Your data, your call.

MechaniCar (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates the MechaniCar marketplace at mechanicar.app and the corresponding iOS and Android apps. We connect car owners with independent local repair shops via anonymous job posts and private quotes. We do not perform repairs and we do not take any commission on repair work — owners pay shops directly.

• Account info: name, email, password hash, role (owner / shop / admin), and shop name + business application data if applicable.
• Location: approximate coordinates and the search radius you set, used for matching. You may sign in with Google (when offered) or set your location manually.
• Job posts & quotes: photos, videos, voice notes / audio recordings, vehicle details (make / model / year), descriptions, prices, and time estimates.
• Messages: private 1-on-1 threads between owners and shops, including any photos, video, or audio you attach.
• Ratings & reviews: star ratings and written reviews owners leave for shops after completed jobs.
• Billing: Stripe handles all web payment information; Apple App Store / Google Play handle all native-app payment information. We store only the customer / subscription / receipt IDs and the subscription status.
• Device data: IP address, user agent, push notification token (only if you opt in), and notification permission state.

• Match nearby repair shops to owner job posts (using your radius and service categories).
• Deliver private quotes, bookings, and messages between you and your counterparty.
• Authenticate you and prevent abuse, fraud, or platform circumvention.
• Send transactional emails (job updates, quote notifications, trial expiry reminders, password resets).
• Send web and mobile push notifications that you explicitly opt into.
• Process subscription payments via Stripe (web) and Google Play / Apple (native apps).
• Produce anonymized, aggregated analytics (e.g., “average quote response time across all shops”) to improve the service. These analytics never include personally identifying information.

• We don't sell your data. Ever.
• We don't share owner identity with shops until you explicitly accept a quote.
• We don't run third-party advertising trackers.
• We don't train AI models on your data.
• We don't take a commission on repair work. Whatever a shop quotes is what you pay them, directly. Our only revenue from shops is the optional Pro / Premium subscription fee.

• Stripe — subscription billing on the web (PCI-compliant payment processor).
• Apple App Store / Google Play Billing — subscription billing inside the native iOS & Android apps. When you subscribe through the native apps, Apple or Google processes your payment and shares only receipt validation data with us (never your card details).
• RevenueCat — handles native subscription receipt validation and entitlement state on our behalf.
• Resend — transactional email delivery.
• OpenStreetMap / Leaflet — location picker map tiles (no personal data is shared with the tile provider).
• Firebase Cloud Messaging (FCM) / Apple Push Notification service (APNs) — push notification delivery. Only the device endpoint identifier (not the notification body) is shared with these services.

Some data is intentionally visible to other MechaniCar users:

• Shop profiles — name, specialties, bio, location, and aggregate rating are visible to any owner browsing the marketplace.
• Owner ratings & reviews of shops — visible publicly under your anonymous handle (e.g., “Owner-3742”) with the date and star rating. Reviews are tied to verified completed jobs.
• Job posts — visible (anonymously) to in-radius shops until you close the job or accept a quote.

Everything else (your real name, email, exact address, messages, billing info) remains private.

You can at any time:

• Export your data — email privacy@mechanicar.app with the subject “Data export request”.
• Delete your account — Settings → Privacy → “Delete account”. We remove your personal data within 24 hours and anonymize history so audit trails stay valid.
• Revoke push permission — Settings → Notifications, or via your browser/device settings.
• Cancel your subscription — Settings → Subscription opens the Stripe Customer Portal (web), or on Android open Google Play app → Profile → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions, or on iOS open Settings app → Apple ID → Subscriptions.

Active account data is retained while your account is alive. After deletion, personal identifiers are removed within 24 hours and only anonymized historical records (used for fraud prevention and audit purposes) remain. Stripe and Google Play retain billing history per their own retention policies.

MechaniCar is intended for users 18 years of age or older. We do not knowingly collect data from minors. If you believe a child has provided data to MechaniCar, please contact us at privacy@mechanicar.app and we will delete it promptly.

MechaniCar is operated from the United States. By using the service, you consent to the transfer and processing of your data in the United States. We rely on the standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission for any EU-to-US data transfers.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified via email and an in-app banner at least 7 days before they take effect. Continued use of the service after the change date constitutes acceptance.

Privacy questions: privacy@mechanicar.app

General support: hello@mechanicar.app