Auto-Lab Express
Bottom line
- Total investment $146K – $345K including a $28K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 74/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 1 loans (below the industry average).
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Express unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
46%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Auto-Lab Express franchisees operate automotive diagnostic and maintenance service centers, performing vehicle inspections, fluid services, battery replacement, belt/hose work, and minor repairs. Daily operations involve customer intake, technician management, inventory control, and service scheduling in a fixed retail location.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 8 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
This is a critically underdeveloped franchise with a single unit, hidden financials, and potential franchisor going-concern issues—indicating either a failed rollout or deliberate opacity around performance metrics.
Score breakdown · what drove the 74 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 1 unit in entire system indicates either brand-new franchise or severe underperformance/collapse
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosures (average revenue/net income) prevents ROI validation and suggests franchisor cannot/will not disclose performance
- 03HIGHGoing Concern = False indicates potential financial distress at franchisor level, threatening support infrastructure
- 04MINORHigh investment range ($145,750-$344,500) with no performance benchmarks creates unquantifiable risk
- 05MINOR6% royalty on weekly gross sales is burdensome when profitability data is hidden
- 06MINOR15-year term is lengthy given system has only 1 operating unit and no growth trajectory
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
26 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Auto-Lab Express · FDD (2023) PDF