12:53 pm, February 9, 2026
Every dealership has had one: A vehicle that made it through reconditioning only to end up back in the service lane for something that was missed.
A worn tire. A scrape under the bumper. A cracked panel that didn’t show up in a quick walkaround. At first glance, these feel like small oversights, but when they start to stack up, they hit harder than most realise – in both time and money.
The hidden cost of overlooked issues
Missed damage can cause rework, increase time-to-line, and chip away at profit margin. That small underbody crack? It might lead to a parts order delay. A missed tire issue? It can lower your used car gross or even trigger a comeback.
When you’re trying to keep inventory moving, the goal is to price and prep vehicles right the first time. Every time a recon team has to circle back, it pulls techs off other jobs and slows the rhythm of the lane.
And then there’s the customer side. When post-sale issues pop up that could have been caught earlier, it affects CSI scores and leads to uncomfortable conversations for the sales team.
Where the gaps come from
Most of the time, missed damage isn’t due to a lack of care – it’s a result of process pressure. Teams are moving fast, inventory’s piling up, and not every inspection is as thorough as it should be.
Weather and lighting conditions can also play a role, especially during walkarounds. Some types of damage – like underbody corrosion or tread imbalance—are just hard to spot without tools or the right vantage point.
How dealerships are rethinking inspections
To keep things moving and avoid costly surprises, more dealers are looking at ways to make the inspection process faster and more consistent.
That doesn’t always mean adding staff. In many cases, it’s about giving existing teams better tools. Whether it’s tech that checks tire depth, systems that document damage visually, or platforms that flag concerns before the car hits recon – small changes can add up.
Where UVeye fits in
At UVeye, our drive-through inspection systems provide a comprehensive report on vehicle conditions from a quick 30-second scan. Visit our dealership page to see an example scan report
For service teams, that means faster check-in and diagnostics. For recon managers, it means fewer missed issues and lower reconditioning costs. And for sales teams, it’s a way to build trust through transparency for both merchandising and delivering vehicles to customers.
In a market where every hour counts and every dollar matters, reducing missed damage isn’t just about better inspections – it’s about running a sharper operation from end to end.
For more information and to schedule a demo please visit the UVeye website.
