Get the help you are looking for

Mechanic Bids connects vehicle owners with local mechanics and tow drivers. You post what you need, nearby pros send you bids, and you pick the one you want. You can compare prices, reviews and badges before you hire anyone.

Customers who need a repair or a tow, independent and shop mechanics, and tow drivers. The site is for the United States only.

Customers post a repair job or a tow request for free. Mechanics or tow drivers in the area send bids. The customer reviews the bids, messages pros once one is hired, and chooses who to hire. See our How It Works page for the full step-by-step.

Yes. Signing up is free for everyone. Customers never pay to post a job. Mechanics buy credits that are only used when a customer picks their bid and they accept the job. Tow drivers pay a 10% fee only on completed tows.

Click Sign Up, choose Customer, Mechanic or Tow Driver, and enter your name and email. We do not ask for a password at sign-up. Open the confirmation email we send you and create your password there.

Check your spam or junk folder first. You can send a new one from Account Settings after logging in. If it still does not arrive, email support@mechanicbids.com.

Accounts that do not confirm their email within 3 days are closed automatically. You can sign up again any time.

It keeps the marketplace safe and real. You can log in before verifying, but you must confirm your email (and your phone when asked) before you can post a job, request a tow, place a bid or send messages.

Passwords must be 10 to 20 characters. The form shows you what is missing as you type.

Click Log In, then Forgot Password, and enter your email. We will send you a link to set a new one.

For your security, you are logged out after 8 hours. Just log in again.

Yes. Mechanic Bids works in any modern phone or computer browser. There is nothing to download.

Nothing. Posting a repair job is free. You pay the mechanic for the repair. If a mechanic asks for a deposit, you pay that through the site when you hire them.

Click Post A Repair, describe the problem, add your vehicle details, photos if you have them, your parts preference and when you need it done. You can start without an account and finish signing up at the end.

Yes. If you leave partway, we keep a draft. Next time you start a job we will ask if you want to continue it, save it for later or delete it. Drafts are deleted automatically if you do not touch them for 10 days, and the draft shows the date it will be removed.

Yes. Open the job from your dashboard and choose Edit.

Each bid shows the mechanic's estimate, estimated hours, any deposit, their badges and reviews. Use View Profile and Bid Details to learn more before you choose.

Badges show what we have checked, such as identity, professional credentials (for example ASE) and insurance. Click any badge to see exactly what it means.

Click Accept on the bid you want. If the mechanic asked for a deposit, you pay it by card. The mechanic is notified that they have been chosen.

Some mechanics ask for a deposit (up to 30% of their bid) to hold your appointment. You pay it by card through Stripe when you hire them. It is protected by an arrival PIN: the mechanic only receives it after they show up and the work is completed. If they do not show up, you can open a dispute.

When a deposit is paid you get a short PIN. Give it to the mechanic only when they actually arrive. They enter it on the site to confirm they showed up.

Only after you hire them, and only on the site. We never put your address in emails. The hired mechanic gets a map and directions button.

Messaging opens once you hire a mechanic for the job. Each conversation is tied to that job.

You pay the mechanic for the repair directly, as you agree with them. The site only handles the deposit, if there is one.

When the mechanic marks the job done, confirm it from the job page. If you do not respond, the job closes automatically after a short time and any deposit is released to the mechanic.

Yes. Open the job, choose Cancel and pick a reason.

Cancellation fee: if you paid a deposit and the mechanic has already accepted the job, 50% of the deposit is charged as a cancellation fee and paid to the mechanic for holding the time for you. The rest of the deposit is released back to your card.

No fee when:
- there was no deposit on the job,
- the mechanic has not accepted the job yet, or
- you cancel because the mechanic did not show up or is not responding.

Released deposits usually show back on your card within a few days, depending on your bank. Cancelling often can affect your account.

Use Report an Issue on the job page. Our support team will review it and contact both sides.

Do not give them the PIN. Open a dispute from the job page, and support will review it and refund your deposit if they did not show.

After a hired job is completed you will be asked to rate the mechanic. Reviews help other customers choose.

Jobs close automatically after the completion date you chose. You can post it again any time, or add more details and photos to attract bids.

Mechanics have 4 hours to accept (1 hour if you need the job within 2 days), and tow drivers have 10 minutes to confirm. After a tow driver confirms, you have 1 hour to pay. If they don't, your job or tow opens up again, the other bids come back, and you can pick someone else. You're never charged for someone who didn't accept.

Sign up as a Mechanic and finish your profile: services, service area, languages and photos. Then complete verification to earn badges. Customers trust verified mechanics more.

Credits are how Mechanic Bids charges mechanics. Bidding is free. Credits are only used when a customer chooses your bid and you accept the job. It costs about 1 credit for every $20 of your bid. The exact number is shown before you bid.

1 credit $1.99, 5 credits $9.99, 10 credits $19.99, 25 credits $39.99, 60 credits $79.99. Sales tax is added where required.

No. Credits you buy stay in your balance until you use them.

An optional monthly plan that gives you 5 credits each month, 20% off credit packs, and up to 300 new-job alert texts per month. You can cancel any time; it stays active until the end of the paid month.

Open a job on the job board, enter your estimate, estimated hours, any deposit and parts details, then submit. You can place one bid per job, and bids cannot be edited after you submit, so check it first.

Yes, up to 30% of your bid. To ask for a deposit you must first set up payouts (a free Stripe account) so we can pay you. You receive the full deposit after the job is completed.

Go to your dashboard and click Set Up Payouts. Stripe will ask for your details and bank account. Stripe usually sends money to your bank in about 2 business days.

The customer pays you for the repair directly. Deposits are paid to you through Stripe after the job is marked complete.

You can ask for a credit refund. Refunds are approved automatically unless you and the customer already talked (2 or more messages each way). Credits are not refunded if you back out of a job.

You must give a reason. Backing out counts against your record, the credits used are not refunded, and repeated cancellations can lead to warnings or restrictions.

If you asked for a deposit and the customer cancels after you accepted the job, you receive 50% of the deposit as a cancellation fee, paid to your payout account. There is no fee if the customer cancels because you did not show up or were not responding.

Your credits for the job are returned automatically, unless the customer cancelled because you did not show up or were not responding, or you and the customer had already been messaging (then our team reviews it).

You get an email when a new job is posted in your area. With the $9.99 plan you can also get text alerts after you opt in and confirm your phone. Reply STOP to any text to stop them.

Verify your identity first, then upload your professional credentials (such as ASE) and insurance. Our team reviews each one and adds the badge when it is approved.

If you change your name, your identity badge resets and you will need to verify again. Badges can also be removed if a document expires.

No. Customers see your service area, not your home address.

After a customer picks your bid, you have 4 hours to press Accept Job (1 hour if the job is needed within 2 days). The job page shows a countdown, and we remind you when time is running low. If you don't accept in time, the job goes back to other mechanics and no credits are used.

Sign up as a Tow Driver, add your truck and company details, upload the documents your state requires, and set up payouts. Then open Find Tow Jobs to see requests near you.

Yes. You must set up a free Stripe payout account before you can bid, so we can pay you when a tow is done.

We keep 10% of the tow price. You receive the other 90% through Stripe.

The customer picks your bid, you confirm within 10 minutes, and they pay by card. At pickup they give you a PIN, you enter it and mark Picked Up. After delivery you mark Dropped Off. The customer confirms delivery, or it confirms automatically after 10 hours, and then you are paid.

After delivery is confirmed (or automatically after 10 hours). Stripe usually sends money to your bank in about 2 business days.

Support reviews the details from both sides and decides who wins the dispute. Keep good notes and photos of each tow.

Yes, with the $9.99 monthly plan, after you opt in and confirm your phone. Reply STOP to stop them.

When a customer picks your bid, you have 10 minutes to confirm the tow from the tow page. If you don't confirm in time, or you tap Can't take it, the tow goes back to the customer to pick another driver. The customer only pays after you confirm. If they don't pay within 1 hour, the tow closes and you're free to take other work.

All card payments go through Stripe, a secure payment company. Mechanic Bids never sees or stores your full card number.

Sales tax is added to credit purchases and plans where the law requires it. It is shown before you pay.

Email support@mechanicbids.com. For problems with a specific job, use Report an Issue on that job so we have all the details.

Use the Report link under the message box in that conversation, or Report an Issue on the job. Our support team reviews every report.

Depending on what happened we may add a note or warning, give a strike, restrict the account, suspend it, or ban it. Serious or repeated problems lead to stronger action. See our Terms.

Yes. Reply STOP to any text from us, or turn texts off in your account settings.

Go to Account Settings and edit your profile. Note: mechanics who change their name must re-verify their identity.

Go to Account Settings and choose Delete Account. Deleting is final and cannot be undone. Any credits left on your account are forfeited and cannot be refunded or transferred. An active subscription is cancelled right away, and the rest of that billing period is not refunded. Ads that have not been approved yet are refunded in full, and ads that are already running are stopped without a refund. Any open bids are withdrawn. You cannot delete your account while a repair job or paid tow is still in progress. If something stops the deletion from finishing, such as a refund that does not go through, your account is switched off right away and our team finishes deleting it and handles any refund you are owed. We will email you when it is done.

We only share what is needed to get the job done, such as your address with the mechanic you hire. Read our Privacy Policy for details.

Yes. Mechanics and tow drivers can create and pay for ads themselves from their dashboard under Advertising. Other businesses, such as parts stores, body shops, dealers and insurers, can contact us and we will set up the ad for you.

Ads appear on the Repair Jobs listing, the Towing listing, or both, at the top of the list and between results. You choose the state and city (or several) where your ad shows. Ads are never shown on the Mechanics tab.

You choose how you pay:
Per day: Repair Jobs $3, Towing $2, Both $4
Per 1,000 views: Repair Jobs $8, Towing $10, Both $8
Per click: Repair Jobs $1, Towing $1.25, Both $1
For views and clicks you set a total budget. The price is shown before you pay, and payment is by card through Stripe.

Go to Advertising in your dashboard and click to create a campaign. Choose where it shows, the area, and how you want to pay, add the link people go to, and upload your ad image (a wide image for computers and an optional square image for phones). Then pay by card.

No. Our team reviews every ad before it goes live. You can see its status under Advertising in your dashboard. If it is not approved, you get a full refund.

Common reasons: the link is unsafe, broken or misleading; the image is unclear or inappropriate; or the ad is for something illegal or not allowed on the site. We check every link for safety before and after an ad goes live.

Up to 3 times per day for each visitor, so your ad reaches more people instead of showing the same person again and again.

While your ad is waiting for review, you can cancel it from Advertising in your dashboard and get a full refund. Once your ad is live, you can Pause it any time and Resume it later. If you pay per day, the days it was paused are added to the end date, so you do not lose any days you paid for. If you pay per view or per click, your budget is not used while the ad is paused.

Go to Advertising in your dashboard and click Stats on your ad. You will see total views and clicks, how many different people saw and clicked it, your click rate, how much you have spent of what you paid, the days or budget left, today's numbers, and a day-by-day table for the last 14 days.