Auto Shop Business Guide
Summary
- Best Auto Shop Location: Burton
- Best Auto Shop Upgrades: None are essential, however, the Car Lift is recommended if running the Auto Shop Service
- Business is solo friendly and most contracts can be completed in 30 minutes
- Contract Robberies: Run the Union Depository contract back to back for optimal money gains.
- If not available, select another contract from the board, exit the Auto Shop and call Sessanta to cancel, and try again.
Introduction
Introduced in the Los Santos Tuners update, the Auto Shop is a fantastic business for active and passive grinding. Robbery Contracts see players working with KDJ and Sessanta to complete a set of contracts that could involve robbing a string of banks, assassinating targets, stealing information or conducting a heist on the Union Depository. At the time of release, it was the first business to offer a legal business opportunity, where players customise and deliver vehicles for cash.
Location and Upgrades
If you plan to optimise the money grind system, the city options are the best choice, such as Burton, Strawberry or La Mesa. Although, Burton is considered the best choice by the community for its central location and features good street access and room to land a helicopter. See table below for recommended upgrades.
| Customization | Price | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Style | Free - $450,000 | Undressed comes as standard, like other businesses, this is a cosmetic choice. |
| Tint | Free or $187,500 | These colours affect hand rails, wall and ceiling supports etc. The stock tint is yellow which is free unless purchased again. |
| Emblem | $25,000 - $104,000 | Pre-made emblems are available or you can use your Crew Emblem instead for $50,000. |
| Staff | $385,000 each | Cars that have been serviced in the Auto Shop can be delivered by one of two staff instead of the player. They will sometimes damage the car when delivering, resulting in lower payout. Rockstar Games did increase the rate that they successfully deliver an undamaged car, so use at your own discretion. |
| Extras: Personal Quarters | $340,000 | Much like other personal quarters in other properties, this allows access to a usable wardrobe, gun locker and a bed. Therefore, allows the Auto Shop be a spawn location. |
| Extras: Car Lifts | $650,000 | The car lift simply allows another car to be serviced and delivered to the client. Essential if players use the Auto Shop service often. |
| Membership | $50,000 | Purchasing membership is required to use the features at the LS Car Meet, this includes gaining reputation, participating in races, purchasing merch, using the mod shop and more |
Robbery Contracts
These robberies act as mini-heists that include two setups and one final. Each mission is uniquely different and can be completed start to finish in 30 minutes. Of the eight available, the community agrees that the Union Depository contract is the standout, with an average pay of $270,000 (solo) and upwards of $300,000 with a group. For those looking to grind out contracts, there is a 48 minutes (one in game day) between contracts. To bypass this, switch to a Public Lobby and then back to an Invite-Only Lobby to reset the Job Board entirely, allowing you to run Union Depository again and again.
| Robbery | Payout | Description of the Robbery |
|---|---|---|
| The Data Contract | $170,000 | After raiding a Merryweather bunker, you will help Avi upload the data while fighting multiple waves of Merryweather. They can be overwhelming at times. |
| The E.C.U Contract | $172,000 | With explosives and luck, you will stop a Merryweather freight train and steal ECUs, expect heavy resistance. |
| The Prison Contract | $175,000 | After stunt jumping into the prison, you will locate and kill some rivals gangsters, before helping Lil' Dee escape. |
| The Bank Contract | $178,000 | There will be six Fleeca banks that need to be robbed, and the marked bills delivered while evading a 5-star wanted level. |
| The Lost Contract | $180,000 | You will once again disrupt the Lost MC by destroying their meth labs and stealing a trailer full of supplies for Chef. Prepare for long drawn out shootouts. |
| The Agency Deal | $182,000 | Helping our old friend, Madrazo, you will infiltrate the IAA, fight tough armed agents to find the location of the receipe. |
| The Superdollar Deal | $185,000 | Intercept and take out a Mobile Operations Centre to steal counterfeit printing plates. Use heavy weapons and explosives when taking down the MOC. |
| The Union Depository Contract | $270,000 (solo) | Using a disguise, you will break into the Union Depository, steal the gold and fight your way out. |
Auto Shop Service
A great addition to any money grind and essential for building LS Car Rep. Jobs like this usually take five minutes to complete. Customers will bring their cars in for service and delivery. It will be your job to install the required upgrades and deliver the car without a scratch. You will initially pay for the upgrades but once delivered will see a profit of $20,000 to $30,000 depending if the car is low-end, mid-end or high-end. Having the staff deliver the vehicle is optional. It frees you up to complete other tasks but you will not get LS Car Rep and there is a chance the vehicle will be damaged in transit, resulting in less money.
Exotic Exports
Unlocked after completing the first Contract Robbery, the Exotic Exports list allows players to steal cars dotted around the map (blue dot on map), and deliver them to the docks for $10,000 per vehicle, or $100,000 for the complete list. This list changes every real world day and can be seen in the upstairs office of the Auto Shop.
Is the Auto Shop worth it in 2026?
The Auto Shop is a fantastic way to make money in Grand Theft Auto Online, with contracts earning anywhere from $170,000 - $300,000 for 30 minutes of work is pretty good. The addition of the Auto Shop Service fits nicely into any money grind and in general pays well for a small amount of effort.
