3 weeks ago, the aftermarket headlamp eyelid on my Lexus IS stripped off and needed to be reapplied securely. A job like that is very simple for someone physically capable and would take no more than maybe 10mins of time.
Because of my physical issues, I brought the car into a random repair shop and drove into their garage bay without an appointment ( maybe discourteous of me but the guys were more than happy to assist me).
In no time, my issue was fixed and the guys wished me a great day ( meaning they did not charge for such a simple job).
Nonetheless, I reached for my wallet and gave $20 as an appreciation.
My license plate frame on the front is bent from an unknown cause. It is a simple job to straighten it back to original condition. I’m thinking of taking the car to a random repair shop for them to fix it.
Question: when it comes to something like this, where I request a non-chargeable service, what’s an appropriate tip to offer ?
There is no such thing as a non=chargeable repair. If the shop says all done and sends you on your way that is a goodwill item . Which means they hope in the future you will use their shop,
I did this regularly for small things, perhaps something as simple as installing a wiper blade someone bought but couldn’t install. When it was done and they asked “how much?” I would smile and say “Nothing for today. I’ll charge you twice next time you come in.” Most appreciated the humor and it suggested to them that they should come in again.
But when it comes down to it, working for free is nothing more than buying future business at the cost of losing time today. Sometimes it works out, sometimes not.
I dunno. As things worsen, I tend to tio more. 20% minimum in restaurants. When I picked up pizza from the drive through I tipped $5 on a $15 pizza. I tipped the guy# that delivered ou4 sleep number beds only $10 each. Maybe should have been more. At Costco I bought a very heavy flower urn. I got it in the cart because it was all down hill, but I thought lifting it up out of the cart would be a problem. A cart jockey was nearby and I asked if he would help lift it out. He grabbed it and put it right in my car seat. I pulled a ten out to thank him but totally refused. Said it was against policy. Tried several times but no go. I had to use the two wheel hand truck to move it into place, I think I tipped the carpet installer $80 on a $700 job. I tipped the tree guy $500 on a $3000 job and told him I thought he under bid the job.
So I’m all over the board. I did ask an Indy shop to put my car on the lift to check for oil leaks after the Gm dealer said they were bad. They wouldn’t charge me for it but then I just made an appointment for plugs and some other miscellaneous stuff. So they made a little money. Guess it depends.
I normally would not just drive in though but make an appointment. Up to them if they want to do it right away and bono.
If it’s an Independent mechanic your “Tip” should be in the form of continuing regular maintenance.
Instead of going to the “El Cheepo” oil change, continued use of a real mechanic will save you big bucks on the quality and price of future maintenance/maintenance.
Good info. My Jamaican culture gonna get me in trouble in the United States.
I drove right into the bay and began talking to the guys as if we were neighbors. I wonder at times what the Americans say when they meet an island guy
24 years max. You are right. But I spend most of my time around other island folks, and this was the first time I needed a little help with the issues presented here.
I thought you might have been speaking figuratively about driving into the shop, however it isn’t unusual for handicap drivers to try to get as close as possible to the work area.
I’m not worried about the shops insurance policy compared to your own policy, you both have insurance, the problem is that you are blocking a technician’s workstation.
The only issue with that is, the tech, service manager, whoever may be about to pull a paying customers vehicle in that bay you just blocked for a waiting appointment and now you just slowed and inconvenienced that customer… That is the reason some shops have to put up yellow chains across the bay…
Also most shops are set up for a mechanic to have his tools in one bay and they mainly only work out of that bay, sometimes 2 bays…
So unless there is a clear sign saying please pull here, don’t… lol
You can always pull up behind a bay that has a vehicle lifted and ask for assistance or even better, call the shop once you are on site and ask them what to do… I had many many customers in wheelchairs or whatever and always took care of them, but none ever pulled into one of my bays…
And yes, you should give that shop all your business until they give you a reason not to, sounds like some great people… And the $20.00 tip was nice… Yes I have done many small quick things and not charged, mainly cause it was not worth the paperwork, but also to take care of people in general…
I wouldn’t eat food from a random stranger who stops by to get their car fixed. There are way too many negative stories about receiving food from strangers.
This is why I give cash. If they want food, they can use the cash to buy food safely for themselves.
I bought my first new car in 1978. Twenty three years later, I still had the car. The door hinge on the driver’s side was worn. The door sagged and was difficult to close. I took the car to an independent body shop. The manager told me that I would have to obtain the hinge. He thought my best bet was a salvage yard. The salvage yard I tried didn’t the parts and didn’t have stock that old. I decided to try the dealer where I had purchased the car 23 years earlier.I was directed to the dealer’s body shop. The woman who managed the body shop examined the door and said the hinge was no longer a available. I said, “When I bought this car at this agency, the salesman assured me that service and parts would always be available”. I thought I had said it in a joking matter. The manager replied with a stern expression and voice “We didn’t expect you to keep the car 23 years and drive it 200,000 miles, but I’ll see what I can do”.
She disappeared into the shop area and came back with a technician carrying a sledge hammer, a big steel pin and a wrench. He loosened the bolts holding the hinge, put the pin on the underside of the hinge, pounded it up with the hammer and tightened the bolts. The door opened and closed perfectly. When I asked about the charge. the technician replied, “There is no charge. We guarantee these babies 25 years or 250,000 miles”. Both the technician and manager were laughing up a storm. I realized that I had been set up.
