Auto repair & maintenance
Books and taxes for European and import auto specialists.
BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volvo repair orders, dealer-priced OEM parts, and factory scan tool subscriptions that cost more than your rent. Gus sorts it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
June came in at $17,000. The BMW ISTA subscription renewed, so I kept it as diagnostic software, not folded into parts.
- Tekmetric payoutsRepair orders
- FCP Euro parts orderParts and materials
- BMW ISTA subscriptionDiagnostic software
- Wisetack payoutFinanced repairs
- Shop rent, JuneRent and utilities
Why your books are different
A European specialist's books go wrong where the dealer parts bill meets the scan tool subscription.
Your customers pay more because you fix what the dealer would, for less, using the same factory tools. That means dealer-priced OEM parts, coding and module programming after a repair, and diagnostic software subscriptions that cost thousands a year. A generalist bookkeeper files all of that as ordinary parts and supplies, and your real margin disappears.
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1
Factory scan tools aren't a supply
A BMW ISTA, Mercedes Xentry, or Audi ODIS subscription can run several thousand dollars a year, and the dongle and laptop that run it cost more. Filed as shop supplies, that cost blends into rags and gloves and disappears.
What we doKeeps factory diagnostic software and hardware in its own line, so you can see what staying dealer-capable actually costs. -
2
OEM parts cost more than they look
A genuine Audi control module or a Mercedes sensor from the dealer parts counter or FCP Euro often costs three or four times an aftermarket part. Lumped into one parts line with everyone else's brake pads, the real cost of working on European cars gets lost.
What we doKeeps OEM parts spend visible on its own, so you can see what specializing in European makes actually costs to stock. -
3
Coding labor hides in the ticket
A new module often needs to be coded to the car before it works, adding labor that has nothing to do with turning a wrench. Folded into the same labor line as the repair, you can't see how much time coding actually eats.
What we doKeeps a note on jobs with coding time, so labor pricing reflects the extra step, not just the wrench time. -
4
A timing belt kit isn't a small part
A timing belt and water pump kit for an Audi or VW with a tensioner and idlers can run over a thousand dollars before labor. Treated like a routine parts purchase, one big job skews the whole month's parts number.
What we doFlags a large single-job parts order so it reads against that repair order, not as a stock-up that never happened. -
5
Financed repairs pay out short
When a customer finances a $4,000 timing job through Wisetack, the payout lands lower than the invoice, with the difference kept as a fee. Booked at the amount that lands, your real prices and your real costs both come out wrong.
What we doBooks the full repair order as money in and the financing company's cut as its own fee, so sales stay honest.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a European specialist shop.
Set up once for dealer-level parts and factory tools, you never pick a category, an accountant checks every one.
Money in
- Repair ordersDiagnostics, timing jobs, and general repair on BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Volvo.
- Financed repairsWisetack or Sunbit payouts, with the fee booked apart from the sale.
- Warranty workExtended warranty claims on higher-mileage European cars.
- Coding and programmingStandalone module coding jobs for other shops without the factory tool.
Money out
- OEM partsDealer parts counters and importers like FCP Euro and ECS Tuning.
- Diagnostic softwareBMW ISTA, Mercedes Xentry, and Audi ODIS subscriptions.
- Tech wages and commissionFlat-rate pay kept apart from straight hourly wages.
- EquipmentLifts and specialty tools, logged so they get written off right.
- Shop suppliesRags, degreaser, and disposal fees, kept apart from parts.
- InsuranceGaragekeepers and general liability coverage.
What we watch for you
- Effective labor rate
What each billed hour nets after coding time and commission, tracked so pricing stays fair.
- OEM parts margin
What's kept on dealer-priced parts, watched so a big job doesn't hide a pricing slip.
- Diagnostic tool cost
What the factory scan tools cost against what they bring in, tracked yearly.
- The set-aside
What you will owe, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things European specialist owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
One Audi timing job used a $1,400 kit from FCP Euro. I flagged it against that repair order so it doesn't look like a normal parts month.
Yes. I keep it as diagnostic software, separate from parts and supplies, so you can see what staying dealer-capable costs you each year.
That's the financing fee. I booked the full $4,200 as the sale and the difference as a cost, so your numbers stay honest.
The tax side
The tax side of a European specialist shop.
Most of what goes wrong here is expensive tools filed wrong, and parts spend nobody separates from an oil change shop's parts bill.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Factory scan tools and liftsA BMW ISTA laptop, an Audi ODIS dongle, or a new alignment rack can usually be written off the year you buy it. Bonus depreciation is back to 100 percent for property bought after January 19, 2025.
- Flat-rate tech classificationA technician who works your schedule and uses your tools is usually an employee, even coding modules and paid by the flat-rate hour. Getting this wrong gets expensive, so Gus flags it before it becomes routine.
- Contractor 1099sA shop you send coding or programming work to, paid $2,000 or more in 2026, gets a 1099-NEC by January 31. Gus keeps that list running all year.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operator shops can take up to 20 percent of business profit off their taxable income, and it comes out right when the books are right all year.
Deductions European and import auto specialists miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Factory scan tool fees
- OEM parts sourcing fees
- Lift and rack maintenance
- ASE certification fees
- Shop towel service
- Garagekeepers insurance
- Specialty socket sets
- Coding license renewals
- Uniform rental
- Waste oil disposal fees
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A European specialist's year, kept every month.
Timing jobs and coding work come in steady all year. Your taxes come on a schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the 1099 list for coding and programming vendors is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April isn't a surprise.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January and matched what the shop actually made.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand, what you will owe, and whether summer travel prep on timing belts and cooling systems changed the number.
- October
Before travel season ends
Before winter, Gus looks at any factory tool or equipment worth buying and moves worth making before December closes the books.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for European and import auto specialists. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions European specialist owners ask first.
Can Gus track what OEM parts actually cost me?
Yes. Dealer-priced parts from the counter or importers like FCP Euro get their own line, separate from routine parts, so you can see the real cost of specializing in European makes.
My scan tool subscriptions are expensive. Do they count as a write-off?
Yes. Software like ISTA, Xentry, or ODIS is a business expense, kept in its own line so you always know what staying dealer-capable costs you.
A customer financed a big repair. Why does the deposit look short?
The financing company keeps a fee before paying you. Gus books the full invoice as your sale and the fee as a cost, so your real prices stay visible.
Do I need to put a coding specialist on payroll if I pay by the job?
Usually yes, if they work your schedule and your tools. That one is above Gus's pay grade for the details, so a real accountant looks at it.
My books are behind from doing them myself. Is that a problem?
No. Send the bank statements you have. Gus sorts them, the accountant checks them, and most owners know where they stand inside a week.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
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What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever