1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184 
For minor dents and scratches there's a cheap, quick, one-stop alternative to the bodyshop. Kevin Swallow finds out more.
Page 56
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Sorting out minor dents and scratches is a chore that can't be neglected if you want your surplus CVs to fetch a decent price; for transport managers, leasing companies and accountants the trick is to get the job done with the minimum hassle and expense.
With this in mind Manheim Inspection Services (MIS) developed on-site vehicle preparation for the used-car sector; now the firm has extended its Dent Wizard and Flying Colours services to cover CVs.
Transport managers tend to keep vehicles running with minor damage that doesn't impair their roadworthiness and worry about any cosmetic repairs I ater.That's understandable when vehicles have to be booked in. driven to the repairer, left,waited for, picked up and paid for; all of which can take half a day to a week during which the vehicle isn't earning its keep.
When a contract expires the vehicle becomes the concern of its actual owner, if it isn't you — you'll only hear from the finance houses. rental companies and leasing businesses if it falls outside agreed fair wear and tear stipulations.
The British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association and Manheim Auctions Fair Wear and Tear guide has to be met and signed oftthis is where the vehicle can still cost you money. Small, manageable dents and scrapes that fall outside this standard nearly always go to the workshop; a safe but costly process.
Dent Wizard's southern regional manager Kevin Costigan says downtime and cost can be slashed with quick damage assessments on the customer's site and mobile repair units. Dent Wizard has been operating since 1993; at Manheim Auctions it regularly puts CVs back into as-good-as-new condition.
Costigan explains the procedure,from on-site inspection to downloading information and pictures via a hand-held [Blackberry] back to head office at Dunton Park. Pricing is from a menu-oriented job list.
The appeal is that operators can have a vehicle repaired in their own time between jobs, rather than taking it off the road. If it's at the end of its contract this service can reduce waiting time and cost before the vehicle is moved on.
Dent Wizard general sales manager Andy Rigby has nine inspectors,120 Dent Wizard vans, 17 paint vans, and 10 Wheel Wizard vans. It costs £145 for a tractor unit inspection and £50 for a van.There are no direct competitors other than small, independent mobile units so the potential is vast. He says:"At the moment there are more than 1,500 inspections a year on vans and trucks and more than half the vehicles have work done. For the paintwork, a power mains is needed to work the compressor." •