Do you ever tip you mechanic?

I'm having a ton of work done on my VW Jetta and so far it's taken since 10 this morning to now, 4pm. I had several things that needed done including: fixing a door that stopped latching, new timing belt, new water pump, checking the breaks, and fixing the power steering. It's impossible to find mechanics that will work on VW because they are so small and put together differently. For example if I need to do something as simple as changing a head light I have to unhook my battery and take it out of the car just to reach one of the lights. To change my timing belt and water pump he literally had to take just about EVERYTHING out from under my hood, that's why it took so long.

This mechanic has always been AWESOME to me and treated me great. He shops around looking for the best prices on parts and doesn't charge me anything for estimates or finding the problem. In fact, I moved an hour away and will drive that far just to have him look at my car. The VW dealership was going to charge me $50 just to look at my door that wasn't shutting and then another $75+ for the part (and most likely another $50 for labor, but they left that out). Guess how much my mechanic charged me? $10 TOTAL for the door not latching correctly! If he can fix something he fixes it or gets only the smallest part he needs rather than the entire mechanism.

Well anyway, my bill for all those hours and parts AND the hours it will take on Friday once another part gets there is: $750 If you have any idea of car parts and paying for a few hours of work you know that is a FANTASTIC deal! I feel like I should give him a tip for being so awesome to me.

Do you ever tip your mechanic, and do they get to keep the tip if they are in a small shop?

I can't say that I have ever tipped a mechanic, but I never had one like you described. I would definitley give him a tip. If he just works at the shop maybe check with his boss & make sure he can keep it, if not maybe get him a gift card.

Originally Posted by psjauntie

I can't say that I have ever tipped a mechanic, but I never had one like you described. I would definitley give him a tip. If he just works at the shop maybe check with his boss & make sure he can keep it, if not maybe get him a gift card.

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I hear it's pretty hard to find a mechanic you can actually trust and treats you right. Every time I had something done he would take me back and show me exactly everything he was doing before he started doing it and would tell me exactly what it would cost me.


I was thinking about a gift card too! Maybe Wal-mart....who doesn't shop there?!

Originally Posted by EnzoLeya

I was thinking about a gift card too! Maybe Wal-mart....who doesn't shop there?!

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Me...

I have never tipped the mechanic, but maybe you can call up and find out what he drinks, and buy him a case of beer or something like that.

I do not have to tip one because my brother is a mechanic.
He lives in Santa Rosa though.
He gets all kinds of gifts from people.
You can give a bottle of booze or wine or a box of candy.

I am my own mechanic But when my dad owned his shop, his customers would tip him from time to time. Sometimes in cash, other times they would buy him a case of his favorite beer. He had many loyal customers (and a few bad apples). Two customers of him even moved to North Carolina soon after he did and still call him about work on their cars.

Some shops really mess with their customers, and I think that is so wrong. It sounds like you're at a good honest shop and if you feel you'd like to tip the mechanic then you should Rob knows some shops here that bring their transmissions to him to be built for $650, then charge their customer $2000 for it to make a huge profit. Ugh. Those are people that make other mechanics look bad.

I've tipped a mechanic or two, but a plate of cookies or something like that would probably be as welcome as anything.

We don't because the mechanics around here are nowhere near as nice as yours, although we do most minor things ourselves or with the help of a mechanic friend who does get a case of beer for helping.

I don't tip my mechanic. He charges enough and he's slooooooooow! He and my husband have been friends since 1st grade and we TRY to stay loyal for that reason. But I need my car to do my job (mail carrier), so I need repairs done quickly. He knows this and most times he gets things done, but more than a few times he has caused anxiety attacks for me when he leaves me til the end of the day. The last time I took my car in for the brakes, he didn't get to it until 4:00 and the parts store closes at 5:00. YIKES. Then he said the brakes were fine...but they are starting to grind even more. I am taking it to Les Schwab and let Jeff know...if my rotors need to be turned, he will definately hear about that!!! My husband has tipped him, but I don't feel the need to. He never gives us a break for being long time customers and friends.
There's other mechanics out there!

No, I don't tip mine. Most of the ones around here are real slime balls who love the opportunity to rip people off (not all of them, but most of them.)

I had one guy want to charge me a certain price for some work, then had my husband go up there seperate from me and he was going to charge him a lot less He did NOT get any work from us!

Thankfully, Colin does most of the work on our cars so we rarely have to go to a mechanic.

Sounds like you've got a good mechanic. Ask him what kind of beer/liquor/wine he likes!

Some mechanics and shops just want to take advantage of the customer and charge you for as many hours of labor as they can. Some will do something devious to make your car fail smog so you'll have to pay to have them fix it. This guy obviously isn't one of those, and it's good to remind the true gear-heads and crafts-people that they're appreciated. They're a dying breed, it seems.

I've never tipped a mechanic, but that's because I've never paid a dime to a mechanic in the first place. I drive old VWs (engine in the back, air cooled), and I do all my own stuff, whether it's oil-changes or engine rebuilds. I should qualify that by saying that I've paid a machinist, but that's different...

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I've tipped a mechanic or two, but a plate of cookies or something like that would probably be as welcome as anything.

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Where Dh used to work, there was this lovely lady, used to bring him fresh warm baking, when ever he worked on her car. He loved it.

Originally Posted by mrblanche

I've tipped a mechanic or two, but a plate of cookies or something like that would probably be as welcome as anything.

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I did that for the guys who did body work on my Camaro. They really loved it

I have never tipped a mechanic I feel like I usually already pay more then what I can afford. I don't really understand why some say all these people should be tipped. Like your mail man your trash man all these people.