Startup
Shop Startup Cost Calculator
Bays, equipment tier and rent into a startup budget and a month-one burn.
OpenOPERATIONS
SHOP OPERATIONS
3 tools, 6 guides and 6 comparisons — 15 pages in all
Opening the doors and keeping them open: startup budgets, insurance, staffing, certification and the software that runs the counter.
Tools
Staffing
Technician Efficiency Calculator
Billed, worked and available hours into efficiency, productivity and proficiency.
OpenOverhead
Shop Break-Even Calculator
Overhead, ARO and parts and labor margins into the cars a day the shop needs to cover its bills.
OpenGuides
Startup
11 min
How to Start an Auto Repair Shop
Entity, premises, licences, equipment and the first two hires, in order.
Risk
9 min
Auto Repair Shop Insurance Cost
Garage liability, garagekeepers and a BOP, with the premium bands.
Growth
9 min
Auto Repair Shop Marketing Ideas
The channels a two-bay independent can actually run, ranked by payback.
Staffing
7 min
ASE Certification Cost
Every current test fee, the recertification cap, and the renewal app.
Staffing
8 min
Mechanic Salary
BLS median and spread, the outlook, and flat-rate against hourly pay.
Workflow
8 min
Mechanic Shop Organization Ideas
Bay layout, a staging bin per RO, cores, and the EPA and OSHA rules for oil, floors and exits.
Comparisons
Software
Auto Repair Shop Software Compared
A neutral table of the majors: what each one is actually strongest at.
Software
Mitchell 1 vs ALLDATA
Two repair-information libraries, head to head on coverage and workflow.
Software
Free Auto Repair Shop Software
What each product means by free, and where the wall sits.
Software
Tekmetric vs Shopmonkey
Two shop platforms side by side from their own price sheets: users, texting, payments, QuickBooks.
Software
Tire Shop Software Compared
Tire dealer systems against repair platforms with a tire module, from the vendors' own pages.
Staffing
Flat Rate vs Hourly Mechanic Pay
Four technician pay plans, and the minimum-wage and overtime rules flat rate still has to meet.