"mtdrift" (mtdrift)
06/08/2015 at 15:01 • Filed to: women, auto repair, Washington Post, Patrice Banks, Girls Auto Clinic
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"mtdrift" (mtdrift)
06/08/2015 at 15:01 • Filed to: women, auto repair, Washington Post, Patrice Banks, Girls Auto Clinic | 7
| 24 |
Earlier last week the
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
by Patrice Banks, an engineer who was fed up with getting the runaround by meathead oil-change places and mechanics, so she went back to school herself to become a technician.
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
, and has been teaching women in the Philadelphia area how to live with and work on their cars.
One statistic in the article that caught my attention was that fewer than
2%
of automotive techs in the US are women. I have been seeing more and more women employed in auto parts stores and the quick-oil-change joints lately, but I rarely ever see them at full-fledged repair shops. I can’t think of even one in my town.
I think, given the opportunity, I’d jump at the chance to bring my car to a woman tech for repairs and maintenance.
So, we know sexism in widely rampant in car culture. How about it? Do the Lady Jalops still feel as frustrated as Patrice by the treatment they get at repair shops and dealership? Is there an untapped market for women-run repair shops?
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For Sweden
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:04 |
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I do know there is an untapped market for dealer and independent repair shops that aren’t completely dishonest and terrible.
505Turbeaux
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:04 |
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one of the ABSOLUTE BEST garages I know of is owned and operated by 2 almost elderly sisters back home. Seems like the only honest and fair - not to mention competent places around there. Also some of the cheapest gas around too
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:12 |
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My mom’s cousin is married to a lady who owns a transmission shop, and one of the sweetest (and at her age, frailest) older ladies in our church was a mechanic since decades ago. Has yet to be that common, but women as techs has at the least been a thing for a long time.
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mtdrift
> RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
06/08/2015 at 15:16 |
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No doubt - a friend of mine in Portland, OR brings his rides to a woman tech all the time. I was just surprised that the percentages were so low. I bet there was a whole generation of really well-trained female mechanics that came out of the Second World War era. I also bet most of them went back to the home when the war was over.
JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:28 |
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The Local Joint
... I Think there used to be a female tech at the local Ford Dealership, but I don’t know if she still works there, and local Jiffy Lube is staffed about 50-50... but yeah, I kinda don’t doubt the 2% statistic. :/
yamahog
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:30 |
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Do the Lady Jalops still feel as frustrated as Patrice by the treatment they get at repair shops and dealership?
Heh, how much time do you have? Go by yourself and everyone will assume you’re an idiot to be swindled or talked down to (yes I know what my air filter looks like, but I asked you to change the oil; no I don’t want a V6 convertible, I called to test drive a manual V8 coupe). Go with a male partner and they’ll ignore the actual customer to address him instead. He doesn’t even have interest in learning to ride, Ducati dealer, and I’m the one with stellar credit ogling the Panigale.
Never brought a girlfriend with me to a shop or dealership so I can’t speak to that experience, but I can’t assume it’s much better, probably just send you directly to the Subaru inventory because hurr durr.
I did have a very good experience with my Chevy dealership, and by very good I mean I was treated like a human trying to test drive then order a car. The bar is low.
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JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:37 |
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For example, Queen Elizabeth the 2nd.
Military Truck Driver and Army Mechanic
...
SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:39 |
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I’m curious if a garage that’s gonna bill itself as a men only shop would be seen as more sexist than a women only one.
Personally, I think both situations are just as much so as one another, but I can see how it’s useful to have a women only shop and I’m all for it.
Kudos to Patrice for fighting fire with fire
DrScientist
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:43 |
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cant tell from their site if she only holds clinics for other aspiring mechanics or if she also has a service shop somewhere.
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mtdrift
> JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
06/08/2015 at 15:44 |
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Hey, yeah, I’ve heard about them before. Seems like they’ve been around for a little while.
RallyWrench
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:48 |
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There’s a great shop up in SF that’s female founded and owned, called Luscious Garage . I would happily hire a female tech, but none has ever applied, and I’ve only ever met one, a kickass BMW Master tech. I honestly can’t recommend that anyone get into this industry, but it would be a hell of a lot better off with more women in it, because the boy’s club is bullshit.
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mtdrift
> DrScientist
06/08/2015 at 15:49 |
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From what I can tell, she focuses on education for women (she wrote a book, too) - so they know what they’re walking into at repair shops and dealerships, as well as teaching them basic maintenance.
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RallyWrench
> For Sweden
06/08/2015 at 15:50 |
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This is 100% true. I run a shop, and don’t know how many even stay in business in this day & age.
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For Sweden
> yamahog
06/08/2015 at 15:52 |
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I’m the one with stellar credit
I’d be suspicious of someone with good credit choosing to buy a motorcycle as well!
[ba dum tsh]
Xyl0c41n3
> JawzX2, Boost Addict. 1.6t, 2.7tt, 4.2t
06/08/2015 at 15:53 |
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Right? How freakin’ awesome is that? Whatever else you may say/think about the Queen she’s hella Jalop!
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mtdrift
> RallyWrench
06/08/2015 at 15:58 |
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Right? Diversity in any industry is good - hire the best regardless of who they are.
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mtdrift
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 15:59 |
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Corollary - post links to your local lady-owned repair shops!
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Xyl0c41n3
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 16:15 |
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Yes. I, for one, do. Pretty much anything car related is 10 times more frustrating as a woman. And though there are more women working in places like auto parts stores and whatnot, that doesn’t always mean progress is being made.
Take, for instance, the female clerk at O’Reilly’s a couple of weeks ago who asked me if I was really buying some Hot Wheels for myself. This was after I’d just had a 10 minute conversation with her male coworker (which he began with “are you looking for Christmas presents for someone?” —in May dude? Really?) wherein we discussed not only the toys, but our favorite cars, within earshot of her.
More female sales associates would be nice, too. When I went to buy my car, the salesman tried to dissuade me from getting the car I wanted because it didn’t have vanity mirrors. I kid you not. I had taken my dad with me (partly to be heard), and the dude kept referring his comments to my dad— things about specs of the car, directing his answers to questions I had asked, etc. Every time my dad would just look at him like “It’s her car. She’s paying for it, ask her.”
I have yet to find a repair shop with, or run by, women techs, though. :-/
TheOnelectronic
> yamahog
06/08/2015 at 18:32 |
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Make the short trek to Albuquerque, NM and I can set you up with a fantastic Ducati/Triumph dealer.
I liked the people there so much I still hang out with them on the weekends.
If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 21:27 |
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During the summer the shop at the local high school has been offering classes for women to learn how to do basic maintenance like oil and spark plug changes. It’s a nice thing, but they almost canceled it for good last year because there wasn’t enough interest.
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SnapUndersteer, Italian Spiderman
> yamahog
06/08/2015 at 21:51 |
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I don’t envy you for that shit.
I, for one, treat all of my friends as ignorant about cars unless they can prove otherwise to me....regardless of gender, color, or provenance.
I’m an automotive engineer by trade, it’s surprising how some of my colleagues aren’t so mechanically inclined in terms of maintenance/upkeep/etc
The Compromiser
> mtdrift
06/08/2015 at 23:22 |
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My mechanic is female I have been led to believe. Does a great job, but I never see her as the SO always takes the car to get serviced.
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mtdrift
> The Compromiser
06/09/2015 at 00:49 |
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This is very interesting. You should ask to meet her next time...
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The Compromiser
> mtdrift
06/09/2015 at 08:06 |
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I’ve met her. I just never see her when she is working. My So usually does the dropoff and pickups. She is a very nice woman and quite competent (easily more so than some other Mechanics (cough, cough: Male) I’ve met.). I have no worries.