Detail GarageFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Detail Garage franchise requires a total initial investment of $161K – $270K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 33.3% charge-off rate across 11 loans[1]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $161K – $270K
- 18th pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 24th pct Automotive
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 4th pct Automotive
- Units
- 92
- 21st pct Automotive
- SBA default
- 33.3%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Automotive · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Automotive avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
33.3% of SBA loans charged off across 11 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Franchised units fell from 59 to 49 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $161K – $270K including a $30K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- Item 19 discloses "gross_sales" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 33.3% across 11 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- System growing at 20.4% CAGR over 3 years with 92 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Detail Garage, LLC
- Parent company
- CG Group Holdings, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- CHE Holdings I LP
- CEO title
- Managing Member and Chief Executive Officer
- Arthur Zambelli Almeida
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- CA
- HQ
- 3501 Sepulveda Blvd., Torrance, California 90505
- Auditor
- Windes, Inc.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.8M
- vs $3.2M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Detail Garage franchisees operate mobile and/or fixed-location auto detailing services, providing exterior washing, interior cleaning, paint protection, ceramic coating, and related vehicle aesthetics services to consumer and commercial clients. Day-to-day operations include scheduling appointments, managing technician crews, sourcing chemical/equipment suppliers, and handling customer acquisition and retention in a local territory.
- CEO
- Arthur Zambelli Almeida
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 20
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $18K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $113K | $205K |
| Total initial investment | $161K | $270K |
Source: Detail Garage 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $161K – $270K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $18K – $35K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $487 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "gross_sales" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so we omit it from rankings.
vs Automotive averages
How Detail Garage Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 92
- Opened
- 18
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 8
- Terminated
- 3
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 8.7%
- Company-owned
- 33
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 64%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +5.4%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +20.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 5
- Transfer rate
- 5.4%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 3.3%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 8.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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 contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 11
- Loan volume
- $1.8M
- Median loan
- $135K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 33.3%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 66.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 50.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Detail Garage's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 5 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 3-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 33.3% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Detail Garage presents elevated risk due to litigation history involving misrepresentation, regulatory consent orders, lack of financial transparency (no Item 19), and anemic unit growth—requiring deep validation of actual franchisee profitability and franchise support quality before investment.
Litigation (Item 3)
Two concluded matters: (1) Cardinal Investments One, LLC, et al v. Detail Garage, LLC - Class action filed January 21, 2020 in U.S. District Court, Central District of California alleging violations of California Franchise Investment Law, antitrust laws, and unfair practices related to franchise costs, product pricing, and misrepresentation of franchise as 'proven concept.' Settled confidentially with Detail Garage paying $850,000, taking over three franchise locations, and mutual release of all claims. (2) The Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation v. Detail Garage, LLC and Smart, LLC - Governmental action resolved October 6, 2021 via consent order with California DFPI. Detail Garage consented to order regarding failure to disclose parent company in 2018-2019 FDD (violation of California Franchise Investment Law section 31200). Affiliate Smart, LLC violated California Financing Law by entering into inventory purchase agreements without required license from 2015-2021. Detail Garage paid $5,000 administrative penalty; Smart, LLC penalty amount not fully disclosed in excerpt.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Windes, Inc.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHLitigation history: settled class action for misrepresentation of franchise costs and pricing control, plus California DFPI consent order for disclosure failures and unlicensed financing schemes
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (Avg Revenue and Net Income not disclosed) prevents validation of ROI claims and unit profitability
- 03MINORSlow unit growth of only 5.4% YoY in a 92-unit system suggests market saturation, franchisee struggles, or refranchising challenges
- 04MINORMid-to-high initial investment ($160,975–$270,450) with opaque profitability creates high downside risk if unit economics are weak
- 05MINORConsent order indicates past regulatory violations around affiliate inventory financing and parent company disclosure—signals governance and transparency issues
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 5 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | county where Franchisor's then-current headquarters is located |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Two concluded matters: (1) Cardinal Investments One, LLC, et al v. Detail Garage, LLC - Class action filed January 21, 2020 in U.S. District Court, Central District of California alleging violations of California Franchise Investment Law, antitrust laws, and unfair practices related to franchise costs, product pricing, and misrepresentation of franchise as 'proven concept.' Settled confidentially with Detail Garage paying $850,000, taking over three franchise locations, and mutual release of all claims. (2) The Commissioner of Financial Protection and Innovation v. Detail Garage, LLC and Smart, LLC - Governmental action resolved October 6, 2021 via consent order with California DFPI. Detail Garage consented to order regarding failure to disclose parent company in 2018-2019 FDD (violation of California Franchise Investment Law section 31200). Affiliate Smart, LLC violated California Financing Law by entering into inventory purchase agreements without required license from 2015-2021. Detail Garage paid $5,000 administrative penalty; Smart, LLC penalty amount not fully disclosed in excerpt.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 68 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 48 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and franchisor location
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Lightspeed
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Lightspeed
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Detail Garage · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Detail Garage franchise?
The total investment to open a Detail Garage franchise ranges from $161K – $270K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Detail Garage franchise owners earn?
Detail Garage does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Detail Garage's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Detail Garage has a charge-off rate of 33.3% across 11 loans, meaning 33.3% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Detail Garage franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Detail Garage has 92 total units in the United States, including 59 franchised units and 33 company-owned units. 18 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Detail Garage a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Detail Garage as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Detail Garage, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Automotive franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Automotive category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.