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Do you think it is better to have a man (DH, FI, Dad, Brother, anyone) call the mechanic for you? I just called the Honda dealership (I had asked my husband to, but he rolled his eyes when I told him my reason), and they were so degrading. Now he is pissed. But I have always had a man call for me, and I believe it gets me better and less expensive service. And I don't have to deal with being called "honey" etc. What do you think?
Honestly it has never, ever been an issue for me. I never noticed them treating me any different from guys.
It depends.
If you show you know something about cars I think they will respect you more.
If you dont know much, then yes, in the car world I think women do get less respect and probably taken advantage of.
This is why I like to maintain a relationship with one car repair place because they know who you are, what you know and who your family/boyfried/husband etc are.
I know just enough about cars to know when I am getting rolled for basic stuff, but yea, I've had DH go in when I suspected something fishy. One time they told me my back axle was about to eat itself and it definitely was not. (And it didn't!) But never to my regular mechanic--I've worked with him for a decade and I trust him.
Honestly, I think dealerships are worse about this than private/non-dealership mechanics.
I find it super frustrating having car problems because I know so little about them. I feel like they can completely screw me over and I would have no idea. That being said I usually google (I know, reliable source) so I have some what of an idea of what is going on.
Well when somethings wrong with my car my first call is to my dad. No matter what the issue. I don't know why but I can't break the habit. The last time my engine light came on I called my dad and he replied, "you know you have a husband now right?". Regardless though I need him to tell me if I should call a mechanic or if its something simple he can fix. If its a major issue I will call the mechanic myself.
Actually because I am a woman and a single mom I get better/less costly service. Then again my mechanic is one in a million and treats me the way he would want is daughter treated. Love him! He so works with my budget limitations.
I found a car replace place I trust. It's a locally owned shop, they are honest and don't take advantage of anyone, man or woman. They will check out my car for free, and when it comes to repairs, they will tell me straight up if it's worth it or not and if it actually needs fixed.
On the flip-side, I will NOT go to the local Sears because they blantantly tried to rip me off. I went in for a quote on tires, I said I wanted decent tires that weren't super expensive, they tried to get me to buy the most expensive tires in the place. I walked out and went somewhere else. They wanted to charge me nearly $1000, I went elsewhere and it was about $500.
I worked in a dealer's service dept for 5 years and we never treated female customers any differently. Yes, some were more difficult to handle but it was never "here comes a woman lets get her". Some women left a mark tho, with the way they took care of their vehicles.
And since it was highline dealer a lot of females thought we were trying to take advantage of them and would make their husbands call. No lady, its the same price for him too.
I did get the opposite treatment, where people didn't think I knew what I was talking about because I'm a woman.
My brother taught me a lot about my car, so the mechanics would be stupid to try to pull one over one me. Our last oil change they put in the wrong filter. I double checked their work when my gas milage went down. I was so pissed! I went back, got a free oil and filter change and they changed another filter for free too (the correct one, I made sure!).
I think people take advantage any way they can. If my DH tried to have the computer fixed and they told him it needs a new motherboard when all it needs is a defrag, he would fall for it because he doesn't know anything about computers.
I always ask my husband or father to take care of car things for me. I'll kill spiders and open sauce jars and carry heavy things all day long, but I just don't know anything about cars, and I don't have the patience to be belittled by the mechanic because I look "too young to even have a drivers license". Its so much easier to give my DH the checkbook and let him do it.
I wish 'Freak Out and Cry' was an option, because I do THAT, THEN I call AAA, get towed, and am usually tread like a guy from that point on. I've never been screwed over, because I always say, "Well, before you do that, let me call my dad...".
I'm a "I'll fix my own damn car, within reason" girl. My best friend and her father own a shop and I usually take my car there. Back when I first started college and was super broke, he used to let me come in and do all the work while he helped out in exchange for just paying for parts. I got my transmission in my old Saturn fixed that way.
I think if you seem like you dont know much about cars etc then they are going to take advantage of that, but if you seem to know a little something they will respect you more. I usually have FI call for me if there is an issue. Weather or not its right thats just the way it is. I dont know jack about cars lol
i don't know much about cars so i'm honest when i call. i've never had a problem with a repair person trying to rip me off. i have to admit that i do have a way with sales people. my friends are always astonished at the service i get. a friend wanted to rent out a pizza restaurant for her son's bday. when she called to inquire, they initially said sorry but we can't and then she mentioned my name and then they offered to do the party with discounts. i'm also the girl who walks into a starbucks with a long line and by the time i get to the front of the line, my drink has already been made for me without me having to order and wait. the bf is not so good with sales people so i'm always the one doing the talking. i'm just nice to people and they are nice back.
I'm lucky because my brother is a mechanic, and my father is also in the automotive industry, so I've never really had to deal with problems with my car. Even now that I'm with FI, when something goes wrong with the car, I call my brother first, but then again, FI does too!
@zippylef: hah. My dad fixes cars like nobodies business- but he told me when I turned 16 that having a car was going to be like having a baby-
'If you can't fix it when someone goes wrong, don't have the car.' So he made me learn =/ Coincedentally I was also very careful not to get pregnant as a teenager =D
I have never had that issue, however, I do know a lot about cars, so a lot of times I can tell them what I think is wrong with it, so maybe I'm treated differently because I sound educated about the issue.
I've learned how to deal with mechanics over time just because I had to do it on my own. So, now I'm pretty savvy. For example, DH's car just got inspected and I suspected it likely needed a new battery or alternator because it was having trouble starting. When the shop called saying it was a new battery, I basically said, "oh thank goodness -- I knew it was either that or the alternator, and so glad to hear it was just the battery." I am pretty sure the lady on the other end was a little surprised, but I felt pretty proud of myself.
I use the same mechanic that my in-laws do, so if there's ever a question, I usually ask them to give me time to consider it. Then I call my FIL to ask. :)
For me, I usually talk to my dad first, he was a mechanic for the city of my hometown until a few years ago when he retired. I always call him first and ask for his advice. Then go from there
Well, my husband called the dealership, and it turns out they were giving me bad information, and wanting to charge me for more than what was neccessary. We need to find a more honest mechanic I guess.
@heathaah: I wouldn't give permit the degradation and continue to them my business w/ a man in my life as my proxy. I'd probably call him on it and ask to work with someone else. Or, if I wasn't feeling confrontational, I'd just go somewhere else.
This sucks. I haven't owned a car in 15 years. That's right. Not since I was a teenager. Now I'm in my 30's. Live in NYC, and I don't even know how to change oil or even change a flat tire. It's not needed where I live. However, I would love to believe that when I move to a place where I'd be driving all the time, I'd learn the basics...I doubt it though, I'm not that curious and I am lazy :)
I'll fully admit, I don't know a lot about cars. But then again, neither does DH. Sometimes I wonder if I am being taken advantage of but I feel like I ask enough questions that it is usually pretty obvious when something really is wrong versus someone trying to pull one over on me.
I always have my fiance or my father call to handle things with my car. Mainly because I know nothing about cars and they know a lot, so its easier for them to handle everything for me.
I let my FI figure out what's wrong THEN call the mechanic. :) That way, I know what's happening and they can't plow over me. That being said, I've only been a couple of times and was treated fine.
I am very, very lucky that my husband is a mechanic, so I don't have to deal with anyone. But yes, I have seen people take advantage of women, and it makes me sick. I would always get a second opinion, and would never get routine maintenance done at a dealer, if I didn't have a mechanic for a husband. Dealers always charge way more than a privately owned business. I would try to find a small shop that does good work, because those are the types that really need the business
Just FYI, anyone that is within reasonable distance to Baltimore, my husband does side work all the time and can work on anything, and not charge nearly what they do in a shop. And he will diagnose for free
You just have to demand respect. I typically tell them stories of mechanics in the past who have tried to screw me over and I called them on it. I'm too stubborn to rely on FI/my dad to call a repair shop. Also, I know more about cars than my dad. When I got my first car I worked hard to learn as much as I could so nobody could accuse me of being an incompetent driver/etc!
However, in the case where the mechanic screwed me over, I did bring FI for backup. But I did the talking.
On a tangent, NEVER! Take your car to Midas. I took my car there and paid $60 for them to r&r my power steering fluid. A few weeks later I was checking something on my car and the fluid looked like chocolate milk. I called them and asked about it, and they had the balls to say "oh, that's what it looks like when it's new." Um, no, no it doesn't. You better believe I tore them a new one when I got in there. It's one thing to just not do it and say you did, it's taking it to a new level when I call you on it and you lie to me again.
Honestly, I know a lot more about cars than my fiance. My dad made sure all of his daughters knew a thing or two about cars as soon as we got our learnersing permit, and I have worked in the automotive industry. FI and I share a car, I do most of the driving and most of the upkeep. When I have to take the car in for work, I know what is wrong and am very specific with the mechanic. However, I have been in situations where they have treated me differently because I was a woman...until they realized I knew what I was talking about.
I go to the dealership and have a great relationship with my service manager, but he also knows that if I don't understand something he quotes me, I will call my husband before I OK it. So far my husband has not said "no" to anything that has been suggested, so I am assuming my guy takes pretty good care of me.
Actually, he's done a few things that were not covered my warranty and not charged me for it. And not just little things; I know one part was at least $1500.
@bree72: my husband works at a dealership, and they "courtesy warranty" things ALL THE TIME!!! Its nice for the customer, but it sucks for the person working on your car, because they only get paid half the amount they should for the exact same work. It drives him nuts. I mean, if something is JUST out of warranty, I understand, but they will warranty things that are 30k over the warranty expiration, or over a year out, which sucks for the guys working on your car
never been a problem for me.
I went around to different shops in my area for oil changes or would show up for tire changes. If the guy behind the desk is a tool about a small job like an oil change, like trying to get me to add all the extras, i write the whole shop off.
It really is all about finding an honest mechanic. I have one that I've always gone to and his prices may be slightly higher than others, but I know he's not messing with me and telling me I need things that I don't. He has flat out told me that there are some things that could be done to my car, but no need to rush it and if it were him he'd wait on it. It really is invaluable to find a trustworthy mechanic.
I've never had to deal with that because I tell them right away what is wrong with the car so they don't have to tell me. I've been around older used cars all my life so I know what's wrong 92% of the time. I have seen this 1st hand happen to a friend of mine... She took her car in for a rattle and got 9 other things fixed with it... They talked to her like she was 5! =(
Yeah, I voted the second choice but only because I can't negotiate. I don't feel degraded when I call them. They are usually quite nice. The DH does get handed the phone if I think the price is too high and I don't want to haggle the price down. DH is better at that stuff than me. Same with buying the car. As for the research part, I research the hell out of everything, so I usually know more info than the DH does.
i manage the company fleet of over 50 vehicles here and ive never been spoken down to by a dealer/salesman/repairer/mechanic even though i know next to nothing about cars and engines
the mechanic for my own car is a wonderful guy ive been going to for years and he always takes extra time to explain things to me and explain costings to me
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