Express Oil Change vs AAMCO Transmissions Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Express Oil Change vs AAMCO Transmissions including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Express Oil Change Franchise
AAMCO Transmissions Franchise
Investment $1,863,000 - $2,716,000$223,600 - $330,500
Franchise Fee $35,000$39,500
Royalty Fee 5%7.5%
Advertising Fee 3%Local$150/mo.
Year Founded 19791957
Year Franchised 19831963
Term Of Agreement 10 years15 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years15 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Express Oil Change Franchise
AAMCO Transmissions Franchise
Experience

No previous auto mechanical experience or knowledge is necessary. We look for general business accumen, strong communication and people skills for motivating your staff and working with customers, a high level of energy, a positive attitude, a drive to succeed at your own business, and future goal orientation.

To own an AAMCO franchise today, you don't necessarily need a background in automotive repair. We want to partner with good business people who are passionate and committed to taking care of customers. Once the decision is made to become an AAMCO franchise owner, we provide a tremendous amount of coaching and training to prepare our owners to be successful in their new business. We are seeking candidates who have a minimum of $65,000 in liquid capital and a net worth of at least $250,000

Financing Options

 
Express Oil Change Franchise
AAMCO Transmissions Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/YesNo/Yes
Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
Inventory No/YesNo/Yes
Receivables No/NoNo/Yes
Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

Training & Support

 
Express Oil Change Franchise
AAMCO Transmissions Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 296 hours Classroom Training: 24 hours Additional Training: At training centers AAMCO center owners receive more than 250 hours of training at AAMCO University, as well as more than 200 hours of online coursework. Here's a basic overview of what you'll learn: Customer care: From first contact to vehicle delivery, franchisees become experts at ensuring lasting and positive experiences for customers, leading to a positive reputation you can leverage for word-of-mouth and future sales. Key performance indicators: It's important to be able to analyze your business and identify areas where you can grow and improve. We will help you understand the key metrics that drive your business, and how to interpret the data. Center growth strategies: We'll explore short-term and long-term plans for expanding your customer base and offering additional services to drive repeat business. Special attention is given to pooled promotional advertising opportunities and marketing to existing customers to serve their scheduled maintenance needs. Quality control: We will teach you how to work with key team members to solve challenges related to parts, production and workflow. This isn't a theoretical exercise: We'll play out common scenarios you can expect as a business owner. Utilizing business networks: We'll discuss opportunities for building and maintaining community ties, and the effect these relationships can have on the top and bottom line. Leadership: We'll study ways to build and enhance leadership skills, which will help you build a more cohesive team, create attractive career paths for your employees, and retain valuable team members. On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Classroom Training: 145 hours Additional Training: On-site business coaching
Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet PlatformPurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/appOur "Trust" advertising campaign is designed to build upon our reputation as transmission experts and win more Total Car Care business. The ads make the point that if our customers trust us to fix the most complicated part of their car, we can surely fix their brakes, change their oil, and do all of the routine maintenance work that our customers require on their vehicles. In addition to national and regional marketing campaigns that are rolled out by the corporate office, we help our franchise owners to develop strategic marketing campaigns that make sense in their local areas. Our owners also form marketing pools to develop targeted marketing campaigns on their own. We also help our owners measure their return on investment, and assist in refining their local campaigns. That's not all. We have a strong strategy for winning business online, which has become key to gaining customers. We believe there are four key moments of truth for customers, and that by performing well during these moments, AAMCO will continue to win new customers. Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations 85% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 6 - 8

Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. There must be a partner running the operations.

25% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4

Absentee ownership allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)


Expansion Plans

 
Express Oil Change Franchise
AAMCO Transmissions Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion NoNo
International Expansion NoYes

Company Overviews

About Express Oil Change

Former gas station manager Jim Lunceford founded Express Oil Change in 1979 after hearing about a West Coast business that offered quick oil changes. Lunceford brought the concept to Alabama, opened four centers and began franchising in 1984. In 1996, franchisees Joe Watson and Ricky Brooks purchased Express Oil Change from Lunceford and began expanding the company into Florida, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas. Two years later, the company purchased Tune-Up Clinics, a 28-store chain based in Atlanta. Twenty-five Tune-Up Clinic locations became Express Oil Change centers after the purchase.

Seeking new franchise units in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Midwest, North Carolina, South, South Carolina, Southeast, Southwest,
Tennessee and Texas    

About AAMCO Transmissions

AAMCO has spent the past half century as the worldwide leader in transmission repairs. Since Anthony A. Martino opened the first AAMCO in Philadelphia in 1957, we have serviced more than 45 million vehicles, and we have more than 700 franchised locations in North America starting in 1962 with Newark, New Jersey. Our legacy brand continues to thrive. Entrepreneur magazine has consistently ranked us as a top choice in its annual Franchise 500 rankings of franchise opportunities. We are also an iconic brand that customers know. We recently hired a marketing firm to measure how well the public knows our brand, and 92% of people surveyed recognized us as the leading brand for transmission repair. This is no accident: we've spent five decades building customer trust through our "Double-A-BEEP-BEEP-M-C-O" marketing campaigns.

Veteran Incentives  $8,000 off franchise fee
#224 in Franchise 500 for 2020.