Auto repair shops, body shops, and dealers all carry unique insurance exposures — and the most important one is the one most shops get wrong. Garagekeepers liability covers customer vehicles in your care. When a car burns in your shop or gets stolen from your lot, standard general liability won't pay that claim. We build garage programs that cover what actually happens in your operation.
General liability covers a lot — but it doesn't cover customer vehicles in your care, custody, or control. That's garagekeepers liability, and it's a separate coverage that many shops either don't carry or carry at inadequate limits. When a fire sweeps through a shop with six customer cars inside, or a car is stolen from an unlocked lot overnight, the claim falls on garagekeepers — not GL.
Mangold builds garage programs that start with garagekeepers and build out from there — garage liability, commercial property, commercial auto for shop vehicles, workers' comp, and umbrella. We write all garage operation types: independent repair shops, body and collision shops, and both franchise and independent auto dealers.
No obligation. We review your current program and shop 100+ carriers.
When a customer leaves their vehicle at your shop, you become legally responsible for it. General liability covers damage you cause to others — but not customer property in your care. That's a separate coverage called garagekeepers liability.
Without it — or with inadequate limits — a fire, theft, or weather event that damages customer vehicles comes out of your pocket.
Pays regardless of fault — your garagekeepers policy pays the customer's claim whether or not you were negligent. Broader protection. Higher premium. The right choice for most shops.
Only pays if you were legally negligent — the customer's own insurance pays first, then subrogate against you. Cheaper but narrower. Often inadequate for shops with high-value vehicles.
The limits question: Your garagekeepers limit should reflect the maximum value of customer vehicles you could have on premises at one time — not just an average. If you could have 8 cars worth $30K each, you need $240K in coverage, not $100K.
Garage operations need several coverage lines working together. Here's what a properly built program covers.
Coverage for customer vehicles in your care, custody, and control. The most important and most commonly underlimited coverage in any garage program. We structure it properly — right trigger, right limits.
General liability specifically designed for garage operations — covers bodily injury and property damage arising out of your operations, including completed work (a repair you did that later causes an accident).
Building, equipment, tools, and inventory — including parts inventory which can be significant for larger shops. Replacement cost valuation on specialized shop equipment.
Shop vehicles, courtesy cars, loaners, and vehicles you drive for test drives or road calls. Dealer plates and drive-other-car coverage for dealers.
Auto repair is a physically demanding trade with real injury exposure — falls, crush injuries, chemical exposure, and equipment accidents. Wisconsin and Illinois workers' comp written to state requirements.
Excess liability above your garage liability, auto, and employers liability limits. For dealers and larger shops with significant customer vehicle exposure, umbrella coverage is often essential.
We write coverage for all of them — and understand what makes each one different.
General mechanical repair, diagnostics, and service. The most common garage operation — and the one where garagekeepers limits are most often set too low relative to the actual value of vehicles on the lot.
Body shops often have higher-value vehicles on premises for longer periods — which means higher garagekeepers exposure. We structure limits around your actual vehicle turnover and average repair values.
New and used dealers need dealer-specific garage programs — open lot coverage for the vehicle inventory, dealers open lot (DOL) for inventory, and drive-other-car coverage for principals and employees.
Quick lube, tire shops, transmission shops, and specialty operations each have unique exposures. Quick lube has fast vehicle turnover and fluid-related damage risk. Tire shops have road hazard and mounting liability.
Auto auctions carry significant vehicle inventory exposure and require specialized programs. We work with carriers that have auction-specific programs.
Shops that work on high-value, luxury, or exotic vehicles need garagekeepers limits and specialized physical damage programs that reflect the actual value of the vehicles they service.
Vehicle values, inventory levels, and the number of customer cars on your lot change year over year. We review garagekeepers and property limits at every annual renewal to make sure your program keeps pace.
If you lease your shop space, your landlord's lease likely has insurance requirements — additional insured endorsements, required liability limits, and waiver of subrogation. We review your lease and make sure your program complies.
Every garage account gets a formal annual review — current coverage vs. current operation, market comparison across 100+ carriers, and a written summary of what changed and why. We don't auto-renew and move on.
Garage claims — especially garagekeepers claims involving multiple customer vehicles or high-value cars — can get complicated fast. We work the claim with you from first notice through final settlement.
Lenders, landlords, and fleet clients often require certificates of insurance. We handle them quickly so you don't have to chase paperwork.
Fewer claims means lower premiums over time. We connect garage operations with carrier loss control resources — shop safety, vehicle check-in procedures, and theft prevention practices that reduce your exposure.
Repair shop, body shop, or dealer — our commercial lines team understands garage risk and builds programs that cover what actually happens in your operation.