Last updated: September 26, 2026
Service On Scene connects drivers with mechanics, mobile mechanics and shops. Some of those providers pay to be shown more. This page explains, in plain words, who you see and why, what "Sponsored" means, and what payment can never buy.
When you send an SOS (service on scene) or ask for quotes, the request goes to providers who are online, in range, offer the service you need, and whose own settings accept it (for example, the vehicle types they work on).
Some providers hear it a little earlier than everyone else:
| Who | How much earlier | When |
|---|---|---|
| Your favorite mechanics | 1 minute | An SOS (you chose them) |
| Sponsored providers | 30 seconds | An ordinary SOS — never an emergency |
| Sponsored providers | 2 minutes | Quote requests and bookings for later |
| Nobody | — | A tow from an unsafe place goes to everyone at once. |
When you tell us it's an emergency, no one gets a paid head start. The app tells you on the request itself when it went to sponsored providers first. The first provider to accept (or the quote you choose) gets the job — being sponsored doesn't let anyone skip that.
Everyone in range who offers the service. Your favorites come first, then providers who work on your kind of car, then the order you pick: distance, price or rating.
At the top of a list, up to two providers may be marked Sponsored. They pay for that spot. A sponsored provider still has to match your search exactly like everyone else: they offer the service and they are in range.
One exception, and it is labelled: on Browse (not the map, and never on an SOS), a sponsored provider may be slightly outside your search radius — at most 1.5 times it — but only when their own service area covers where you are. We always show you their real distance.
Sponsored providers also have to meet a quality bar to be shown at all: a good rating once they have reviews, answering the requests people send them, and not dropping jobs they accepted.
The waiting screen of an SOS, another provider's page and a car's maintenance reminder can show a sponsored provider too — always labelled Sponsored, always with a "Why this?" link to this page.
Providers can post deals — their own offers, like "$129 front brake pads, installed" or "$20 off any diagnosis". Posting one is free. Deals near you, at the top of Browse, lists every running deal from providers in range who still offer that service, nearest first.
Up to two deals may be shown first, marked Sponsored: they belong to providers who pay to promote that service, and they follow the same rules as every other sponsored spot (in range, above the quality bar, online or inside their working hours). Payment never changes the order of the other deals.
Every deal says what the price includes (parts, labor), whether extra parts or labor are often needed — and that the extra cost may be substantial when it can run past a quarter of the price — any conditions, and when it ends. A "regular price" is shown only when the provider confirms they charged it in the last three months. In California, a repair dealer's deal shows the firm name, Bureau of Automotive Repair registration number and phone number as registered.
When you request a deal, what it said goes with your request and into the service agreement. If the provider prices the job above the deal's price, the app tells you before you sign — you can decline or cancel. If a provider doesn't honor a deal, report it from the job (Didn't honor their deal).
After a job, on a car's page or on a receipt, you may see one card from a company (for example an extended warranty). It is labelled Sponsored, says who it's from, and is chosen from the service, your car's make, type and mileage, and your state — on our servers. The company never gets your name, contact details or location; it gets daily totals of how often its card was shown and opened.
To tell providers how busy their area is, we count searches by ZIP code and service — no name, no account, no exact location. Providers see totals ("about 40 brake searches a week near you"), never who searched.
Use Report a bug / suggest a feature in the app, or write to the address in our Privacy Policy.
Service On Scene