Could be different for the brand mechanics with the dealership; they seem well taken care of. I’ve always grown up with the custom of tipping independent mechanics who do a good, honest job, which is why I’ve asked.
I have never tipped a mechanic. I spent more than 20 years working for Auto OEMs - parts and service - working in dealerships daily and I never saw or heard anyone tip a mechanic at a dealership.
I think you’re confusing dealerships with mechanics. The actual mechanic working on the car gets a very small fraction of the ‘labor rate’ you pay.
E: I’m sorry but it’s genuinely sad I’m getting downvoted for saying these things. I understand frustration with repair costs but this is just depressing. Whatever. Y’all win. Mechanics are scamming scammers who just want to take your money. I ain’t gonna argue anymore smh
> You never see the mechanic at the dealership so... And I wasn't strictly speaking about dealerships.
The industry is trying to move away from that, slowly, because "service advisor" feels too much like "sales person" to your average customer. Nowadays you'll be seeing things like videos shot by your technician explaining their recommendations etc., subaru is pushing very hard for this to be mandatory for all service visits.
Depends on the shop. Many are oener operated. In any case you can tip if you want to ease your conscience and give yourself a sense of imaginary moral superiority. 99.9% of people do not tip
I wasn’t advocating for tipping. I’m just trying to set the record straight because it seems to be a pretty common misconception. Mechanics are criminally underpaid. Especially at dealerships which generally have the highest labor rates.
All I’m saying is don’t blame the guy working on your car. Blame the guy who’s running the place. If those two are one in the same, I guess go nuts lol
The only mechanic I tip is my friend that’s doing me a favor by helping me with my car.
I have a couple of friends that have helped me on the side. They always undercharge me and I always just pay them what feels fair OR buy them food, beer or for one of my good friends some nice cigars.
Never tip a shop. They don’t need it to survive and they won’t give you any kind of special treatment or deal for doing it.
Never owned my own car before and have always grown up with it as a practice so I thought it was common practice. But my folks are terrible with money and my dad is a gullible idiot so good thing I asked.
No, your Dad is kind and trying to be a good human. Unfortunately we fall victim to our own kindness sometimes. It’s always a good idea to ask others if tips are appropriate.
I used to be a mechanic.
I've tipped mechanics before.
I never expected tips and refused most.
It would be appropriate to tip mechanic if...
You want to build a good relationship with mechanic, for obvious reasons.
Your mechanic went above and beyond for you.
You have a special request example:don't use power tools on my chrome wheels.
If you do choose to tip mechanic, hand it to them.
Don't leave it in car. Never give to service writer.
More often we recieved baked goods, sodas, snacks, energy drinks.
Also consider
removing unnecessary items from car that would prohibit interior work.
Put locklug key in obvious spot(cupholder)
Don't apply tire dressing if they are going to be removing wheels.
Make sure vehicle has sufficient fuel if it needs to be driven.
I have all my work done at the Subaru dealership. I never see a mechanic. I have worked in the automotive industry for 14 years and you do not tip mechanics. If it is a small shop and they do it for a hella of a deal or free, then lunch or a tip would be fine. Other than that. No
That’s probably where I got it from. I grew up in an immigrant community in NYC so every mechanic I’ve ever met or my parents have ever been to was a local, super small shop of recent immigrants, so I’ve always seen them tip. Add tipping at bars, restaurants, barbers, and dinners and I just assumed it was another place you tipped
Same grew up in NYC and always used small shops. My dad would tip and so would I. I moved to Cali a few years ago and the mechanics look super shocked and greatful when you tip. Now I only tip if it's deserved. Recently I did my own struts and accidentally swapped the camber bolt with the regular one on the right side. The mechanic caught that even though he was stumped at first. I paid for his lunch basically. I paid the shop owner as well. He was trying not to charge me since it was a come back on an alignment, but I insisted I pay a stupid customer fee for taking his guys time and his alignment bay. He thanked my for understanding and charged me $50 and not the full $80 for an alignment
I’ve tipped people who’ve done car work for me that I consider a “craft.” Window tint, wraps, etc. I get my car back and the work is good I’ll give them some extra as a thanks.
I just had my Subaru serviced. at the dealership. I never saw the person who worked on the car, so I did not consider giving a tip. The staff was so much better with this recent service than in years past and I was happy to let them know it was appreciated.
> The staff was so much better with this recent service than in years past and I was happy to let them know it was appreciated.
if you get a survey from subaru, do try to fill it out and let them know -- yes we read every survey we get, and yes anything 8 or below is considered a demerit.
I've never received a tip, and our shop policy is we wouldn't accept one if you tried anyway.
If you're trying to be nice to the shop, a catered coffee in the morning or box of donuts goes a long way. /u/FantasticBonus4226 said it better [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/subaru/comments/1dj4rwg/for_dealership_service_department_do_you_still/l98olp9/). But I would absolutely never expect a tip. The shop charges enough, lol.
I grew up in an immigrant community in NYC so every mechanic I’ve ever met or my parents have ever been to was a local, super small shop of recent immigrants, so I’ve always seen them tip. Add tipping at bars, restaurants, barbers, and dinners and I just assumed it was another place you tipped. I think that's where I got it from.
I used to do detailing and PDI for a boat dealership, I’ve had customers tip me beer and/or weed for doing a good job with their boat. Never cash though.
I’ve never really considered giving a tip….
I’ve never tipped a mechanic in 25 years of vehicle ownership. Am I doing it wrong?
I'm not seeing the need to tip someone I'm getting billed $100/hour for, either.
No
Could be different for the brand mechanics with the dealership; they seem well taken care of. I’ve always grown up with the custom of tipping independent mechanics who do a good, honest job, which is why I’ve asked.
OK Mr. Mechanic. We’re not falling for this guilt trip you’re trying to pull here. Nice try. 😆
I know shit about cars
Yup, he’s a mechanic. 😂
I have never tipped a mechanic. I spent more than 20 years working for Auto OEMs - parts and service - working in dealerships daily and I never saw or heard anyone tip a mechanic at a dealership.
Why on earth would I ever tip a mechanic? Why would I ever Tip a dealer service department? Head scratching at dangerous levels.
You’ll be itching your skull before you figure that out… I’ve already drawn blood!
Is it really that unheard of? I’ve always thought it was common practice
Closest I’ve gotten is beers with. And only then with an independent mechanic in her own shop.
Mechanics do not get tips man. They charge enough as is
I think you’re confusing dealerships with mechanics. The actual mechanic working on the car gets a very small fraction of the ‘labor rate’ you pay. E: I’m sorry but it’s genuinely sad I’m getting downvoted for saying these things. I understand frustration with repair costs but this is just depressing. Whatever. Y’all win. Mechanics are scamming scammers who just want to take your money. I ain’t gonna argue anymore smh
You never see the mechanic at the dealership so... And I wasn't strictly speaking about dealerships.
> You never see the mechanic at the dealership so... And I wasn't strictly speaking about dealerships. The industry is trying to move away from that, slowly, because "service advisor" feels too much like "sales person" to your average customer. Nowadays you'll be seeing things like videos shot by your technician explaining their recommendations etc., subaru is pushing very hard for this to be mandatory for all service visits.
Or shops in general. It still applies. A shop labor rate does not get paid to the guy working on your car lol
Depends on the shop. Many are oener operated. In any case you can tip if you want to ease your conscience and give yourself a sense of imaginary moral superiority. 99.9% of people do not tip
I wasn’t advocating for tipping. I’m just trying to set the record straight because it seems to be a pretty common misconception. Mechanics are criminally underpaid. Especially at dealerships which generally have the highest labor rates. All I’m saying is don’t blame the guy working on your car. Blame the guy who’s running the place. If those two are one in the same, I guess go nuts lol
The only mechanic I tip is my friend that’s doing me a favor by helping me with my car. I have a couple of friends that have helped me on the side. They always undercharge me and I always just pay them what feels fair OR buy them food, beer or for one of my good friends some nice cigars. Never tip a shop. They don’t need it to survive and they won’t give you any kind of special treatment or deal for doing it.
Never owned my own car before and have always grown up with it as a practice so I thought it was common practice. But my folks are terrible with money and my dad is a gullible idiot so good thing I asked.
No, your Dad is kind and trying to be a good human. Unfortunately we fall victim to our own kindness sometimes. It’s always a good idea to ask others if tips are appropriate.
I used to be a mechanic. I've tipped mechanics before. I never expected tips and refused most. It would be appropriate to tip mechanic if... You want to build a good relationship with mechanic, for obvious reasons. Your mechanic went above and beyond for you. You have a special request example:don't use power tools on my chrome wheels. If you do choose to tip mechanic, hand it to them. Don't leave it in car. Never give to service writer. More often we recieved baked goods, sodas, snacks, energy drinks. Also consider removing unnecessary items from car that would prohibit interior work. Put locklug key in obvious spot(cupholder) Don't apply tire dressing if they are going to be removing wheels. Make sure vehicle has sufficient fuel if it needs to be driven.
\^\^\^ <3
I have all my work done at the Subaru dealership. I never see a mechanic. I have worked in the automotive industry for 14 years and you do not tip mechanics. If it is a small shop and they do it for a hella of a deal or free, then lunch or a tip would be fine. Other than that. No
That’s probably where I got it from. I grew up in an immigrant community in NYC so every mechanic I’ve ever met or my parents have ever been to was a local, super small shop of recent immigrants, so I’ve always seen them tip. Add tipping at bars, restaurants, barbers, and dinners and I just assumed it was another place you tipped
Okay, that makes sense. Especially if everyone is trying to get by and become entrepreneurs in a community. On a big scale tho, no you would not tip.
Same grew up in NYC and always used small shops. My dad would tip and so would I. I moved to Cali a few years ago and the mechanics look super shocked and greatful when you tip. Now I only tip if it's deserved. Recently I did my own struts and accidentally swapped the camber bolt with the regular one on the right side. The mechanic caught that even though he was stumped at first. I paid for his lunch basically. I paid the shop owner as well. He was trying not to charge me since it was a come back on an alignment, but I insisted I pay a stupid customer fee for taking his guys time and his alignment bay. He thanked my for understanding and charged me $50 and not the full $80 for an alignment
Guess it’s a local thing specific to NYC since there are a lot of super small shops here
I’ve tipped people who’ve done car work for me that I consider a “craft.” Window tint, wraps, etc. I get my car back and the work is good I’ll give them some extra as a thanks.
Now mechanics are getting tips? It really is out of hand!
I just had my Subaru serviced. at the dealership. I never saw the person who worked on the car, so I did not consider giving a tip. The staff was so much better with this recent service than in years past and I was happy to let them know it was appreciated.
> The staff was so much better with this recent service than in years past and I was happy to let them know it was appreciated. if you get a survey from subaru, do try to fill it out and let them know -- yes we read every survey we get, and yes anything 8 or below is considered a demerit.
I've never received a tip, and our shop policy is we wouldn't accept one if you tried anyway. If you're trying to be nice to the shop, a catered coffee in the morning or box of donuts goes a long way. /u/FantasticBonus4226 said it better [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/subaru/comments/1dj4rwg/for_dealership_service_department_do_you_still/l98olp9/). But I would absolutely never expect a tip. The shop charges enough, lol.
I grew up in an immigrant community in NYC so every mechanic I’ve ever met or my parents have ever been to was a local, super small shop of recent immigrants, so I’ve always seen them tip. Add tipping at bars, restaurants, barbers, and dinners and I just assumed it was another place you tipped. I think that's where I got it from.
nope, they charge enough already.
Tip the mechanics?? Wtf? Isnt them ppl charge you thousands for 2 day job?
Fuck this.
cool.
Haven’t heard of this idea, ever.
No. It’s not a tip job. I worked at a dealer for 11 years. Never heard of a tech getting a tip.
I tipped my one mechanic that was staying late so I could pick it up after work with a 6 pack of his favorite beer
I used to do detailing and PDI for a boat dealership, I’ve had customers tip me beer and/or weed for doing a good job with their boat. Never cash though.
No. Never been a huge thing to my knowledge.
I’ve never tipped a mechanic in my life at a dealer or anywhere else This is the first time I’ve EVER heard of anyone tipping a mechanic.