Make Ready for Vehicle Delivery: A Canadian Dealership Operations Guide
In Canadian dealership operations, Make Ready (often referred to on the floor as Get Ready) is one of the most important—and most misunderstood—steps in the vehicle delivery process.
Make Ready is where time is either saved or lost. It directly impacts:
-Delivery timelines
-Reconditioning costs
-Customer satisfaction
-Staff frustration
Yet in many dealerships, it operates without a clear owner, standard, or definition of what “ready” actually means.
This guide breaks down how Canadian dealerships should think about Make Ready, where it commonly breaks down, and how top-performing operations structure it for consistent, on-time vehicle delivery.
What Is Make Ready in a Canadian Dealership?
Make Ready is the complete set of steps required to prepare a vehicle for final delivery while meeting:
-OEM standards
-Provincial requirements
-Internal quality expectations
-Customer delivery promises
It includes everything that happens after a vehicle is acquired or traded and before it is delivered to the customer.
In most Canadian dealerships, Make Ready spans:
-Mechanical inspection and safety checks
-Reconditioning and cosmetic repairs
-Detailing and final presentation
-Software updates and vehicle setup
-Documentation and delivery preparation
If a vehicle touches service, recon, detail, or delivery—it’s part of Make Ready.
Why Make Ready Is a Major Bottleneck in Canadian Dealerships
Make Ready sits at the crossroads of Sales, Service, Recon, and Delivery.
That makes it vulnerable to:
-Unclear ownership
-Conflicting priorities
-Seasonal volume swings
-Parts delays
-Transport and weather impacts unique to Canada
-When Make Ready isn’t structured, dealerships experience:
-Missed delivery dates
-Last-minute rework
-Vehicles cycling back through the shop
-Tension between Sales and Fixed Ops
The problem isn’t effort—it’s process design.
The Most Common Make Ready Failures
- “Ready” Is Not Clearly Defined
-One department thinks the vehicle is ready. Another disagrees.
Without a single definition of Ready, vehicles:
-Move forward too early
-Get stopped at delivery
-Require re-cleaning or rework
High-performing dealerships define Ready with:
-A documented standard
-A checklist
-A final sign-off owner
-No sign-off, no release.
- Inspections Happen Too Late
Many dealerships wait until the end of Make Ready to inspect the vehicle.
By then:
-Delivery is already booked
-Rework causes delays
-Costs increase
Best practice in Canadian operations is to inspect immediately upon intake, before recon or detailing begins.
- Poor Sequencing Between Service, Recon, and Detail
-Detailing a vehicle before mechanical or software work is completed leads to:
-Duplicate labour
-Frustrated staff
-Inconsistent presentation
Top dealerships follow a strict sequence:
Inspection → Mechanical → Software → Quality Check → Detail → Final Release
- Documentation Is Left Until the End
In Canada, missing or incorrect paperwork can stop a delivery instantly.
Common issues include:
-Incomplete delivery documentation
-VIN mismatches
-Missing accessory or warranty records
Strong Make Ready processes run documentation in parallel, not as a final step.
- No Formal Handoff to Delivery
Even when the vehicle is technically ready, poor handoffs cause chaos.
Symptoms include:
-Drivers arriving before vehicles are staged
-Missing keys, chargers, or accessories
-Confusion over delivery timing
Best-in-class dealerships use designated delivery-ready staging areas with clear status visibility.
What a Best-in-Class Make Ready Process Looks Like
Top Canadian dealerships treat Make Ready as a production system, not a loose set of tasks.
Key characteristics include:
-Intake inspection within 24 hours
-Clearly defined readiness standards
-Sequenced work orders
-One final quality owner
-Real-time visibility for Sales and Delivery
The result isn’t perfection—it’s predictable delivery performance.
Why Make Ready Directly Impacts the Customer Experience
Customers never see Make Ready.
They only experience the outcome:
-On-time delivery
-Clean, fully functional vehicles
-No last-minute surprises
When Make Ready is inconsistent, delivery teams absorb the fallout. When it’s disciplined, delivery becomes routine.
Final Thought: Make Ready Is the Foundation of Reliable Vehicle Delivery
If your dealership is focused on delivery performance but struggling with delays, the issue likely isn’t the delivery team—it’s what happens before they ever get the keys.
Make Ready is not a prep task. It’s a delivery system.
For Canadian dealerships, tightening Make Ready operations is one of the fastest ways to improve:
-Cycle time
-Cost control
-Customer satisfaction
Next Step
In our next resource, we’ll break this down into a practical Make Ready checklist designed specifically for Canadian dealership operations—something teams can actually use on the floor.
