Sell your auto repair business.

Bays, techs, and the shop that runs without you at the counter

A garage sale is bays that stay productive, technicians who will still clock in, and a service writer who is not you. Buyers underwrite remaining lease term, lift count versus hours sold, and whether the book is oil-change traffic or diagnostic work that follows a particular tech. A shop with ASE people, a management system someone besides the owner can run, and a parts account that will assign trades differently than a founder who still writes every ticket.

Warranty work and fleet accounts need their own lines. A pretty waiting room does not rescue a technician roster that walks if the owner does. If you are the only person who can diagnose the hard cars, that is owner labor, not enterprise value.

How repair-shop cash flow is read

Most independent shops are priced on seller’s discretionary earnings after a real owner salary, personal vehicles, and one-time tool buys. Buyers discount deferred compressor and lift work, an alignment rack that has not been calibrated, and a customer list that is really a handful of wholesale accounts. Seasonal tire and A/C spikes need a full year. Peak-month annualization is how deals die in diligence. Effective labor rate versus what the menu says, and how much of the week is come-backs, tells a buyer whether the bays are a business or a busy waiting room.

Parts accounts, lifts, and waste-oil rules

Expect repair-order history from the shop system, merchant deposits against reported sales, sales-tax filings, and waste-oil and refrigerant logs. Parts houses may re-underwrite terms on a change of control. Lift inspections and fire-suppression tickets are cheap to clean up now and expensive as credits later. A short consulting period after close is normal. A deal that only works if you stay in the bay is a signal the cash flow is not transferable yet.