FAQ

Cars, motorcycles, builds, modifications, repairs, engine swaps, restorations, first starts, expensive mistakes, family vehicles, long-term projects, garage memories, old photos, and other stories connected to garage life. The machine does not have to be rare, expensive or finished. The story is what matters.

No. We do not select cars. We select stories. An ordinary Civic with a reason somebody has kept it for nineteen years can be more interesting to BAD MECHANIC than an expensive car with nothing behind it.

Nothing negative happens. You keep your content and can submit another story later. A story may also need more context, better source material or a stronger hook before it is ready for production.

We do not publish a guaranteed review time yet. We would rather set a realistic response standard after the workflow is tested than promise a deadline we cannot consistently meet. If we need more material or select your story, we will contact you.

No. No channel required. Just a story worth telling. A public handle is useful for credit if you have one, but follower count is not a selection criterion.

No. BAD MECHANIC is about garage stories, not a skills test. You can be the builder, the owner, the person keeping a family vehicle alive, a first-time project owner, or someone with a real story connected to the machine.

Absolutely. Cars and motorcycles are both part of the BAD MECHANIC Garage. Cruisers, cafe racers, old bikes, new bikes, restorations, builds and questionable decisions all belong if there is a story behind them.

Absolutely. Engine swaps, suspension work, custom fabrication, restorations, repairs, modifications and other project stories are welcome. Tell us what you planned, what actually happened and why it was worth doing.

Yes. Family vehicles, first cars, machines connected to parents or grandparents, vehicles kept for decades, sold-and-regretted cars and machines bought back years later can make some of the strongest stories.

Yes, when they are genuinely part of the garage story. Garage Crew is a supporting part of BAD MECHANIC, not the main content category. Every garage has management. Some of them just have paws.

Yes. Membership is earned once, but new published stories can continue building your Garage status. A genuinely new story, different vehicle, or substantial new chapter of a project may count as another published contribution.

No. Submission is an invitation for editorial review, not a guarantee. We select stories based on story strength, usable material, rights, safety, fit and our ability to produce the feature properly.

Yes. There is no fee to submit a story or be considered for a feature.

Yes. You keep ownership of your original photos, video, audio and story. By submitting, you give BAD MECHANIC the permissions described in the Submission Terms so the material can be reviewed, edited, published and promoted if selected.

You must own the material or have permission to provide it. An old photograph being in a family album or online does not automatically mean you own the copyright. If somebody else owns a photo or video, get permission before submitting it for publication use.

Selected stories may be published or promoted across BAD MECHANIC social channels, BadMechanic.com, email and related brand media as allowed by the Submission Terms. Current social distribution may include TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook.

Yes. Raw submissions are often shortened, reordered, captioned, narrated or combined with other approved material so the finished story is clear and watchable. Editing does not transfer ownership of your original content to BAD MECHANIC.

Yes. Tell us in the submission form if you want a license plate, face, location detail or another identifying element blurred or omitted. We will use the public name or handle you approve.

Preferably not. Keep original sound whenever possible and avoid baking copyrighted music into source clips. Clean source audio gives us more flexibility to edit and publish the story properly.

No. BAD MECHANIC does not build content around illegal street racing, reckless driving, impaired driving or dangerous stunts. Questionable garage decisions can be funny; putting people at obvious risk is not the brand.

You become a BAD MECHANIC Member when your first story is selected and actually published. Sending a submission by itself does not create Membership.

Your permanent Member Number is issued after your first selected story is published. The number is not sold, reserved in advance or reused for another person later.

No. BAD IS EARNED. NOT BOUGHT. You can buy public merchandise, but Membership and Member Numbers only come from a published story.

After your first story is published and your Member Number is issued, you receive the standard digital Certificate of Membership. It is issued once as recognition of your entry into the Garage.

The standard digital Certificate of Membership is free for a featured Member. Optional printed or physical versions may be offered separately later.

If your last published story is removed and no published stories remain, active Membership ends and the Member Number is retired. Retired numbers are never reassigned to another person.

Membership comes from the first published story. Awards recognize repeat published contributions after that. The current working progression is Bronze Spark Plug at 2 published stories, Silver Shock at 4, Gold Piston at 6, and Platinum Steering Wheel at 8–10. The exact Platinum trigger will be locked before the public Awards system becomes a permanent promise.

Only published/featured stories count. A new vehicle with its own story can count. A substantial new chapter of the same project with a distinct conflict and result can also count. Multiple photos of the same repair, a repost, a shorter edit, or cross-posting the same story to several platforms does not create extra contributions.

No. Award status must be earned through published stories. Optional physical patches, plaques, coins or other hardware may be offered only after the related status has already been earned.

Platinum remains the highest level. It is not the end of your story. Your Member Page can keep growing with more published stories and your total contribution can continue to be recognized without inventing endless new badge colors.

Yes. Use Tell Someone's Garage Story. If the person is living, they must sign the Nominee Release before the story is submitted for publication consideration. If the person has passed away, use the Memorial / Legacy path and the required rights declaration.

Yes. The relationship does not have to fit one specific category. What matters is that you know the story, have the required permission, and have the right to provide the materials you submit.

Yes. A living person must sign the Nominee Release before the story is submitted for publication consideration. The surprise can be the selection, BAD's verdict, the Member Number, the certificate or a gift — not publication without permission.

Normally, no. The nominator is responsible for getting the signed Nominee Release and uploading it with the story. If the required release is missing or incomplete, the story cannot be published until that issue is resolved.

Yes. The person knows they gave permission for possible publication, but they do not have to know whether BAD MECHANIC will select the story, what the finished feature will look like, what verdict BAD will give, or what Member Number they may receive.

Yes. Choose Honor Someone in Memory and submit the story with the Memorial Story Release / Rights Declaration. Please send only photos, video, audio and other materials you own or have permission to provide.

Do not assume you can use them just because you have a copy. Identify the owner or copyright holder and get permission where required. If rights are unclear, that material should not be used until the question is resolved.

Send what you have: old snapshots, phone video, documents, voice messages or other real material. The story matters more than perfect production, but you still need permission to provide anything you submit.

Yes, after the story has actually been selected and published. Membership cannot be purchased as a gift, but optional physical recognition for an already-featured Member can make a meaningful gift when those products are available.

Yes. A Member may request removal of a published story. BAD MECHANIC will remove material from pages and platforms under its control within a reasonable period of time, but cannot guarantee removal of copies, downloads or reposts made by third parties.

If other published stories remain, Membership stays active. The removed story stops counting toward Garage Awards and the Member Page/status should be updated to reflect the remaining published stories.

Membership is tied to a published story. If the last published story is removed, active Membership ends and the Member Number is retired. Retired numbers are never reused.

No. BAD is the voice of the Garage, not a repair hotline or safety-critical technical advisor. Technical questions get a joke or a deflection, not torque specs, wiring instructions, tire-pressure numbers, brake procedures or step-by-step repair advice.

Garage opinions and dilemmas: whether a wing is ridiculous, whether you would save a certain project, whether a build has gone too far, whether you own too many projects, or other taste, culture and bad-idea questions. BAD gives verdicts, not professional repair instructions.