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Forums Forums Magic, Witchcraft and Healing misogyny in the mechanic world.

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    ajsls6
    Member

    I work as a car tech at a dealership, I’ve worked in other shops over the years so this isn’t new to me.

    I just had to break it to a single mother that the shop she last went to lied about the work they did and ripped her off, it was the brakes in fact, a critical safety system that she needed done in a hurry for her daughter.

    They sat her in their waiting room and fed her a story about ordering parts and delays while they apparently improvised a repair while pocketing the cash.

    It’s infuriating, and it sucked to watch her face as she recognized what had happened, I have to imagine this isn’t a unique experience for her or many women.

    Sure it can and does happen to men as well, but the open targeting of vulnerable people is disgusting.

  • misogyny in the mechanic world.

  • VividFiddlesticks

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    I caught a shop trying to rip me off when I was in my 20’s. Brought my car in for brakes and they tried to tell me my entire suspension system was shot. But when I asked them to put it up on the lift and show me the damage all of a sudden they had ‘mixed up the paperwork’ and my car was actually fine.

    Yah. Uh-huh. I had my brakes done elsewhere.

  • Lost-Speech6674

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    This is why I usually go to a dealership to get my car fixed.

    Yeah it’s more expensive, but in my experience the dealership I go to is way less scuzzy than a private rando mechanic shop. I can afford it anyway.

    If I went to a random ass mechanic though I’d probably have my dad on speaker phone the entire fucking time lmao. I’m a machinist at a large engine plant yeah, but I have no idea how my fucking engine works lol

    Actually my sister did pretty much exactly that when she got a new car. She went in and told the salesman that her father has over 40 years experience in the automotive industry, and everything they say to her will be repeated to him, lol

  • Different_Damage_122

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    Oh! There’s a website/YouTube/ Social Media thing called You Auto Know that goes over and explains a TON of car stuff so, that way, it’s harder to be taken advantage of

  • Tinyberzerker

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    I hate that this is still happening. It gives all of us a bad rap. I love inviting customers out to the shop to show them what’s wrong. I tell them if it’s something that can wait or if it’s an immediate safety issue. By building that trust they will keep coming back and tell their friends. For me that’s a win for everyone long term.

  • thehousewifebazaar

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    My car needed 4 new tyres for rego, until my husband called to check what was wrong with the 4 almost new tyres already on it. 😒

  • Ishmael75

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    We’ve used the same mechanic for years but over the last year or 2 they’ve had some turnover. Not a big deal, right? Well it turns out the new front desk guy would keep pushing my wife off when she would try to schedule an appointment but would immediately “fit me in” if I (the husband) called.

    It’s infuriating and it really bothers my wife. I’m waiting for it to happen again so I can go to the owner. Just all around frustrating and stupid waste of our time.

  • scoopedtfout

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    I had a place completely botch an oil change (they took out the whole spout thing instead of unscrewing the cap) and then they held on to my car for three more hours before just jamming the part back in crooked and sending me on my way. Then tried to feed me a line about how I needed a new cap and they don’t make that kind anymore. Their mistake became my fault until I brought in a roommate of the male persuasion.

  • AdEmbarrassed9719

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    I have taken my cars to the same tiny mom & pop shop for inspections since I was a teenager. I knew the original owner, as did my dad, and the guy who took it over when that owner passed also knows me and my dad. They are great!

    Once I needed an inspection done and decided to take it to a place very close to my workplace instead. They told me it needed a whole host of repairs, that they estimated would be at least $500, including $50 to replace the wiper blades, before it could pass inspection. I told them I could replace the wiper blades myself thank you and that I was not having them do any repairs on my vehicle.

    I took it to the original place the next morning and it passed no problem.

    My dad is a mechanic, but he’s getting older and not able to do as many repairs himself. I have been trying to learn to do what I can. And I’ve resigned myself to taking him with me if I have to get car stuff done anywhere I’m not already known.

  • blackday44

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    It took me, a woman, years to find a mechanic that treated me like a human. Then he found a better job and moved away. Fortunately my current vehicle is in pretty good shape, compared to the beaters I used to have.

  • TheFilthyDIL

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    NTB tried to rip me off over tires. We had bought one of those front end alignment packages, X for the price of Y. We had just bought 4 new tires for the car and took it in for its last alignment of the package. When I came back to pick it up the guy told me that all my tires were dry-rotted and had to be replaced immediately. He wasn’t going to release it to me until I agreed to buy 4 new tires.

    This was the first test of my RBF. I gave him The Look and said “Those are brand-new tires. You *will* give me my car, because you really don’t want me to call the cops and have you charged with felony auto theft.” He ungraciously handed me my keys.

  • SevDexil

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    A dealership also tried to do this to me. My husband called and confirmed a full diagnostic would cost $85 for some issues I was having. He dropped off the car and I went to pick it up. Upon getting there the service writer told me the real charge was $340 because it was “$85/hr”. I told him that’s not what my husband said but he told me I either pay the money or I don’t get the keys back. So I paid the money and immediately called my husband to tell him that he was wrong and that I wished we had just diagnosed it ourselves because it was so expensive and now we had to pay a bunch more to fix it. Well he called the dealer up right away and they immediately refunded the money and had the manager call me to personally apologize. Don’t even get me started on car buying experiences either..

  • eva-geo

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    Ladies if you are having repeat issues on the same system it is time to seek a second opinion with a new mechanic. Personally I have 3 mechanics in rotation one I trust above all others. This mechanic was referred to me by my late grandfather who used them for years until his death they have never steered me wrong or suggested additional work that was not needed. Any mechanics that my father suggests usually screw me over so I don’t use them if my dad complains about them then I know their good. (My dad can’t stand to be told he created a bigger problem than what it was to begin with his specialty is half assed work that you need to call in a professional to fix and will cost you double what it would have been initially to just fix his “fix”.)

  • MagentaIsNotAColor26

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    This infuriates me so much. I would want to get my car checked out after a fender bender to see if there’s any damage to the frame. I know if I take it in by myself, I could get exactly this kind of scam, but if a guy took it in instead they’d take the question seriously

  • AJSLS6

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    We’ve sent her on her way, she has a shiny new caliper and her/her daughters car is safe to drive again. The other shop fixed a noise that was keeping the daughter from passing her driving test, when it got to me the brake fluid has almost run out because the caliper they *didnt* replace had started leaking badly. Of course they made it clear there was no warranty for the part or work when they sent her on her way.

    I showed her the issue, worked out the deception, showed her the repair and the old part before it got sent back as a core.

    It’s really not hard at all to not treat people like she was treated, I don’t know how much more money they got by doing this but it’s not enough for my conscience.

  • whycantijustlogin

    Guest
    October 6, 2022 at 5:42 pm

    Bought a used car fairly recently so had the oil changed , car inspected, tires rotated, etc at a national chain because there was a good cash back offer on the card I used to pay for it about a month after I bought and had already done 2,000 miles on it.

    They told me that

    1. The last people who changed the oil didn’t put a filter in so I had been driving around without an oil filter.

    2. That my rear brakes were so bad that I was in mortal danger driving my car.

    3. My transmission had never been serviced, ever and I needed that done immediately too.

    Lol.

    Most cars (mine included) will squirter oil everywhere and the engine will seize if you very far without a filter.

    My rear brakes were “fine” – the squeelers weren’t even close to the rotors.

    I topped off the transmission fluid (which was a little dark and a little low) until I had time to flush it myself.

    Obviously I have never been back and would never go back.

    My girl runs like a champ 20,000 miles later. (Though I did replace the rear brakes about 10,000 miles in before a cross country toad trip).

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