Auto Repair: Have You Ever Had a Female Mechanic/Technician or Service Advisor/Service Manager? How Would You Feel if You Did?

[SW15]

I wrote this post in another thread earlier today about females in the working world.

They aren't designed for corporate white collar work or blue collar manual labor. They also typically manage to avoid blue collar manual labor.

One blue collar/manual labor line of work is auto repair. Since I like automotive topics, I thought discussing this would be worthwhile. While I like automotive stuff, I don't fix my own car. The majority of people do not fix their own cars and rely on some sort of auto repair facility. I can diagnose when things are wrong. For instance, I once saw smoke coming from my engine after parking my car. My car was in the process of overheating but I hadn't noticed on that drive because I wasn't looking closely at the temperature gauge that morning on the drive to work. I opened the hood and saw the radiator was cracked. That turned out to be solely a radiator and hose replacement issue. There was no further damage to the engine.

Mechanic/technician work is definitely blue collar whereas the Service Manager/Service Advisor role at your repair facility may or may not look very blue collar.

There are not many female mechanics or female service advisors, regardless of whether you get your car repaired/maintained at a dealership or non-dealership facility. Over the years I've owned cars, I've been to both dealerships and non-dealership facilities.

I've never seen a female mechanic around any auto repair facility I've been to over the years. I had a female service advisor once at a dealership a long time ago and she was a burly woman who was likely a lesbian. One time, she recommended a repair that was semi-costly to a guy in his early/mid 20s and I was unsure about it. I got a second opinion elsewhere that was even more expensive than what she mentioned so a few weeks later, I had that repair done at the dealership. Part of the reason I questioned that repair so much was cost and the other part was her biological sex. I was also less knowledgeable about cars at that point in my life.

I currently use an independent facility where I've been going for many years. The Service Manager is a male and I have met one of the mechanics who has worked on my car a number of times over the years. He is also a man. I am more comfortable with interacting with male staff in an auto repair context and I prefer having a male mechanic. Most of the time at an auto repair facility, the customer only interacts with a service advisor or service manager so I'd never know if I had a female working on my car, unless a female name appeared on the paperwork/records associated with the repair incident.

What are your thoughts on this?

 

[BillyPilgrim]

A good female mechanic is probably going to be a bit butch/unattractive and may have a grudge against men. If she seems cool and knowledgeable and has been mentioned in good online reviews, I'd give her a shot on a lower-tier issue.

 

[SW15]

In a lot of facilities, the customer won't know if the mechanic is male or female. There are certain occasions where a mechanic will meet a customer.

Most places have some sort of service advisor that interacts with the customer and those are usually men too. It's great to have a service advisor who knows the ins and outs of auto repair. That affects the customer experience with any facility. People are more likely to experience a female service advisor than a female mechanic. Some of this depends on where you go for repair.

I think it would be difficult for a female mechanic to be believable as a mechanic. I also think female service advisors would get more easily dismissed, especially by male customers. I think some female car owners would feel more comfortable with a female service advisor.

I would say that my knowledge base of cars and auto repair wasn't solid until my mid-20s, so in my early years of driving and car ownership, I could have been a target for being taken advantage of by repair facilities. My father was mainly absent so I didn't have someone knowledgeable about cars in my home. My uncle (mom's brother) is knowledgeable but has never lived near where I have lived. Of family members, he has been the most knowledgeable and I discussed repair/maintenance.

In a previous apartment complex before moving to my current city, I met a fellow resident and auto mechanic at my complex's pool. That was already my mid to late 20s and my knowledge base was in a good place then. It got to an even better place as a result of that friendship.

To some degree, women car owners have challenges in repair scenarios. I have some empathy there. However, in the last 20 years, high speed internet access has increased dramatically. Women can do Google and YouTube searches prior to auto repair interactions and get knowledge enough to the point where they won't be targets for sleazy facilities to take advantage of them. They'll know what questions to ask to and what to say to demonstrate enough knowledge.

 

[EyeBRollin]

Never thought about it. I’ve never seen a female auto mechanic at any of the places I’ve been to.

 

[SW15]

I’ve never seen a female auto mechanic at any of the places I’ve been to.

As I said in the first post, neither have I. I've never even seen one at a place like Discount Tire. Discount Tire has a very limited range of services they offer.

 

[zekko]

Come to think of it, I don't recall seeing a female mechanic in real life either. Seems odd, considering it's almost a trope on TV or in the movies for there to be female mechanics. I suppose it might be difficult for them since busting loose bolts or the like can require a certain amount of strength.

 

[SW15]

I don't recall seeing a female mechanic in real life either. Seems odd, considering it's almost a trope on TV or in the movies for there to be female mechanics. I suppose it might be difficult for them since busting loose bolts or the like can require a certain amount of strength.

All Girls Garage on Motor Trend Network was based on Sarah 'Bogi' Lateiner having her own facility.

 

[zekko]

All Girls Garage on Motor Trend Network was based on Sarah 'Bogi' Lateiner having her own facility.

That would suggest it's such an oddity that they'll give you a TV show.

 

[2Rocky]

I taught my girls the basics of mechanical work when they were young because their small nimble hands can reach where my mitts don't fit.... More than likely a female owned repair shop would be a successful business, especially if female customers are intimidated by maintenance and repair.

Nearly every Mechanic shop I've been to has at least female office staff because they recognize the value of being able to relate to each other. Most savvy women will see that wrenching on vehicles is not a long term sustainable career, and opt for a higher paying role, in many cases as the shop owner. I can think of 3 Auto related businesses within a block with Female Leadership.

If my girl with her 4.0 GPA sports skills, public speaking skills, and award winning shop skills decides she wants to go to trade school to rebuild engines for a living then I will support her. She could do equally as well selling shop machinery and I suspect see that as a career path. When a 6 ft blonde in heels and a pencil skirt shows you how to use a MIG Welder you better pay attention.

 

[Young OG]

I wouldn’t take my car to a shop if a woman was working on my car. I don’t trust them working on it. She might decide to not tighten a bolt because she “feels” it’s already tight enough

 

[BillyPilgrim]

I wouldn’t take my car to a shop if a woman was working on my car. I don’t trust them working on it. She might decide to not tighten a bolt because she “feels” it’s already tight enough

And if she's not prone to "feels", she's a bulld1ke and hates men lol

 

[redskinsfan92]

I don't trust any mechanics and check their shoddy work. You will be surprised how many of their lazy as**s don't put bolts back on your splash gaurds and such. I prefer doing repairs myself when I have time so I can ensure it is done correctly.
I have to take my truck in next week for a transmission recall and I am absolutely dreading it. I will be climbing under the truck in front of them.

I can't recall seeing a female mechanic. I have noticed the cashier is slways female. Service advisors seem to be 40% female. Sometimes the manager over service advisors is female, but she isn't the supervisor of the mechanics.

 

[MatureDJ]

I go to a place that has the owner's wife that does the "service advising". I used to go to a place that the owner's hot 15 year-old daughter do the advising (it's too far away now ). Of course, all "advising" is what do you want (if standard maintenance) or what is the problem.

 

[logicallefty]

When I see a woman in an auto repair shop doing anything other than making sammiches for the men I wonder to myself “I wonder how many c0cks here she had to suck to get her job”. There is a chick “service manager” at the dealership I take my truck to. She is pretty friendly but she gets on my nerves for a couple of reasons. One is the fact that she thinks it’s appropriate to wear yoga pants to work. I know you have a camel toe honey but not everyone cares to see it. I also really hate how she calls the mechanics “my guys”. You could ask her “If I pour fish oil on my gas tank Will my truck still run?”. She would say “ Let me get one of my guys in here to talk to you about that”. Then there are women IT managers. Don’t even get me started! I am really sick and tired of seeing women in positions they have no business in.

 

[SW15]

I wonder to myself “I wonder how many c0cks here she had to suck to get her job”.

I think it is a privilege to have the option to be able to exchange sexual favors for employment. Few heterosexual men ever get that option.

There is a chick “service manager” at the dealership I take my truck to. She is pretty friendly but she gets on my nerves

I think female service managers and service advisors are more of a dealership thing than a non-dealership thing. I use a non-dealership, non-chain type auto shop for my car's repair and maintenance. No women there. I don't think women are as common in the indepedent, non-dealerships or in the chain type places like Firestone, Midas, etc.

she thinks it’s appropriate to wear yoga pants to work. I know you have a camel toe honey but not everyone cares to see it.

A lot of women that don't even do yoga wear those. They are useful in regular exercise too. Some women want to show off their vaginas. It's more appropriate to wear those at the gym or in leisure time than at a workplace. This is a good point.

I also really hate how she calls the mechanics “my guys”. You could ask her “If I pour fish oil on my gas tank Will my truck still run?”. She would say “ Let me get one of my guys in here to talk to you about that”.

That's annoying.

I am really sick and tired of seeing women in positions they have no business in.

In a lot of fields, it's considered 'preferable' to hire women. This goes beyond auto repair or IT.

Not only do women get preference on hiring, they also get preference during layoff cycles. A lot of companies dislike laying off females. If you're a minority female, you get two layers of protection on layoffs in white collar work.

 

[logicallefty]

A lot of women that don't even do yoga wear those. They are useful in regular exercise too. Some women want to show off their vaginas. It's more appropriate to wear those at the gym or in leisure time than at a workplace. This is a good point.

Yep they are made for exercising and thats fine. But when they walk around anywhere in public and I can tell if their vag is a landing strip \|/ or an Arby's roast beef \{}/ I have a problem with that. It doesn't do anything sexual for me but for a lot of these guys who can't get their noodles wet, especially younger ones, seeing that creates a lot of frustration. The women do it on purpose and they know this.

In a lot of fields, it's considered 'preferable' to hire women. This goes beyond auto repair or IT.

Not only do women get preference on hiring, they also get preference during layoff cycles. A lot of companies dislike laying off females. If you're a minority female, you get two layers of protection on layoffs in white collar work.

Yeah some fields it is and it blows my mind. In IT you will have women managers over things they have zero clue about. It would be as bad a me managing an operating room full of brain surgeons when I have zero training or background in brain surgery. I mean zero. In car repair shops i agree that you mainly see women "service managers" at dealerships but not little mom and pop shops typically. Now in my other career field besides IT, law enforcement, you don't see it as much. Only a little bit.

 

[Kotaix]

I wouldn't be very trustful of women who are working in that field unless they have a certification of some kind. But it's not like that means anything given the low intelligence, ability and integrity of your average male mechanic.

I'd expect very few women to be mechanics. I find it frustrating as hell trying to get engine oil filters off when they've been overly tightened, or busting my knuckles when a wrench slips off a nut.

On a related note, Home Depot used to be crewed almost exclusively by men who had tons of experience doing home improvement, and I felt ok asking them for advice. Nowadays it's full of 20-some women who have no idea where things are, and that's on the off-chance that they actually know what you're asking about.

 

[Bokanovsky]

I wouldn't be very trustful of women who are working in that field unless they have a certification of some kind. But it's not like that means anything given the low intelligence, ability and integrity of your average male mechanic.

I'd expect very few women to be mechanics. I find it frustrating as hell trying to get engine oil filters off when they've been overly tightened, or busting my knuckles when a wrench slips off a nut.

On a related note, Home Depot used to be crewed almost exclusively by men who had tons of experience doing home improvement, and I felt ok asking them for advice. Nowadays it's full of 20-some women who have no idea where things are, and that's on the off-chance that they actually know what you're asking about.

It's kind of like taking a guy who used to be a truck driver or an oil rig operator and putting him in charge of a ladies clothing boutique.

 

[Atom Smasher]

I wouldn't be very trustful of women who are working in that field unless they have a certification of some kind. But it's not like that means anything given the low intelligence, ability and integrity of your average male mechanic.

I'd expect very few women to be mechanics. I find it frustrating as hell trying to get engine oil filters off when they've been overly tightened, or busting my knuckles when a wrench slips off a nut.

On a related note, Home Depot used to be crewed almost exclusively by men who had tons of experience doing home improvement, and I felt ok asking them for advice. Nowadays it's full of 20-some women who have no idea where things are, and that's on the off-chance that they actually know what you're asking about.

I agree 100% about Home Depot. 20 years ago I would go in there and virtually any man I asked would know exactly what I needed for any given project, and would often offer tips or better ideas.
Now, not only are the women worthless, but a good percentage of the men seem to have never lifted a hammer OT screwdriver in their lives.
The other day I needed a small length of rope and the kid couldn’t cut it with the shears because he was squeezing them from the blade end where there’s no leverage. I started to tell him and he said back with attitude “It doesn’t matter”. He was one of those nasty, whiney gay types. I said “Oh yes it does matter. I’m going to teach you something”, I took the shears and cut the rope like butter. He went sulking away.
It’s just as bad in traditional hardware stores with women. I asked for a multi-outlet, and the female stopped her texting and said “Oh we don’t carry that”.
Another one brought me back a bunch of metric screws when I asked for imperial measurements.
I’m reminded of Hank Hill in the Mega-Lo Mart asking for a hammer.

 

[The Duke]

I started working at a large dealership changing oil as a highschool kid. Also Worked as a mechanic as well as service advisor. We had one female who was a service advisor who was also(you guessed it).... a butch lesbian. Most service advisors have little automotive knowledge. I've never ever seen a female mechanic and I have been in tons of automotive repair facilities.

I also hold a degree in mechanical engineering. Very few women are in that field as well. Most that graduated flirted with the professors so they would pass. And when they move on to corporate engineering jobs they never design anything impressive.

Women just don't have the technical mindset to be good in these positions. I will give them a chance but I know most aren't any good.

Women should stick to healthcare where they have some natural talents and are successful.