Franchise Facts Report → brands → Dealer Specialties
Dealer Specialties franchise — is it worth it?
Risk level — in the report
Dealer Specialties operates in the Automotive category with a relatively low initial investment range of $17,400 to $44,900.
Unlock what the free page above only hints at:
- Risk & red-flag breakdown — what the missing earnings, fees and churn imply.
- How it compares — every number ranked against automotive peers (median & quartile).
- Litigation detail — beyond the case count above: each case, franchisee vs. corporate, with summaries.
- Outlet churn & the questions to ask — behind the net change above: closures, terminations, transfers, and what to put to the franchisor.
Figures above are as disclosed in Dealer Specialties's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 32177-202407-13. The risk level, the Item 19 figures, how it compares to peers, and the litigation & churn detail are in the full report.
Dealer Specialties franchise profit — what the FDD discloses
Plainly: Dealer Specialties does not disclose franchise profit or revenue. Its most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-backed earnings figure for Dealer Specialties — any number quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure. The absence is itself worth weighing (many automotive franchisors do disclose), and the full report reads the risk signals Dealer Specialties's FDD does contain — fees, litigation, and outlet churn — against peers. For brands that put earnings on paper, see Automotive franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings.
Dealer Specialties lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Dealer Specialties's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) does disclose 3 legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Dealer Specialties itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. The full Dealer Specialties report lists each case with what it was about and how it ended, separates franchisee disputes from corporate and securities matters, and flags the ones a franchisee started — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for.
Dealer Specialties closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Dealer Specialties will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Dealer Specialties's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a automotive of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Dealer Specialties's latest tables show significant franchisee turnover. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Dealer Specialties's churn ranks against automotive peers, are in the full report.
The risk & red-flag breakdown, every figure ranked against automotive peers, litigation and churn detail — emailed as a PDF.
Who owns Dealer Specialties?
Dealer Specialties's franchise is offered by Dealer Specialties International, Inc — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at MN CARDS; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Automotive franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Dealer Specialties is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Dealer Specialties franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Dealer Specialties — who is the franchisor?
Dealer Specialties's most recently filed FDD (2024) names Dealer Specialties International, Inc as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Dealer Specialties franchise cost?
Dealer Specialties's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $17,400 – $44,900. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. The full report breaks down every fee line and benchmarks it against automotive peers.
How much profit does a Dealer Specialties franchise make?
Dealer Specialties makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-disclosed revenue or profit figure for Dealer Specialties at all — and profit would never be disclosed even where earnings are, because it depends on your rent, labour and how you operate. Any profit figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
Does Dealer Specialties disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
No — Dealer Specialties's most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Its absence is worth weighing; the report focuses on the verifiable risk signals instead.
Are there lawsuits against Dealer Specialties?
Dealer Specialties's most recently filed FDD (2024) discloses 3 legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Dealer Specialties itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. The full report lists each case, separates franchisee disputes from corporate and securities matters, and flags the franchisee-initiated ones.
Is Dealer Specialties a good franchise to buy?
That comes down to how Dealer Specialties's investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against automotive peers — which is exactly what the full report answers. For $99 you get the risk level and what's driving it, the actual Item 19 earnings (absent from this FDD), where every figure ranks against peers, and the specific questions to ask the franchisor before you sign.
Everything the sections above point to, in one place: Dealer Specialties's risk level and what's driving it, what the missing Item 19 earnings imply, every figure ranked against automotive peers, and the litigation & churn detail — with the questions to put to the franchisor before you sign.
Get a free email when something changes on Dealer Specialties or automotive: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same registries every report is built on.