Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto CareFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care franchise requires a total initial investment of $249K – $323K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $868K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $249K – $323K
- 29th pct Automotive
- Avg gross sales
- $868K
- 10th pct Automotive
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 18th pct Automotive
- Units
- 112
- 25th pct Automotive
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Each dollar invested generates 3.0x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Franchising since 1970. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 116 to 107 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
148% cash-on-cash return (based on Gross Margin). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $249K – $323K including a $40K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $868K/year (median $800K), with an estimated 148% cash-on-cash return (based on Gross Margin). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 5/100.
- System contracting at -7.8% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Moran Industries, Inc.
- Parent company
- Moran Industries, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 11524 West 183rd Place, Suite 100, Orland Park, Illinois 60467
- Auditor
- FGMK, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.1M
- vs $4.9M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate automotive service centers specializing in transmission repair, maintenance, and complete car care services. Day-to-day operations include customer intake, diagnostic testing, parts sourcing, technician management, and warranty/service documentation. Revenue comes from labor, parts markup, and fluid services across transmission, brake, oil, and general maintenance categories.
- CEO
- Barbara Moran-Goodrich
- Headquarters
- IL
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 23
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $37K | $58K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $172K | $226K |
| Total initial investment | $249K | $323K |
Source: Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$148K
17.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
44%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
27 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $249K – $323K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $37K – $58K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $50K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 0.7 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $350 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $868K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $800K
- Avg gross margin
- $424K
- Reported as Gross Margin in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 148.3%
- Based on Gross Margin / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 72 units
- vs category median 70
- Range (low → high)
- $566K→$2.5M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 9 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 221 Automotive brands
vs Automotive averages
How Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 112
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 0.9%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -3.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -7.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 21 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
- 74
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining unit count combined with unverified revenue claims and rigid minimum royalty obligations creates moderate-to-high risk for capital recovery in a consolidating industry.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · FGMK, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 5 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 3.6% YoY (112 units) suggests system contraction and potential market saturation or franchisee struggles
- 02MEDNo Item 19 financial performance representation disclosed despite $868K avg revenue claim — inability to verify earnings claims independently
- 03MINORMinimum royalty of $250/week ($13,000/year) creates floor obligation regardless of sales performance, problematic during slow periods
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($248.6K-$323.1K) against 15-year term requires sustained 8%+ annual returns just to break even on capital
- 05MEDMature transmission/auto care market with consolidation pressure from national chains (Firestone, Jiffy Lube, Midas) and independent competitors
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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 15 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 61 hrs
- POS system
- Approved POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Approved POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
69 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care franchise?
The total investment to open a Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care franchise ranges from $249K – $323K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $868K. The median is $800K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care has 112 total units in the United States, including 116 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Mr. Transmission / Milex Complete Auto Care as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 5 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
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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.