Dealer Benchmark Partners
Local Service Menu CompositeNo. 5 · October 2026
Local Service Menu Composite · 212 dealer marketsData to 30 September 2026
Chains cut brake prices while dealers hold their menus
Across 212 dealer markets, the median advertised front brake pad job at national chains fell 4 percent in September. Dealer menu prices held, so the gap to the chains widened to $71
1Where local prices stand
Dealers advertise higher menu prices than both independents and national chains on every service we track. The gap is smallest on a conventional oil change, at $4.96 over the chain median, and largest on a front brake pad job, at $71.1
| Service | Dealers | Independents | National chains | Dealer gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic oil change | $89.95 | $74.99 | $79.99 | +$9.96 |
| Conventional oil change | $54.95 | $44.99 | $49.99 | +$4.96 |
| Front brake pads | $329 | $279 | $258 | +$71 |
| Tire rotation | $39.95 | $29.99 | $24.99 | +$14.96 |
| Four wheel alignment | $159.95 | $129.99 | $139.99 | +$19.96 |
Source: competitor dealer service menus and coupons, national service chain websites, Dealer Benchmark Partners market captures
2The brake gap
National chains have lowered their advertised brake price in each of the last four months, with the largest cut, $11, in September as two chains ran fall brake promotions. Independents and dealers have barely moved, so the dealer gap to chains has grown from $53 in May to $71.2
Source: competitor dealer service menus and coupons, national service chain websites, Dealer Benchmark Partners market captures
3Coupons
Chains advertise coupons in more markets than dealers on every service. The oil change is the one service where dealers come close: 138 of 212 markets, or 65 percent, have a dealer coupon, against chain coupons in 171. Dealer oil change coupons are most common in the Southeast and least common in the West.
| Service | Dealer coupon | Chain coupon | Median coupon |
|---|---|---|---|
| Synthetic oil change | 138 | 171 | $15 |
| Brake service | 64 | 149 | $50 |
| Tires, set of four | 97 | 160 | $80 |
| Alignment | 41 | 88 | $20 |
Source: competitor dealer service menus and coupons, national service chain websites, Dealer Benchmark Partners market captures
Source: competitor dealer service menus and coupons, national service chain websites, Dealer Benchmark Partners market captures
4Against the Fixed Operations Composite
5What to watch in October
Chain tire promotions ahead of winter in the Northeast and Midwest, whether dealers answer the September brake cuts on their own menus, and the September consumer price index for vehicle maintenance and repair, due from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in mid October.
How this composite is built
- Each peer group dealer's market holds every competing franchised dealer, independent shop and national chain location within 15 miles
- Prices are captured from published menus and coupons in the last full week of the month and kept with their capture date
- Services are mapped to the lines of the Fixed Operations Composite so each price sits beside the gross it competes with
Approved for subscribersMarcus WhitfieldDirector of Fixed Operations Research · 9 October 2026
1 Medians are taken across all advertised prices in the 212 markets. A coupon price is used where it is lower than the posted menu price.
2 A front brake pad job is pads on one axle with labor, excluding rotors.