Red Dot Games released Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 through PlayWay on 11 August 2021 with 72 cars and more than 4,000 individual parts. You start with one lifter, a free repair bench and no money, and every piece of workshop equipment after that has a price: 2,000 credits for the Engine Crane, 5,000 for the Welder, 10,000 for the Test Path, 15,000 for the Paintshop and 20,000 for the Dyno. Base game cars carry fictional badges for licensing reasons, so the Bolt Reptilia is a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette, the Salem Spectre is a 2013 Ford Mustang and the Sakura Supa is a 1993 Toyota Supra. Only the licensed DLC packs, such as the Nissan and Electric Car sets, use real names.
This walkthrough takes you from your first session to endgame content. Each phase has specific goals, priorities, and milestones. New to the game? Start with our beginner's guide first.
Quick Progression Summary
| Phase | Area | Focus | Build | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Start | Garage | Fictional badges on real cars basics | Body and paint specialist | 1-2 hours |
| 2. Early | Junkyard | Examine mode and part condition mastery | Body and paint specialist | 3-5 hours |
| 3. Mid | Barn | Garage levels and equipment costs + gear | Engine rebuild specialist or Body and paint specialist | 5-10 hours |
| 4. Late | Car Auction | Build optimization | Engine rebuild specialist | 5-10 hours |
| 5. Endgame | Car Salon | Min-max | Engine rebuild specialist or Auction flipper | Ongoing |
See our maps guide for detailed area breakdowns.
Phase 1: Getting Started (Garage)
The open plan workshop where everything happens. It starts with one free Lifter, a free Tire Changer, Wheel Balancer, Spring Puller, Oil Drain and Interior Detailing Toolkit, plus a PC and radio for browsing orders. The 10,000 credit Garage Expansion adds the floor space for the rest of the equipment.
Level/Difficulty: From the first order onward Key Rewards: Equipment slots, second Lifter at 2,500, Garage Expansion at 10,000
What to Do in Garage
- Learn Fictional badges on real cars. Every base game car is modelled on a real vehicle but wears an invented badge because Red Dot Games did not license those brands. Spend your first session getting comfortable with this.
- Pick Body and paint specialist as your starting build. See our builds guide for why.
- Examine before you unbolt. Every part shows a condition percentage in examine mode, and replacing parts sitting at 80 percent burns credits the customer will not reimburse.
- Acquire your first equipment upgrade: Welder or whatever's available.
- Clear all main content before moving on.
Phase 1 Checklist
- Understand Fictional badges on real cars fundamentals
- Body and paint specialist selected and functional
- Garage main content cleared
- Ready for Junkyard
Phase 2: Early Game (Junkyard)
Unlocks at level 5 and is the cheapest source of both cars and parts. Most vehicles here are scrapped shells whose parts are close to unusable, so bring the Repair Table and Salvaging station into the plan before you start hauling things back.
Level/Difficulty: Level 5 onward Key Rewards: Cheap donor cars, low cost parts, salvage material
What to Do in Junkyard
- Work on Examine mode and part condition. Every one of the 4,000-plus parts carries a condition percentage, and examine mode is how you read it without pulling the part off the car. This system becomes critical from here on.
- Farm for Welder if you haven't already. It's the key upgrade for this phase.
- Push story orders early rather than random ones. They pay better, they raise your level faster toward the Junkyard at level 5, and they are the only source of the lootboxes that contain barn maps.
- Complete all objectives before pushing to Barn.
- Consider whether Engine rebuild specialist might suit your playstyle better than Body and paint specialist.
Phase 2 Checklist
- Examine mode and part condition integrated into gameplay
- Welder acquired
- Junkyard fully cleared
- Ready for Barn
Phase 3: Mid Game (Barn)
Reached only with a map, and maps drop randomly from the lootboxes awarded for finishing story orders. Inside, you search piles of junk that reveal sets of used parts to pick from, and the cars themselves are among the better project vehicles in the game.
Level/Difficulty: Mid game, once story orders start dropping maps Key Rewards: Project cars, used part sets, rare finds
What to Do in Barn
- Master Garage levels and equipment costs. Two currencies run in parallel: experience points that raise your level and unlock content, and credits that buy physical equipment. This unlocks a new layer of gameplay.
- Start working toward Engine Crane. It's the best equipment and becomes accessible around now.
- Buy the Engine Crane at 2,000 credits before anything cosmetic. Engine work without it is slow and full rebuilds are effectively impossible.
- This area is the main skill check. If you can clear it, you're ready for late game.
- Start investing in Test Path and Dyno diagnostics for the tactical depth you'll need going forward.
Phase 3 Checklist
- Garage levels and equipment costs mastered
- Engine Crane acquired or in progress
- Barn fully cleared
- Ready for Car Auction
Phase 4: Late Game (Car Auction)
Where most of the 72 cars can eventually be bought. Prices scale with condition, so the same model can be a bargain or a waste depending on what it needs. It requires real working capital, which makes it a mid to late game activity.
Level/Difficulty: Once you can hold several thousand credits in reserve Key Rewards: Most of the 72 base game cars, flip opportunities
What to Do in Car Auction
- Finalize your build. You should be running Engine rebuild specialist or Body and paint specialist with optimized gear.
- Engine Crane should be your primary. If you don't have it yet, prioritize getting it.
- Do not buy the Dyno at 20,000 credits until tuning orders are actually in your queue. It reads horsepower and torque and unlocks tuning jobs, but it does nothing at all for ordinary repair work.
- Barn maps and junkyard salvage optimization starts here. Small improvements compound into massive advantages.
- Farm this area for the resources needed to push into Car Salon.
Phase 4 Checklist
- Build fully optimized
- Engine Crane upgraded to max
- Car Auction fully cleared
- Ready for Car Salon
Phase 5: Endgame (Car Salon)
The showroom, selling cars in perfect condition for a set price including models you will not find rotting in a junkyard or a barn. It is the expensive option and the right one when you want a specific car for tuning rather than a restoration project.
Level/Difficulty: Late game, once credits stop being the constraint Key Rewards: Perfect condition cars, exclusive models
What to Do in Car Salon
- Car Salon tests everything. Come prepared with your best build and gear.
- Remember the badges are fictional. The Bolt Reptilia is a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette, the Salem Spectre is a 2013 Ford Mustang, the Ribbsan Z530 is a 2003 Nissan 350Z and the DC Typhoon is a 1964 AC Cobra, so searching for real names in the base game finds nothing.
- The endgame loop: run Car Salon, optimize gear, push harder content.
- Experiment with Auction flipper for a fresh take once you've mastered the standard builds.
- This is where Barn maps and junkyard salvage mastery separates good players from great ones. See our tips guide for advanced strategies.
Phase 5 Checklist
- Endgame content on farm
- Best-in-slot gear acquired
- Car Salon fully cleared
- Ready for challenge content
Common Progression Mistakes
- Replacing every part on a customer car. Condition percentages exist so you can repair what is serviceable, and blanket replacement loses money on every single order.
- Buying equipment in the wrong order. The 15,000 credit Paintshop and 20,000 credit Dyno look impressive but do nothing for the early job queue, while the 2,000 credit Engine Crane and 1,500 credit Repair Table are used constantly.
- Hunting for real car brands in the base game. Only DLC packs such as the Nissan and Electric Car sets carry licensed names, and the 72 base cars all wear invented badges over real bodywork.
- Ignoring the Junkyard once it opens at level 5. Parts there are cheap enough that repairing them beats buying new, provided you have the Repair Table to make them serviceable.
- Painting or detailing before the bodywork is finished. Welding the shell back to 100 percent after a respray means paying for the paint twice.
Key Tips for Smooth Progression
- Examine before you unbolt. Every part shows a condition percentage in examine mode, and replacing parts sitting at 80 percent burns credits the customer will not reimburse.
- Push story orders early rather than random ones. They pay better, they raise your level faster toward the Junkyard at level 5, and they are the only source of the lootboxes that contain barn maps.
- Buy the Engine Crane at 2,000 credits before anything cosmetic. Engine work without it is slow and full rebuilds are effectively impossible.
- Do not buy the Dyno at 20,000 credits until tuning orders are actually in your queue. It reads horsepower and torque and unlocks tuning jobs, but it does nothing at all for ordinary repair work.
- Remember the badges are fictional. The Bolt Reptilia is a 1970 Chevrolet Corvette, the Salem Spectre is a 2013 Ford Mustang, the Ribbsan Z530 is a 2003 Nissan 350Z and the DC Typhoon is a 1964 AC Cobra, so searching for real names in the base game finds nothing.
For more advanced strategies, see our tips & tricks guide.
More Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Guides
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Overview
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Best Builds
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Tier List
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Beginner's Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Tips & Tricks
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Weapons Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Combat Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Boss Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Maps & Locations
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Crafting Guide
- Car Mechanic Simulator 2021 Classes & Characters
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