 Assumptions: 70‑unit average inventory, 365‑day year. Adjust for your store with our free spreadsheet (link below). 5. Change‑Management Tips From High‑Velocity Stores
- Name a “Recon Champion.” One point person keeps tasks unblocked.
- Start with light‑service cars. Early wins build buy‑in.
- Display the scoreboard. Post Days‑in‑Recon and Cost‑per‑Day on the service‑lane TV.
- Celebrate sub‑5‑day streaks. Gift cards or lunch for the team each time the goal is hit.
6. Metrics to Track (and How to Pull Them in Carketa)
KPI Where to Find It Healthy Target Average Days in Recon (ADR) Recon Dashboard > Analytics ≤ 7 days Time‑to‑Approve RO Inspection > Audit Log < 15 min Parts Awaiting % Parts Tab > Aging Report < 10 % of ROs Frontline Ready vs. Photos Posted Recon Dashboard Same Day 7. Next Steps
- Download the Recon Blueprint PDF – includes calculator & checklist.
- Watch a 3‑minute video tour of Carketa’s Recon module in action.
- Book a Workflow Audit – we’ll benchmark your current ADR and map a 30‑day improvement plan.
Ready to shave days (and dollars) off every car? Schedule a demo of Carketa Reconditioning Software today.
