Auto-Lab Complete Car Care Centers
Bottom line
- Total investment $297K – $746K including a $28K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $970K/year (median $932K).
- Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 1 loans (below the industry average).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one Auto-Lab Complete Car Care Centers unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
27%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Auto-Lab Complete Car Care Centers units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.7M
on $8.7M purchase
Total debt
$7.0M
SBA $4.4M + senior + seller note
Overview
About
Auto-Lab franchisees operate full-service automotive repair and maintenance centers offering oil changes, brake service, diagnostics, and general repairs. Day-to-day operations involve managing technician teams, customer service, inventory, compliance with automotive standards, and meeting the 6% royalty obligation on weekly gross sales. Franchisees are responsible for local marketing, staff hiring/training, and maintaining service quality standards across their protected territory.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator — not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Auto-Lab presents meaningful caution due to missing profitability data, franchisor going concern issues, slow growth trajectory, recent franchisee bankruptcy litigation, and a wide investment range with limited financial transparency.
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo disclosed average net income despite $969,708 average revenue — inability or unwillingness to provide Item 19 financial performance representation is a major transparency concern
- 02HIGHGoing Concern = False indicates potential financial instability at franchisor level, raising questions about support, training, and system viability
- 03MEDSlow unit growth (11.1% YoY on only 20 units) suggests limited brand momentum and difficulty attracting/retaining franchisees
- 04HIGHActive litigation (2023 bankruptcy + attempted covenant violations) demonstrates franchisee distress and legal vulnerability in the system
- 05MINORHigh investment range ($296K–$746K) relative to modest unit count creates pressure on franchisees to generate returns in a small network
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
21 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Auto-Lab Complete Car Care Centers · FDD (2025) PDF