Founded in Utah in 1971, Jiffy Lube is one of the most popular auto repair franchises in North America with over 2200 garages country-wide.
They provide a wide range of auto services including oil changes, tire replacement, servicing, and general car maintenance.
If you’ve taken your car in for some work at Jiffy Lube, then you might be wondering whether you should provide a tip and how much to offer.
To help you make up your mind about that decision, we’ve crunched the data so you can make a data-led choice about whether to tip and how much of your cash to hand over.
We’ve looked at the following factors to help you decide:
- Whether it’s customary to tip this type of worker
- The average salary of a Jiffy Lube worker
- The average cost of car maintenance work
- How, when, and when not to tip
Let’s take a look…
Should You Tip Jiffy Lube: The Short Answer
Mechanics aren’t generally classed as being in a below-scale service industry like a waiter, for example, so there is no need to tip them. However, Jiffy Lube technicians do not earn a great salary so you may feel it is in good conscious to do so.
How Much Do Jiffy Technicians/Mechanics Earn?
One of the first considerations you might give when deciding whether and how much to tip is the salary of a Jiffy employee.
We’ve looked at the data available on the web and have found the following hourly rates:
| Jiffy Lube Role | Hourly Rate |
| Technician | $13.45 ($24,479pa based on 35 hour week) |
| Automotive Technician | $15.68 per hour ($28,537.60pa based on 35 hour week) |
| Automotive Mechanic | $15.26 per hour ($27,773.20pa based on 35 hour week) |
| Trainee Manager | $39,306pa (hourly rate not available) |
| General Manager | $50,705pa (hourly rate not available) |
According to Salary.com, the average yearly salary for a mechanic in the USA is $32,000 – $54,000 so it is clear to see that Jiffy Lube technicians and mechanics earn below the average you would expect for this type of work.
In fact, it is only trainee managers or general managers who earn within that bracket.
On that basis, you may feel more obliged to offer a tip at Jiffy Lube.
How Much Tip to Offer?
Tips in the USA are generally offered at a rate of 10-20% of the full cost of the service you’ve received.
However, given that the average cost of mechanical repair work is $500 – $600 you may decide that 10-20% is on the high side as this would set you back a further $50 – $120.
Therefore, if you would prefer to offer a fixed rate tip rather than a percentage then we suggest $10-20 would be adequate depending on the cost of the work.
Clearly, if you’ve only spent $50 – $100 on work, then you may want to offer a tip towards the lower side of this.
Related Post: Do you tip car salesmen?
Do Jiffy Lube Employees Take Tips?
We couldn’t find any details of the company’s policy on tips.
As it’s a franchise, you often find that each shop will have its own rules about tipping.
If you have any doubts, the best thing to do is to ask when you take your car in. You will want to find out whether they are happy to accept tips and who will actually receive them.
Some companies are unscrupulous and keep the tips for the store instead of distributing them to their workers where most tippers intend their money to go.
If it’s clear the technician who has worked on your car won’t receive the tip, you might think twice about offering one up.
Related Post:
Do You Tip a Microneedler?
How to Tip (Cash/Card or Other?)
If you’re going to offer a tip, then we recommend doing so with cash if possible.
Tipping by card can often mean that the technician doesn’t actually receive the money (it goes straight to the shop) so we suggest tipping with cash is the best way to ensure that the worker receives the money as intended.
If you end up paying by card then it will mean that the technician has to speak to payroll to receive the money in their next paycheck. This is likely to be impractical and you run the risk the technician never sees your tip.
When and When Not to Tip a Jiffy Lube Worker
Offering a tip is a personal decision but there will clearly be times when a tip is definitely justified and also times when you’ll want to pass.
As above, tipping is not customary within the mechanics’ trade so you shouldn’t really feel obliged to offer one. We discovered this when looking at whether to tip for an oil change.
A mechanic/technician won’t generally be expecting a tip but we recommend dipping your hand into your pocket as follows:
- When the technician/mechanic has gone beyond the call of service and has done an exceptional job. This might be when they’ve spotted a fault a previous mechanic couldn’t, they’ve done the job quickly and efficiently, or perhaps the quality of workmanship has surpassed your expectations;
- At Christmas or Thanksgiving. The holidays can be expensive for most families so offering a tip at this time of year can be a nice touch and can lighten the load for a technician/mechanic;
- If the technician has been considerate, professional, or friendly. Mechanics aren’t always the chirpiest of folk in our experience so if you find a friendly one, then you might want to think about offering a tip.
On the flip side, we recommend withholding a tip if:
- The work is substandard, overly expensive, or has taken too long to be carried out. The standard of work performed by mechanics can vary so be mindful of this and refuse a tip if you think the quality of work is below par;
- If the technician/mechanic has been rude, discourteous, or unprofessional. There is really no room for bad manners or unprofessionalism so refuse a tip if you’ve not been treated well;
- There is a no-tipping policy. As above, Jiffy Lube is a franchise and some shops may flat out refuse to take tips;
- It’s clear the tip won’t go to the technician/mechanic. If it’s clear the company is withholding tips then you may think twice about handing over your hard-earned cash.
Final Thoughts
While it is certainly not customary to tip a mechanic/technician in the US, you may feel it is in good conscience to do so, especially given that Jiffy Lube apparently pays its staff a below-average hourly rate.
We previously looked at whether you should tip auto-glass technicians and found it isn’t customary to tip them either.
Therefore, if you decide that you don’t want to tip then it’s unlikely that this will be frowned upon.
After all, the cost of car repairs doesn’t come cheap, and with rising inflation and a struggling economy, most people are feeling the pinch and may not be able to afford an extra $10 – $20 as a tip.
If you are minded to offer a tip then we suggest doing so if you’ve received excellent service, if you’ve been treated well or if it’s around the holidays. 10-20% is the standard percentage but $10 – $20 is probably fine if you’d prefer to offer a flat rate.
However, you shouldn’t ever feel obliged to offer a tip and we certainly wouldn’t recommend doing so if you’ve received a poor service or if the technician has been unprofessional.
