How to Identify and Assign Outstanding Vehicle Preparation Costs

When workshop preparation work is carried out on a vehicle, the associated costs need to be correctly allocated to the vehicle stock record.

This may include work such as an MOT, service, PDI, vehicle health check, towbar fitting or other preparation work.

Although the workshop may have invoiced the Sales Department for this work, the costs are not necessarily automatically assigned to the vehicle.

If preparation costs remain unassigned, they may be missing from the vehicle's profit analysis and could prevent the vehicle deal from being closed.

This guide explains how to identify outstanding preparation costs and assign them to the correct vehicle in Navigator.

Why are preparation costs missing from my vehicle profit?

When the workshop completes preparation work and invoices the Sales Department, the associated costs may need to be allocated to the vehicle by Sales Administration.

Invoicing the Sales Department and assigning the cost to vehicle stock are not necessarily the same process.

For example, a vehicle may have had the following preparation work completed:

If these costs have been invoiced by the workshop but not assigned to the vehicle, the £260 may be missing from the vehicle's cost analysis.

This can result in the vehicle's reported profit appearing higher than it should be.

It is therefore important to ensure that all relevant preparation costs have been assigned before the vehicle deal is closed.

How to find vehicles with unassigned preparation costs

Step 1: Run the Action Report

1. Navigate to Vehicles > Vehicle Admin Toolkit.

2. Select Reports.

3. Open the Action Report.

4. Select the relevant branches.

5. Click Report to display the results.

The Action Report can help identify vehicles that have outstanding costs requiring attention.

Step 2: Check the Unassigned Cost column

Within the Action Report, locate the Unassigned Cost column.

This column highlights amounts that have not yet been allocated to the relevant vehicle.

To make outstanding items easier to identify, sort or group the report by the Unassigned Cost column.

Review vehicles showing an amount and establish whether the costs relate to completed workshop preparation work.

How to assign preparation costs to a vehicle

Step 3: Open the vehicle stock record

1. Locate the vehicle with outstanding costs on the Action Report.

2. Double-click the vehicle to open its stock record.

3. Select the Preparation tab.

This area allows you to review preparation information associated with the vehicle.

Step 4: Review the unassigned costs

1. Within the Preparation tab, select Assign Costs.

2. Review the workshop invoices or cost items awaiting allocation.

3. Identify which items relate to preparation work completed on the vehicle.

4. Confirm that the costs are associated with the correct vehicle before proceeding.

Depending on the work carried out, these could include servicing, MOTs, PDIs, health checks, accessories or other workshop preparation.

Step 5: Assign the relevant costs

Select the applicable outstanding cost items and assign them to the vehicle using the available options.

Ensure that only costs genuinely associated with the vehicle are allocated.

Once the assignment has been completed, review the vehicle's preparation information to confirm that the costs are now included.

Important: Do not assign costs to a vehicle simply to remove an amount from the Action Report. Always confirm that the work and associated charges relate to the correct vehicle.

How to confirm the costs have been assigned correctly

After assigning the outstanding preparation costs:

1. Open the vehicle's Cost Analysis.

2. Review the preparation costs included against the vehicle.

3. Confirm that the relevant workshop charges are reflected in the vehicle's total costs.

4. Review the associated vehicle profit information.

5. Rerun the Action Report, if required, to confirm that the outstanding allocation has been updated.

This helps ensure that the vehicle's profit analysis reflects the costs incurred in preparing the vehicle for sale.

Why can't I close the vehicle deal?

If a vehicle deal cannot be closed, one possible reason is that outstanding preparation costs have not yet been assigned.

Before closing the deal, check whether:

• Workshop preparation work has been completed and invoiced.

• Any associated costs remain unassigned.

• The correct preparation costs have been allocated to the vehicle.

• The vehicle's Cost Analysis includes the expected amounts.

Once the relevant costs have been assigned and the vehicle is otherwise ready, attempt to close the deal using your normal vehicle administration process.

Note: Unassigned preparation costs are one possible reason why a vehicle deal may not be ready to close. Other issues may also prevent closure.

If the deal still cannot be closed, contact the Navigator Helpdesk for assistance.

Why is my vehicle showing an unusually high profit?

If preparation costs have not been assigned, the vehicle's reported profit may be overstated because not all associated costs have been included.

For example, if a vehicle has been sold but some of its preparation costs are missing from Cost Analysis, the reported profit will not reflect the full cost of the vehicle.

However, an unusually high profit percentage, including a figure of 100%, does not automatically mean that preparation costs are missing.

Always review the vehicle's full Cost Analysis and associated transactions before determining the cause.

What if the costs are still missing after checking Assign Costs?

If you cannot locate the expected workshop costs, further investigation may be required.

Check the following:

1. Workshop invoice: Confirm that the preparation work has actually been invoiced.

2. Vehicle details: Check that the work was recorded against the correct vehicle.

3. Outstanding allocations: Review whether the costs are still awaiting assignment.

4. Cost Analysis: Confirm whether the amounts have already been included elsewhere.

If the expected costs cannot be identified, or the amounts do not agree with the workshop records, contact the Navigator Helpdesk.

There may be an underlying invoicing or accounting issue that requires further investigation.

When should preparation costs be checked?

Preparation costs should be reviewed before a vehicle deal is closed.

We also recommend regularly reviewing the Action Report as part of your vehicle administration and month-end accounting procedures.

This helps identify outstanding costs before they affect vehicle profit reporting or delay the closure of completed deals.

Summary

Workshop preparation costs are not necessarily assigned to a vehicle simply because the workshop has invoiced the Sales Department.

Any outstanding preparation costs need to be reviewed and allocated to the correct vehicle stock record.

To identify and assign these costs:

1. Navigate to Vehicles > Vehicle Admin Toolkit > Reports > Action Report.

2. Select the relevant branches and run the report.

3. Review the Unassigned Cost column.

4. Double-click the relevant vehicle.

5. Open the Preparation tab.

6. Select Assign Costs.

7. Review and assign the applicable workshop costs.

8. Check Cost Analysis and the vehicle's profit reporting.

Ensuring all preparation costs are correctly assigned helps maintain accurate vehicle profit figures and prevents outstanding allocations from delaying the closure of vehicle deals.