It happens in the movies all the time: the protagonist hands the valet/doorman/witness a wad of cash, and doors open quickly. Greasing a palm or two makes things happen. Of course, this also occurs in real life. When it comes to auto repair shops, a little extra persuasion in the form of gifts and bonuses may facilitate rolling your vehicle right to the front of the line. And that means you and your car get out of there quickly. That is, if your mechanic is up for it and you know what they prefer.
So tell me: you have ever offered your mechanic a bonus in food, alcohol, cash, or other gifts to jump the line?
This week, I was at the shop picking up my vehicle from my regular auto shop. As we were talking with the assistant mechanic about a couple of other projects they had on the lot (including the Toyota Solara into which he plans to drop a Cummins diesel) he said casually, “People know that a bottle of good tequila for [the shop owner] and a case of Coors Light for me means their car gets worked on first. Food and alcohol work well for us.”
I already knew this, because when we owned a pizza shop a few years ago my husband would show up with a fresh large pizza when he needed some help. High-quality tequila seems to be the incentive of choice, however.
There are some stories circulating of attempted inducement at emissions check stations to pass a vehicle that would otherwise fail. That’s more than a little dicey, though, because getting caught surely means a lot of trouble for both the briber and recipient (like the case from last year in which two former California Highway Patrol officers are alleged to have received $35,000 worth of bribes). Sliding an extra bonus to your mechanic sounds a lot safer.
Hey, this is a judgment-free zone; you do what you have to do. Let’s hear about your experiences.
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