Copperford Finance helps Washington County, Wisconsin repair shops request funding. In 2023 the county counted 98 auto repair and maintenance employers. This page covers financing for lifts, paint booths and payroll, buying an existing shop, scan tools and alignment racks, parts stock and added bays, collision equipment, and tire changers, balancers and tire stock.
At a glance
- Auto repair employers, Washington County, WI
98 (County Business Patterns 2023)
- Employees at those shops
534 (County Business Patterns 2023)
- Repair shops without paid employees
125 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024)
Auto Repair Employers Counted in Washington County, WI
County Business Patterns counted 98 auto repair and maintenance establishments with employees in Washington County, WI in 2023, employing 534 people with an annual payroll of $27.9 million, about $52,182 per employee (our arithmetic) (County Business Patterns 2023). Of those shops, 57.1% ran with fewer than five employees. Nonemployer Statistics counted 125 more without paid staff for 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024), a separate count this site keeps apart.
Of the employers, 17 had a ZIP 53095 address (ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023). New and used car dealers, which run their own service departments, numbered 22 (County Business Patterns 2023).
Auto Shop Financing in West Bend, WI: Two-Post Lifts, Paint Booths and Payroll
A shop's capacity is its bays. Illustration only, invented figures: two two-post lifts at an invented $8,900 each and a paint booth upgrade at an invented $14,500, $32,300 in all, financed over 60 months at an invented annual rate of 9.0%, cost about $670 a month (our arithmetic). The partner wants the quote with installation, the shop's billed hours per bay and whether a technician is ready for the new one.
Payroll is a separate need. Technicians are paid every week whether insurers and fleet customers pay on time or not, which fits a line of credit rather than the lift loan.
A shop that adds a bay without a technician to staff it has bought a lift that sits idle. Partners ask about hiring plans alongside the quote, and a request that names the technician, or the hours already turned away, reads more convincingly.
Auto Repair Business Loans in West Bend, WI: Buying an Existing Shop
Buying an existing shop buys its customer list, its equipment and its location. Illustration only, invented figures: a technician buys the shop where he works for an invented $420,000, puts $63,000 down and finances the rest over 120 months at an invented 9.5%, about $4,619 a month (our arithmetic). A partner reads the seller's returns and deposits, the equipment list and the lease. The article on loans to buy a business covers due diligence.
Auto Shop Equipment Financing in Washington County, WI: Scan Tools and Alignment Racks
Diagnostic scan tools and alignment racks change every few years as vehicles change. Illustration only, invented figures: a scan tool and software package at an invented $18,500 financed over 36 months at an invented 10.0% costs about $597 a month (our arithmetic). A shorter term matches gear that dates quickly. Loans and leases for bay equipment are set side by side on the equipment financing page.
Software subscriptions for diagnostic tools are a running cost rather than equipment; they belong in the shop's monthly budget, not in the loan amount.
Mechanic Shop Business Loan in Washington County, WI: Parts Stock and Added Bays
A mechanic shop adding a bay needs the lift, the tools and parts stock to keep it busy. Illustration only, invented figures: an invented $22,000 of fast-moving parts held on the shelf can go on inventory financing, repaid as the parts are used on billed jobs, while the bay's lift goes on an equipment loan. Keeping the two separate keeps each payment matched to its own payback.
Collision Repair Financing in West Bend, WI: Frame Machines and Spray Booths
Collision shops carry heavier equipment: frame machines, measuring systems, welders and spray booths. Illustration only, invented figures: a frame machine and measuring system at an invented $96,000 over 72 months at an invented 9.25% cost about $1,742 a month (our arithmetic). Insurance-paid repairs settle on the insurer's timeline, so a partner reads how long claims take to pay and how much of the shop's work comes from insurers.
Tire Shop Equipment Financing in West Bend, WI: Changers, Balancers and Tire Inventory
Tire changers, wheel balancers and a tire storage rack are the base of a tire shop, and tire stock is its inventory. Illustration only, invented figures: a changer and balancer pair at an invented $24,000 over 48 months at an invented 9.5% costs about $603 a month (our arithmetic). Tire stock can go on inventory financing; a partner reads how fast it turns and how the shop tracks it.
By Copperford Finance · Updated