Designed to give sellers the opportunity to enhance saleability, Tactical Repair has been developed by SMA to place sellers in total control of refurbishment.

On arrival at one of SMA’s auction centres, every vehicle from customers opting into the service is fully appraised by one of SMA’s inspectors, to identify damage that could negatively impact sales value. Repair costs on an itemised basis are established, along with estimates for the likely impact on re-sale value.

Vendors can review recommendations and authorise work based upon the detailed assessment provided online. Throughout the service, customers receive emails informing them of their vehicles progress from inspection to work in hand, updating the completion timescale.

The goal is to help vendors to accountably make a valued assessment on refurbishment; the process is easy to use and fully auditable.

Managing director Bob Anderson said: ‘We know that there is growing demand for showroom-ready stock from buyers, but quite rightly vendors want the reassurance that the cost of refurbishment will deliver extra value This latest innovation bridges this knowledge gap further than ever before. We have the facilities to refurbish cars on site and now we can help sellers to establish the cost/value of undertaking the work. We think many vendors will be pleasantly surprised.’

Initially available to fleet customers, the business plans to roll out the service to all vendors in the months ahead.