Franopolis
    vsGM

    Franchise opportunities compared

    CARSTAR vs Grease Monkey Centers

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    CARSTAR2025 FDDGMGrease Monkey Centers2025 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    CARSTAR

    $23,500 – $804,300

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Grease Monkey Centers

    $291,320 – $1,972,033

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    CARSTAR

    Not available

    Grease Monkey Centers

    $39,900

    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17

    Royalty · Item 6

    CARSTAR

    Not available

    Grease Monkey Centers

    10%

    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2025 FDDs.
    • CARSTAR and Grease Monkey Centers disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (CARSTAR: 19, Grease Monkey Centers: 14). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    CARSTAR

    $23,500 – $804,300
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    Grease Monkey Centers

    $291,320 – $1,972,033
    2025 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Grease Monkey Centers

    $39,900
    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17
    Royalty (Item 6)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Grease Monkey Centers

    10%
    Royalty Rebate Program
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    CARSTAR

    $500
    Insurance and Marketing Fund Fee minimum
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31

    Grease Monkey Centers

    1%
    Advertising Contribution maximum — 1%
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    Grease Monkey Centers

    371
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 64
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    Grease Monkey Centers

    +34
    Calculated: 337 at end of 2022 → 371 at end of 2024
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Grease Monkey Centers

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Grease Monkey Centers

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    CARSTAR

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Grease Monkey Centers

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    CARSTAR
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — CARSTAR franchised facilities, Bottom 50% by 2024 average Gross Sales
    198 units
    other Part A
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 78
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — CARSTAR franchised facilities, Top 50% by 2024 average Gross Sales
    199 units
    other Part A
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 78
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Part B franchisee-operated facilities converting existing repair businesses; FY…
    $1,340,572
    other Part B
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    +16 more groups in the full report
    GMGrease Monkey Centers
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchisee-owned Grease Monkey Centers in Bottom Quartile of Sales Revenue Aver…
    61 percent
    other EBITDAR centers exceeding average percentage
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchisee-owned Grease Monkey Centers in Category E (greater than $1,000,000 a…
    $368,273
    other Cost of Goods Sold
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 59
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchisee-owned Grease Monkey Centers in Category E, annual sales range as spe…
    75.2 percent
    other Gross Profit percent of sales
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 59
    +11 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    CARSTAR vs Grease Monkey Centers: common questions

    Which costs less to open, CARSTAR or Grease Monkey Centers?
    CARSTAR: $23,500 – $804,300 (2025 FDD · Item 7); Grease Monkey Centers: $291,320 – $1,972,033 (2025 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for CARSTAR. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do CARSTAR and Grease Monkey Centers disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    CARSTAR has reviewed Item 19 figures for 19 location groups; Grease Monkey Centers has reviewed Item 19 figures for 14 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full CARSTAR report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    GM

    Full Grease Monkey Centers report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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    Plain-language meaning of each Item