The Thanksgiving drop
Thanksgiving shirts for the family mechanic
Three new designs for the person who gets asked to look at everybody’s car between the turkey and the pie. Tees, crewnecks and hoodies, plus an apron, mugs, a 40 oz travel mug, a 20 oz tumbler and coasters for the table.
Order by November 16 for delivery by Thanksgiving · Free US shipping
- 3 designs
- 23 pieces
- From $10
- Free US shipping
Yes, I’ll Look at Your Car After Dinner
For the one who gets asked between the turkey and the pie. A fork and an open-end wrench, crossed, and the answer every car person gives every year.
Every Thanksgiving has the moment. Plates are cleared, somebody’s cousin mentions a noise their car has been making since summer, and every head at the table turns to the one person who knows what a serpentine belt is. This shirt answers before the question is finished.
The design sets YES, I’LL LOOK AT YOUR CAR in tall condensed type, a crossed fork and wrench between two rules, and AFTER DINNER in burnt orange underneath, printed with a worn, cracked finish so it looks like it has already been through a few holidays.
Best for: the family mechanic, the friend with the floor jack, and anyone who has ever diagnosed a car from the dining room.
Wear it
For the table
Grandma’s Gravy, SAE 5W-30
A gravy boat with a drop of oil coming off the spout. Full synthetic, served hot. Best on the apron, worn while actually making the gravy.
Every family has a gravy recipe that nobody is allowed to change. This one happens to be SAE 5W-30. The gravy boat is drawn as a clean outline, a single orange drop falls from the spout, and the line underneath reads FULL SYNTHETIC · SERVED HOT.
It is the piece in the drop that crosses over: the car person laughs at the oil grade, and the cook wears it on the apron while the turkey rests.
Best for: whoever runs the kitchen, grandparents who change their own oil, and anyone who has ever compared a sauce to a viscosity.
Wear it
For the table
Thankful for No Codes
Check engine, oil, battery and coolant, all dark, inside a ring like one more light on the dash. The thing worth being thankful for when you turn the key.
If you have owned an older car, you know the small, specific gratitude of a dash that lights up at key-on and then goes dark. No check engine light, no oil can, no battery, no coolant warning. Nothing to scan, nothing to clear, nothing to explain to anyone.
The design puts those four warning lamps, switched off, above THANKFUL FOR NO CODES in a stencil face, all inside a ring so the whole shirt reads as one more lamp on the cluster.
Best for: anyone who has ever held their breath at key-on, and the friend who just fixed the thing that set the code.
Wear it
For the table
Thanksgiving gifts by budget
Under $25
$25 to $45
- After Dinner Tee $32
- Grandma's Gravy Tee $32
- Thankful for No Codes Tee $32
- After Dinner Tumbler $36
- Grandma's Gravy Tumbler $36
- Thankful for No Codes Tumbler $36
- After Dinner Apron $40
- Grandma's Gravy Apron $40
- After Dinner Travel Mug $42
- Grandma's Gravy Travel Mug $42
- Thankful for No Codes Travel Mug $42
$45 and up
A Thanksgiving gift for the car person in the family
Every family has one. They are the person who gets handed the keys after dinner because the check engine light has been on since August. This drop is for them: the After Dinner shirt says what they were going to say anyway, the Grandma’s Gravy apron is for whoever is in the kitchen, and Thankful for No Codes is for anyone who has ever cleared a code and hoped. Everything ships free in the US, and a coaster or mug makes an easy add-on at the table.
Thanksgiving gift ideas by who you are shopping for
For the family mechanic: the After Dinner tee or hoodie. It is the shirt they would have made themselves. Add the After Dinner 40 oz travel mug for the drive over.
For the cook: the Grandma’s Gravy apron, printed edge to edge, with a matching mug for the coffee after the dishes.
For the one who just got their car back from the shop: Thankful for No Codes, on a crewneck for the cold drive home.
Under $25: coasters at $10 and mugs at $20 make easy table gifts and stocking-stuffer starts if you are already thinking about December.
Why car people get asked at Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is one of the heaviest driving weeks of the year, and it lands in the first cold snap. Tire pressure drops with the temperature, weak batteries give up on cold mornings, and a check engine light that was easy to ignore in September becomes a long-drive worry in November. So the question comes up at dinner. If you are the one being asked, AXLY reads the code on an iPhone through a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter and explains it in plain English, so you can answer before dessert.
Want the story behind the designs? Read The family mechanic’s Thanksgiving on Shop Talk.
Size guide
Unisex fit. Measurements are the garment laid flat, in inches: width is armpit to armpit, length is shoulder to hem. Between sizes, size up for a relaxed fit.
| Garment | S | M | L | XL | 2XL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TeeBella + Canvas 3001 | Width | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 |
| Length | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | |
| CrewneckGildan 18000 | Width | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
| Length | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | |
| HoodieGildan 18500 | Width | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 28 |
| Length | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
Colors: black, navy, dark heather and white. 2XL is $2 more.
Shipping and timing
- Printed when you order. Each piece is made for you, which takes 2 to 5 business days.
- Shipped free in the US. Delivery takes another 3 to 5 business days.
- Order by November 16 to have it before Thanksgiving.
Care: machine wash cold, inside out, and tumble dry low or hang dry. Do not iron the print. Mugs are dishwasher and microwave safe; travel mugs and tumblers are hand wash.
Related reading
Thanksgiving drop questions
When do I need to order to get it by Thanksgiving?
Order by November 16 for delivery in the US before Thanksgiving on November 26. Every piece is printed when you order, which takes 2 to 5 business days, and US shipping takes another 3 to 5.
What is a good Thanksgiving gift for a car guy or the family mechanic?
Something about the job they get handed every holiday. The After Dinner shirt says it for them, Grandma’s Gravy 5W-30 works as an apron for whoever is cooking, and Thankful for No Codes is for anyone who has watched a check engine light come on. Mugs start at $20 and coasters at $10, so there is something for a stocking-stuffer budget too.
Is shipping free?
Yes. Shipping is free on every order to the US.
What sizes do the shirts come in?
Tees, crewnecks and hoodies come in S to 2XL in black, navy, dark heather and white. 2XL is $2 more. The fit is unisex.
How are they printed?
Shirts are printed directly onto the garment with a worn, cracked finish built into the artwork, so it looks broken in from day one. Mugs, travel mugs, tumblers, aprons and coasters are printed edge to edge by the same print shop.
Are these good Thanksgiving gifts for a host or a cook?
Yes. The Grandma’s Gravy apron is made for whoever is cooking, and coasters, mugs and the travel mug work as host gifts that are not another candle. All of it ships free in the US.
Can I get it in time for a Friendsgiving or an early dinner?
Allow 5 to 10 business days from ordering to delivery in the US. For a gathering earlier in November, order at least two weeks ahead.
What does the travel mug hold?
The travel mug holds 40 oz, has a handle, a screw-on lid and a straw, and fits most car cup holders. The 20 oz tumbler is double-wall insulated with a straw lid. Both are hand wash.
What does the shirt’s worn print mean? Is it a defect?
No. The cracked, broken-in look is part of the artwork, the same finish as the rest of the AXLY range. The print itself is new and solid.
What is AXLY?
AXLY is an iPhone app that reads your car’s check engine codes through a Bluetooth OBD2 adapter and explains them in plain English, with an AI mechanic you can ask follow-up questions. The shop is merch for the people who use it.