Short answer
Merchant Fund Express funds existing CARSTAR collision centers from $5,000 to $5,000,000, with a line of credit, working capital, equipment financing, a business loan, an MCA or revenue-based financing. Owners use it to bridge insurer payment timing, buy parts and paint, upgrade frame and measuring equipment, and carry body-tech payroll. A complete file usually gets a decision within 2–4 hours, and same-day funding is available.
Every way to fund your CARSTAR location
Already running a CARSTAR location and need capital? Merchant Fund Express funds existing franchise owners with every structure below, from $5,000 to $5,000,000, on one application. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.
| Product | What it does at a CARSTAR location |
|---|---|
| Business loan | A fixed amount for a larger project, such as a second booth or a shop expansion. |
| Merchant cash advance | Fast cash repaid as a share of incoming deposits, lighter in the months claims slow down. |
| Revenue-based financing | Payments sized to monthly repair revenue, so a soft summer costs less. |
| Line of credit | A limit to draw on while insurer payments are in transit, then repay when they land. |
| Equipment financing | Frame racks, measuring systems, welders and paint booth upgrades on a vendor quote. |
| Working capital | Body-tech and painter payroll, parts and materials while claims settle. |
What CARSTAR owners call about
Waiting on insurers
Repairs are finished and the car is gone, but the insurer's payment for the claim can trail by weeks.
Parts and paint up front
OEM parts, materials and paint are ordered the day the estimate is approved, long before money comes in.
Structural equipment
Frame machines, measuring systems and welders have to keep up with newer vehicles and repair procedures.
Summer slowdown
Collision volume dips outside the winter months, while body techs and painters still expect a full paycheck.
Fastest fit for each CARSTAR need
| The need | Usually fits | Send with the application |
|---|---|---|
| Insurer payments running late | Line of credit | List of open claims |
| New frame machine or measuring system | Equipment financing | Vendor quote |
| Parts and paint for a heavy month | Working capital | Supplier invoices |
| Payroll in the slower summer months | Revenue-based financing | Payroll amount |
| Second booth or shop expansion | Business loan | Contractor bid |
Reading a CARSTAR shop's deposits
CARSTAR shops are independently owned collision centers, some of them inside dealerships, that join the network and keep their independence. Driven Brands, the parent, says insurer, fleet and retail jobs all flow through these shops, and that body work slows once winter ends. That pattern shows up clearly in a shop's bank statements.
Merchant Fund Express does not treat a slow summer or a slow-paying insurer as a red flag. It reads the deposit pattern for what it is, counts current payments and sizes something the shop can carry through the dip. If you are a dealership-based center, apply under the entity that receives the collision revenue.
How fast it moves, and what to send
- Apply in about 4 minutesName CARSTAR as the brand, the amount and the job the money does.
- Send three months of statementsBusiness bank statements for the entity that owns the location, plus photo ID for each owner.
- Decision in 2–4 hoursA specialist reads deposits and current payments, then returns the fit.
- FundsSame-day funding is available; funding often lands the next business day.
A CARSTAR file, start to finish (hypothetical)
After a hail storm, a CARSTAR owner has a lot full of cars and a stack of approved estimates, but the first insurer payments are three weeks out. They ask for $60,000 to buy parts and paint and cover overtime. A specialist could set up a line of credit drawn as parts are ordered and repaid as claim payments arrive.
Illustration only. It shows how a request gets sized; it is not a past deal or an offer.
CARSTAR at a glance (public sources)
From CARSTAR's official site and the annual report of its parent, Driven Brands. Driven Brands reports collision locations across three brands together, so no CARSTAR-only count is shown. Fee and royalty figures were not published in a form we could confirm.
Sources: carstar.com (franchise) · SEC filing · carstar.com (carstar continues expansion of auto deal). Checked Oct 2026. Figures change with each disclosure year; confirm current terms with the franchisor. Anything we could not verify is left out.
Owner questions, answered
My insurer payments are slow. Can I still get funded?
Yes. Slow claim payments are normal in collision repair. A list of open claims helps the specialist size a line of credit or working capital.
Can a dealership-based CARSTAR center apply?
Yes. Apply under the entity that receives the collision center's deposits.
Can I finance a frame machine or a new booth?
Yes. Send the vendor quote; structural and paint equipment at an operating shop is a common request.
How fast is the decision?
Usually 2–4 hours on a complete file. Same-day funding is available, and funds often land the next business day.
Are you affiliated with CARSTAR?
No. We have no business tie to CARSTAR or the company that franchises it, and neither has endorsed us. The name is on this page only so CARSTAR owners can find funding written for their locations.
Keep going
Not affiliated with or endorsed by CARSTAR or its franchisor. Merchant Fund Express is a separate, independent company; the brand appears here so its owners can find this page. Terms depend on the business's revenue and history.