Automotive Business Bookkeeping

Bookkeeping for
Automotive
Services.

Dealerships, repair shops, and detailing businesses — parts inventory, labor costing, warranty claims, and vehicle-specific financial tracking are demands that most bookkeepers don't understand. We do. Clean monthly books built around how your shop actually runs.

No setup fees  ·  Cancel anytime  ·  Dedicated bookkeeper

At a Glance
What We Track for Automotive
Everything handled monthly — nothing falls through the cracks
Parts Inventory & COGS✓ Tracked
Labor Cost per Job✓ Calculated
Warranty Claims & Credits✓ Documented
Service Department Revenue✓ Separated
Vehicle Floor Plan Financing✓ Reconciled
Technician Payroll✓ Managed
5.0
Star Rating
$0
Setup Fees
Who It's For

Built for Every Type of
Automotive Business

Whether you run a single-bay shop or a multi-location dealership, we build the bookkeeping system around how your operation actually works.

🔧

Auto Repair Shops

Independent mechanics and multi-bay shops — parts, labor, warranty work, and customer billing all need clean separation.

  • Parts cost and COGS tracking per job
  • Labor revenue vs. cost by technician
  • Warranty claim documentation and credits
  • Shop supply and equipment expense tracking
  • Customer invoice reconciliation
  • Payroll for technicians and service advisors
🚗

Auto Detailing Businesses

Mobile and fixed-location detailing — product costs, labor, and equipment are the key financial drivers. Track your margins and know which services are most profitable.

  • Service and package revenue tracking
  • Detailing product and supply COGS
  • Equipment purchase and depreciation
  • Mobile unit vehicle expenses
  • Payroll and contractor tracking
  • Marketing and referral expense logging
🏢

Dealerships & Used Car Lots

Vehicle inventory, floor plan financing, F&I income, and service department revenue — dealership bookkeeping is its own discipline.

  • Vehicle inventory accounting
  • Floor plan interest and principal tracking
  • F&I and back-end income reconciliation
  • Service and parts department separation
  • Payroll for sales and service staff
  • Sales tax and titling fee management
Sound Familiar?

The Financial Headaches
We Fix

Automotive businesses face financial challenges that general bookkeepers routinely miss. Here's what we hear from nearly every new client.

😩

Parts Inventory Is Hard to Track

Parts come in fast, get installed, get returned — and without a system, your actual COGS is a mystery. We track parts costs accurately so your margin analysis is real.

📉

Labor Revenue vs. Cost Is Unclear

Are your technicians profitable? Do you know which service types are your highest margin? Without job-level costing, you're guessing about what's working.

🧾

Warranty Credits Are Frequently Missed

Warranty reimbursements from manufacturers come back on their own schedule and are easy to lose track of. We document every claim and make sure every credit is captured.

😰

Floor Plan Financing Is Confusing

Vehicle floor plan loans involve interest charges, curtailments, and principal payoffs that are easy to misclassify. We track every transaction against your floor plan balance accurately.

What Tides Delivers Every Month
So you never deal with any of those problems again
Parts & COGS Tracked MonthlyEvery parts purchase tracked against repair revenue — true job-level margins every month.
Labor Profitability VisibilityKnow which service types and technicians are your most profitable.
Warranty Claims DocumentedEvery claim tracked and every reimbursement matched — no credits lost.
Floor Plan ReconciliationEvery floor plan transaction classified correctly every month.
One Dedicated BookkeeperA real person who knows your shop and responds fast.
What's Included

Everything You Need,
Nothing You Don't

Every Tides plan includes all seven core services. Automotive clients get specific treatment for parts inventory, warranty tracking, and vehicle-level financial reporting.

📈

Financial Reporting

Monthly reports that show your income, expenses, and profit — so you always know where you stand.

Monthly Reports
🏦

Bank Reconciliation

Every business account and credit card matched and verified each month. No mystery charges. No unresolved transactions. No surprises.

📄

Accounts Payable & Receivable

We track vendor bills and outstanding invoices so your cash flow stays healthy and nothing gets missed or paid twice.

🔄

Catch-Up Bookkeeping

Months or years behind? We clean it all up before we start your regular monthly service — no matter how far back the backlog goes.

💼

Payroll Support

If you have team members, we coordinate payroll processing and keep your tax filings clean and on schedule.

★★★★★

“Our shop's books were always a mess. Tides built us a proper system and now we actually know what we're making on each job.”

RM
R.M.
Auto Repair Shop Owner  ·  Verified Client
Common Questions

Automotive Business
FAQ

Questions we hear from clients before they sign on with Tides.

Yes — parts cost tracking is a core capability for automotive clients. We categorize parts purchases, track returns and credits, and calculate your COGS accurately against repair revenue. You'll know your true margin on parts and labor.
We track each warranty claim as it's submitted and match it to the corresponding reimbursement when it comes back from the manufacturer. Credits are logged accurately so they don't get lost or misclassified as revenue.
Yes — for shops and dealerships with multiple revenue centers, we set up your chart of accounts to track each department separately. You get a P&L for the whole business and a breakdown by department so you can see exactly where you're making money.
Yes — floor plan accounting requires careful tracking of interest charges, curtailment payments, and principal payoffs. We reconcile your floor plan balance monthly and make sure every transaction is classified correctly.
Yes — flat rate, hourly, and commission-based payroll are all structures we work with. We coordinate payroll processing through Gusto and make sure your technician compensation is handled accurately.
Flat monthly pricing based on transaction volume. No hourly rates, no setup fees. Free call to get an exact quote. All plans include all seven services.
📍 Service Coverage

Based in Greenville, SC —
Serving Clients Nationwide

100% remote bookkeeping for small businesses across South Carolina and throughout the United States.

12 Industries

Beyond Automotive,
We Serve All These Businesses

Tides Bookkeeping specializes in bookkeeping across 12 distinct industries. Industry-specific expertise means fewer errors, better categorization, and a bookkeeper who already understands how your business makes money.

View All Industries →
Get Started Today

Run Your Shop.
We'll Handle
The Books.

Schedule a free 15-minute call. We'll review your current setup, answer your questions, and give you a flat monthly quote — no pressure.

No credit card required  ·  No long-term contracts  ·  Cancel anytime