The Pinch Points
Why Quick Lube Owners Come to Us Instead of Their Bank
A quick-lube shop runs on throughput, and throughput is a build-out business — every bay and every location is fully-equipped capital out before it greases its first car. These are the spots where we get called.
The Per-Location Build-Out
A new quick-lube location is an $80K–$200K build — pit or lift systems, fluid dispensing and storage, signage and POS — all in before the first oil change.
The Bulk Fluid & Filter Inventory
Buying oil, fluids, and filters in bulk to hit margin means $15K–$50K in inventory tied up across the locations.
The Service-Menu Expansion
Adding tires, brakes, wipers, and state inspection lifts the average ticket — but each service needs its own equipment, $20K–$60K, before it earns.
The Throughput Equipment
Faster bays mean more cars a day; rapid-service lifts and fluid systems are the equipment that turns volume into margin.
The Multi-Location Cash Drain
Running several locations means payroll and inventory at each, carried against revenue that's high-volume but thin-margin per car.
Adding Locations or Buying a Chain
Expanding to new sites or acquiring a small chain is a $300K–$2M move — build-out, equipment, and working capital across locations.
What an operator said
“We wanted to open a third location but couldn't free up the cash to build it out while running the first two. Financing the build-out let us open without draining the business — the new site was profitable in its first quarter.”
S. Park · quick lube chain · Boise, ID
Start Here
See Your Range in 60 Seconds
No credit check, no documents to start, and an estimated funding range on the spot. No one contacts you until you’re ready to move forward.
What Happens When You Start
Estimate Your Capital Range
Slide to your annual gross revenue. We size capital off your top line — not your credit score.
Estimated Capital Range
A conservative range based on 10-15% of annual revenue — many businesses qualify for more with strong receivables or assets behind them. Lenders return real term sheets once they see your file.
60 seconds · No obligation · Estimate only
Built for the Trade
What We Fund for Quick Lube & Oil Change Shops
Build-Out Financing With §179
Finance the pit systems, lifts, and dispensing equipment for a new location; §179 writes off the build-out the year it opens, so a new site starts earning while the financing carries the cost.
Working Capital for Bulk Inventory
An unsecured, revenue-based working line funds the bulk oil, fluid, and filter inventory across your locations.
Capital to Expand the Service Menu
Financing the equipment to add tires, brakes, and inspection lifts the average ticket without pulling from operations.
Revenue-Based Multi-Location & Acquisition Capital
Open new sites or acquire a small chain on revenue-based, capital-stacked financing across locations — not an SBA queue.
Match Your Situation
The Cash-Flow Gaps We Fund for Quick Lube Shops
Match your situation to the structure. Every one of these funds on the shop's revenue, not a perfect credit file.
| What It Looks Like | Funding Solution | Amount | Speed | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Per-location build-out | Pit systems, lifts, dispensing, and POS before the first oil change | Equipment Financing | $75K–$200K | 3–5 days |
| Throughput & service-menu equipment | Rapid-service lifts and the gear to add tires, brakes, and inspection | Equipment Financing | $75K–$150K | 3–5 days |
| Bulk fluid & filter inventory | Bulk oil, fluids, and filters tying up cash at thin per-car margin | Working Capital | $75K–$200K | 1–3 days |
| Multi-location operating cash | Payroll and inventory across several high-volume locations | Working Capital | $75K–$300K | 1–3 days |
| New sites or a small chain | Build-out, equipment, and working capital across locations | Business LOC | $300K–$2M | 1–5 days |
The Products
How Quick Lube Financing Is Structured
Most quick-lube files fund between $75K and $5M+, structured around the build-out and the bulk inventory. Larger lines available when revenue, cash flow, and story qualify.
| Amount | Term | Best For | Funding Speed | Typical Structure | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment Financing | $75K–$5M+ | 3yr–7yr | Pit systems, lifts, dispensing, POS | 3–7 days | Equipment serves as collateral |
| Working Capital | $75K–$5M+ | 6mo–10yr | Bulk inventory float, multi-location payroll | 1–3 days | Often unsecured, revenue-based |
| Business LOC | $75K–$5M+ | Revolving | Ongoing inventory and expansion draws | 1–5 days | Unsecured line, no PG by default |
Tax Strategy
Section 179 on a Location Build-Out — Worked
If last year was strong and you’re about to write a check to the IRS — stop. Acquire qualifying equipment with as little as 10% down, finance the rest, and write off the full purchase price in year one. Section 179 covers it up to the annual cap; 100% bonus depreciation — made permanent in 2025, with no cap and no income limit — carries the rest.
At the top bracket, that first-year deduction can return meaningful tax savings — and for an established business with strong cash flow, it’s the difference between writing a check to the IRS and putting the same money into your own equipment. Your CPA models the exact numbers for your bracket and structure.
Worked scenario · top bracket · illustrative
You financed the machine and put down a fraction of its price — but you deduct the full price in year one. The write-off is bigger than your down payment, and the equipment keeps working the whole time.
Scales with your numbers
Illustrative only. Actual savings depend on your tax bracket, entity type, state conformity, and CPA guidance. Section 179 and bonus depreciation are elections your CPA makes for your situation; above the Section 179 cap, 100% bonus depreciation carries the balance.
Terms reflect credit, revenue, time in business, and each lender. Every file is unique — see what the desk structures for yours in the 60-second qualifier.
Bobby’s Take
“Quick-lube is a volume business, which means it's a build-out business — your profit isn't in any single oil change, it's in how many bays you run and how fast they turn, and every new location is a fully-equipped build that costs real money before it greases its first car. The operators who grow aren't waiting to self-fund each site; they're financing the build-out and opening the next location while the last one ramps. We fund the equipment and the expansion together, and §179 on a $99K build-out hands back roughly $36,630 the year it opens. Open the bay, run the volume — every location you open is a multiplier, and the operators who win are already building the next one.”
Bobby Friel · Founder · 20+ years in banking and finance
How It Works
From Application to Funded
One application, 70+ lenders competing, a dedicated specialist, and most files funded in days.
60-second estimate
Enter your numbers — no credit check, no documents. You see an estimated funding range on the spot.
A specialist is assigned
A real funding specialist — not an algorithm — reviews your file, usually within 24 hours.
70+ lenders compete
Your application goes to the marketplace. Competing offers typically land 24–48 hours later.
You pick the offer
Compare structures and terms with your advisor. No obligation until you choose to sign.
Funded in days
From same-day working capital to a multi-piece stack, most files fund in days — not the bank’s 60–90.
Underwriting
What Underwriting Looks At
Funding here leads with what your business actually does — your revenue and cash flow. The specialist desk reads the real picture from your statements, then matches it to the lenders most likely to fund it.
How you’re evaluated
Revenue-first
sized off your top line, not just your balance sheet.
Cash-flow driven
your bank statements show how the business really runs.
Bank-statement underwriting
even a down year is read off 4 months of statements.
Story-driven
a big new contract, a seasonal swing, a turnaround in progress: context the raw numbers miss counts too.
What to have ready
↳Had a loss year? It’s read off the bank statements — 4 months, not 6.
Start fast, finish complete
The operators who fund quickest come to the specialist review with these ready — but you don’t need all of it to start. Your signed application and bank statements are what unblock the review; the rest can follow as trailing docs. Real term sheets come once the lenders can see a true business overview, so the move is simple: get the application and statements in right away, and don’t let a missing tax return hold up your term sheets.
Credit, straight
Qualification
Who Gets Funded — and Who’s Not Ready Yet
A straight read saves everyone time — here’s the line between a quick lube & oil change file that funds and one that isn’t ready yet.
↳Time in business is a factor, not a gate — newer crews with strong revenue still qualify.
Not ready yet isn’t a no — it’s a checklist. Most of it is fixable in a quarter or two, and your advisor will tell you straight which gaps to fix before a file goes in.
The Operator's Guide
Quick Lube & Oil Change Shop Financing
A Volume Business Is a Build-Out Business
A quick-lube operation doesn't make its money on any single oil change — it makes it on throughput, on how many bays it runs and how fast they turn. That means every new location is a fully-equipped build: pit or lift systems, fluid dispensing and storage, signage, and POS, $80K–$200K out before the first car. Add bulk oil, fluid, and filter inventory carried at thin per-car margin, and most banks see a low-asset shop and pass.
One Application, 70+ Lenders
We fund quick-lube shops on the business's revenue — build-out and equipment financing with §179 on the gear, a working line for the bulk inventory float, and capital to open new sites or acquire a small chain. One application, 70+ lenders, soft-pull review. Open the next location while the last one ramps, and let the lenders compete for your business.
Common Questions
Quick Lube & Oil Change Financing — Questions, Answered
Yes — equipment financing covers the pit systems, lifts, and dispensing; §179 writes off the build-out the year it opens.
Yes — an unsecured, revenue-based line funds the bulk inventory across locations.
Yes — financing the service-menu equipment lifts the average ticket without pulling from operations.
Signed application, four months bank statements, P&L, balance sheet, two years returns; losses → four months statements. Soft credit pull only — zero FICO impact to see your range.
Yes — build-out, equipment, and working capital stacked revenue-based across locations, not an SBA 7(a) loan.
Recommended Funding