How does the 1-800-Radiator & A/C opening process work?
The 2025 FDD provides a planning estimate and a binding outer deadline measured from Franchise Agreement execution. The estimate is not an opening promise. A mutually approved Territory and site, an approved lease, permits, insurance, required inventory and systems, and satisfactory training must all be completed before the Warehouse can operate.
The 60-day figure is the franchisor’s typical estimate; the 90-day provision is a contractual requirement. Lease availability, zoning, permits, weather, labor, product shortages and equipment or sign installation may affect timing. Source: 2025 FDD, Item 11, pp. 48–50; Franchise Agreement §2.1.
What must an applicant qualify for before an award?
The FDD says the franchisor offers Warehouses to “qualified” individuals and entities, but it does not publish a universal minimum net worth, liquid-capital threshold, credit score, automotive-parts experience requirement, education requirement, background-check standard or application decision period. Meeting any marketing-screen criteria therefore does not equal approval.
Ask the franchise seller to identify, in writing, the current application documents, ownership review, financial substantiation, background or credit review, approval authority and expected decision sequence. Affiliate financing has separate credit requirements and is discretionary; it should not be treated as the franchise qualification standard or as guaranteed funding.
Several ownership conditions are contractual. A legal entity requires advance written approval, must generally be closely held for the single purpose of operating the franchised business, and must give the approved Principals at least 51% voting control or otherwise demonstrate operational control acceptable to the franchisor. The agreement generally permits no more than ten additional direct or indirect owners, and the entity name cannot use the licensed Marks.
Unless the franchisor gives prior written consent, the franchisee—or an approved Principal for an entity—must devote full time and constant personal attention to the Warehouse, attend training and supervise operations. Each Principal signing the Franchise Agreement must provide the required personal guaranty. Source: 2025 FDD, Items 1 and 15, pp. 12–13 and 59–60; Franchise Agreement §§4.2, 14.5 and 14.6.
What are the major steps from inquiry to opening?
The FDD does not prescribe a branded application form or a fixed approval calendar. The roadmap below separates the disclosed contractual sequence from details that must be confirmed with the franchise seller.
Action: Identify a Start-up Warehouse or Re-sale Warehouse opportunity and the proposed market.
Actor: Applicant, with franchisor confirmation.
Blocker: Territory or resale availability is not promised.
Action: Submit the information the franchisor requests and disclose proposed owners and operating Principal.
Actor: Applicant; franchisor decides qualification.
Blocker: Exact thresholds and review timing are not disclosed.
Action: Review all 23 Items, state addenda, Franchise Agreement, guaranty, lease addendum and Software License Agreement.
Timing: At least 14 calendar days before a binding agreement or payment.
Next: Resolve material changes before signing.
Action: Mutually approve the geographic Territory and record it in Attachment 1.
Actor: Applicant and franchisor.
Blocker: The Territory is not exclusive and site approval is separate.
Action: Sign the Franchise Agreement, guaranty, Software License Agreement and applicable assignments or financing documents.
Timing: The opening clock begins at agreement execution; the initial franchise fee is due then.
Blocker: Required state addenda may modify terms.
Action: Find the site, obtain site approval, submit the proposed lease and include the required Lease Addendum.
Timing: Site approval at least 30 days before opening; executed lease delivered within 10 business days.
Blocker: Landlord consent, zoning and lease terms.
Action: Obtain required insurance before construction or remodeling, then complete local permits, code work, utilities, signage and premises setup.
Actor: Franchisee, landlord, insurer, contractors and authorities.
Blocker: Third-party approvals and construction delays.
Action: Install approved hardware, WIZMO, phones, Network access, racking, signage and required inventory from Approved or Designated Suppliers.
Timing: Key Start-up purchases are scheduled three weeks before opening.
Blocker: Supply shortages or incomplete integration.
Action: Finish initial training to the franchisor’s reasonable satisfaction, train staff, complete pre-opening marketing and begin operations.
Timing: Typically within 60 days; contractually within 90 days unless another date is designated.
Next: Opening assistance may continue during the first five days.
Which deadlines control the opening schedule?
These periods use a common unit—days—but different triggers. They are not additive and do not form a guaranteed critical path.
Bar length compares disclosed day counts; each label states whether the period runs before or after its trigger.
Interpretation: The lease, site and permit work should be scheduled backward from opening, while the 60-day estimate and 90-day deadline run forward from signing.
Sources: 2025 FDD, Items 7 and 11, pp. 33–35 and 48–50; Franchise Agreement §§1.1(b) and 2.1; 16 CFR §436.2. See also the FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide.
Failure to open and operate within 90 days after the Franchise Agreement date may permit termination. The contract also allows another opening date designated by the franchisor; the FDD does not disclose an automatic extension right or standard extension fee. Any different date should be documented before the deadline.
What must happen before the Warehouse lease is signed?
The franchisee is solely responsible for finding, selecting and acquiring the Warehouse site. The franchisor may voluntarily assist by reviewing customer density, demographics, competitors, traffic, size, parking and physical characteristics, but that assistance is not a warranty of viability or profitability.
The site must be within the mutually approved Territory and approved no later than 30 days before the scheduled opening. A typical Warehouse is disclosed as approximately 6,500 to 15,000 square feet, although the actual premises may be larger or smaller. The Territory itself generally contains an anticipated customer base of 500 to 3,000 Shops, sometimes fewer or more; that range is not a site guarantee.
The franchisee may not enter the lease until the proposed lease has been submitted and written franchisor consent received. The franchisor may withhold consent if the lease lacks an addendum substantially in the form of Attachment 4. A fully executed lease, including the addendum, must be delivered within 10 business days after execution.
The Lease Addendum gives the franchisor notice and cure rights if the tenant defaults and restricts assignments, renewals, extensions and material amendments without prior written consent. The franchisee remains responsible for negotiations, local ordinances, building codes, permits, remodeling and construction. Source: 2025 FDD, Items 7, 11 and 12; Franchise Agreement §§1.1 and 1.5; Attachment 4.
What must be completed before operations begin?
The franchisee, or an approved Principal when the franchisee is an entity, must successfully complete initial operations training to the franchisor’s reasonable satisfaction before opening. The disclosed program was one week and 40 classroom hours: product knowledge, sales and marketing, inventory and purchasing, WIZMO operation, accounting, and administration and management. Training was conducted in Benicia and/or Sacramento, California.
Tuition is included, but the franchisee pays attendee travel, lodging, meals, wages and incidental expenses. Training may occur before signing only if the franchisor permits it and each trainee signs the Training Non-Disclosure Agreement. Otherwise, training is made available after signing based primarily on attendee availability. Failure to complete training satisfactorily is a termination ground; a waiver is within the franchisor’s sole discretion.
The FDD does not describe a separate opening certificate or automatic authorization triggered by training alone. Verify whether the current Manual or launch team uses an internal readiness sign-off in addition to the disclosed site, insurance, systems, inventory and training obligations.
The franchisor states it does not assist with hiring. Opening assistance consists of coordinating pre-opening activities and being available during the first five days of opening week, or as reasonably needed in its opinion; the franchisor determines whether that support is on-site or remote. Source: 2025 FDD, Item 11, pp. 48–50; Franchise Agreement §§4.1 and 6.
Which pre-opening assets and approvals are mandatory?
A Start-up Warehouse must obtain the equipment and supplies identified in Attachment 2 and then-current specifications. The disclosed list includes qualified computers, label and invoice printers, sales-representative tablets, firewall and remote-access tools, approved phone equipment, barcode scanners, warehouse racking, signage, labels, a fitting kit and antivirus software. WIZMO and Network participation are central operating requirements.
All inventory must be acquired through Approved or Designated Suppliers using the Network, and the Warehouse must meet the prescribed minimum inventory and maximum out-of-stock standards. A proposed alternative supplier requires the standard Supplier Approval Form; the FDD states the franchisor will provide written approval or disapproval within 30 days, but may refuse the request.
Required insurance must be in force before construction or remodeling. Disclosed minimums include $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate general and vehicle liability, a $2 million umbrella, replacement-cost property and course-of-construction coverage, at least six months of business-interruption coverage, and workers’ compensation required by state law. The carrier must generally be rated at least A VII by A.M. Best, with the franchisor and designated affiliates named as additional insureds except for workers’ compensation.
How does a Re-sale Warehouse opening differ?
Both paths require the current Franchise Agreement, qualification, training and the applicable Opening Marketing Package. The Re-sale Warehouse path replaces much of the greenfield site-and-equipment work with acquisition and transfer diligence, but it does not remove franchisor approval or readiness requirements.
| Decision point | Start-up Warehouse | Re-sale Warehouse |
|---|---|---|
| Asset path | New site, lease, setup, required equipment and opening inventory. | Acquire an existing Warehouse and its agreed assets; confirm asset and inventory condition. |
| Agreement stage | Sign the current Franchise Agreement and related documents. | Transferee signs the current Franchise Agreement; seller-transfer conditions may also apply. |
| Training | Owner or approved Principal completes initial training before opening. | Proposed transferee or designee must qualify and satisfactorily complete training before transfer. |
| Marketing trigger | Opening Marketing Package scheduled three weeks before opening. | Opening Marketing Package scheduled three weeks before the transaction for re-introduction. |
| Key verification | Site, lease, permits, construction, systems and inventory readiness. | Franchisor consent, seller defaults, accounts, transfer documents and exact re-opening schedule. |
For a franchisee-to-franchisee transfer, the agreement conditions consent on matters including no existing default, settlement of accounts, transferee qualification, satisfactory training, execution of the then-current Franchise Agreement and payment of required opening amounts. Source: 2025 FDD, Items 1, 5, 7 and 17; Franchise Agreement §14.7.
What should the buyer confirm before signing and opening?
Use the contract package rather than sales statements as the controlling source. The FTC Franchise Rule requires a current disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before signing a binding agreement or making a payment to the franchisor or an affiliate. A seven-calendar-day period applies only when the franchisor unilaterally and materially revises a disclosed agreement; buyer-initiated negotiated changes do not trigger that separate period.
Federal references: current text of 16 CFR Part 436, FTC compliance guidance, and the FTC consumer guide to buying a franchise. State franchise and pre-sale rules may add requirements; the applicable state addendum should be reviewed for the proposed transaction.
What is the practical opening decision?
The verified path is qualification, federal disclosure review, Territory documentation, Franchise Agreement execution, site and lease approval, insured buildout or resale transfer, required systems and inventory, satisfactory training, and opening. The total timing is officially disclosed as a typical 60-day estimate with a 90-day contractual deadline, not a guarantee.
The principal applicant-controlled dependency is securing an acceptable site and lease while completing permits, insurance, equipment, inventory and training inside that window. The principal external dependency is landlord, authority, contractor, supplier and franchisor approval timing. Before signing, verify the exact qualification process, applicable state addendum, site/lease sequence and whether a different opening date will be documented.