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Small town a women took her car to garage she knew there was a problem asked the men there can you have a look put car on tester their reply your a women you know nothing wrong . So she left took it to another small town they did what they where suppose to do problem she was told she needed a new part but could still run the car but not long distances cause the car could catch fire .Now what are your thoughts .  
 
Edited by rubyred, 2019-08-11 10:33:25

you mean other side pretty straight forward I think.

Women get mansplained and told crap all the time. I actually had one garage tell me I needed parts replaced on my car that I had literally replaced that very morning. I just didn't feel like doing an oil change myself that day.  
Obviously, they were looking for a cash grab and had no intention of replacing brand new parts.  
As far as and big repair or major engine work goes, I have a small town garage I completely trust. They are prompt, reliable, affordable and guarentee their work. And yes, I live in Brandon.  
 
But for the record I agree with your feelings about the first garage. People know when they are being blown off or treated poorly. It is not your imagination or you overreacting.  
At least now you know what garage to take your vehicles to and what garage to recommend or not recommend.

It probably does happen more with women for various poor reasons but some garages will try to screw over anyone new no matter what their sex. When you have a vehicle, off warranty, you really need to have someone you go to that you trust.

JustASoul said: " When you have a vehicle, off warranty, you really need to have someone you go to that you trust. "  
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For many years I ran a full service auto repair center. From time to time I felt the need to tell a customer, or potential customer, that if they didn't trust me, or the people at my shop, they should be taking their car somewhere else for service and repairs. Why would anyone trust one of their most expensive possessions with someone they don't trust?  
 
Today's cars are very complex pieces of engineering that intertwine technology, engineering and design to work together as a unit. Most people don't understand how everything works and sometimes a diagnosis may not make a lot of sense to the vehicle owner / driver. So, a high level of trust is important when choosing someone to service or repair your vehicle.  
 
With vehicle repair, just as any other form of service provider, the consumer needs to be aware that there may be some people that are not competent or are willing to serve their own interests over yours.

Being a female, I know , because this happened when we were traveling in the US a few years ago. I was driving a VW still under warranty and stopped for gas. Was told I needed this and that and because I was traveling I had  
better get it attended to. As we were discussing all the things that needed doing, i noticed a VW dealership. Just got my gas and told him I would be back. Went to the dealership and told them, they informed me nothing was wrong with my car. When I got home I contacted the Head office of the gas company and lodged a complaint. They did not seem surprised, maybe I was not the only one. I did receive a bit of compensation of my gas purchase and a nice letter of apology.  
 
Edited by TripleTrouble, 2019-08-11 13:29:25

I have also had garages/repair places try to tell me that I needed some part that I didn't need. This happened not only with cars, but with other trades as well. Luckily, I knew enough and didn't fall for it. If you're reading or posting on this thread you have internet access. I would suggest to everyone who owns a vehicle and is not an automotive tech themselves to go on the net and find a forum dedicated to the brand/type of car you have. The members on these forums are not just car owners. Many of them are techs and are very knowledgeable and will answer any questions with good advice. If your car is displaying a trouble code, you can look up that code online. Either way, you can have a good idea of what is wrong with your car when you take it in for service to avoid being taken advantage of. Or if you're at all handy, you may even be able to fix it yourself. My main point is do some research and familiarize yourself with your car and it's potential problems. You could save yourself hundreds or even thousands of dollars.

Of crying about being treated a certain way because your a woman, learn to take care of your car... I’m a woman and this kind of whining drives me nuts.

They are just jerks .  
if the women is disabled , elderly then what is your great suggestion ?

All the first place did was put it on the tester to look for an error code, it isnt necessarily their fault nothing shows up. Unfortunately some mechanics have only been trained to read codes and not actually diagnose a problem the old fashioned way. I know all too well that some problems are intermittent and may not show up the first 3 times you do a test. 4th time it finally shows up. Been there done that. Also I have had mechanics pooh pooh my opinion of what my car needs, because i am a woman. I have had male mechanics say things to me they never would have said to a male customer, just because I am a woman and therefore in their view must be too stupid to know anything. That is generally a bad mistake for them to make. I do not have time to do my own repairs but some of them I certainly can do, and I am pretty good at diagnosing the problem. I will for sure know that there is a problem, and if I say it exists, then it exists. I also have a good idea if the vehicle does or does not need the part they are trying to sell to me.  
 
Anyway-what do I think of the situation in the OP? With the info given I would probably stick with the 2nd shop, not the first, but lack of information makes it hard for me to condemn the first shop.

did not put tester on at all

Well, maybe there is nothing wrong with the car, and maybe there is. Maybe the second garage saw an easy target because said woman admittedly knows nothing about her car. They could say it needs a $20 part or a $2000 part and the woman wouldn't know which was true. She would just be thankful the garage took the time to do SOMETHING, and never really know whether it was what was actually needed or not. Even someone who is elderly and disabled can have a basic understanding of their car.  
Although you want us to all say that the first garage is BAD and the second is GOOD. But we honestly can't say that. I agree that everyone should find a garage and mechanic that they trust. In this case, another opinion might be the best option.

The original post offers so little information and is so poorly worded that I don’t know how anyone is able to come to any conclusion about what happened let alone who’s at fault.

There is very little info. I have dealt with places who think because I am a woman, I know very little about cars and how they work and what needs to be done. I have also seen a shop take advantage of a older lady and scaring her into buying something she didn't need. I also know of a shop that must make a lot of money on selling cabin air filters to women by showing them a dirty filter during an oil change that isn't from their vehicle but just one they keep around just for that purpose.

You're just a woman, why should anyone listen to you?  
 

that's not the point  
Posted by rubyred, 8/11/2019 4:48:06 PM  
 
Pasquale said "Of crying about being treated a certain way because your a woman, learn to take care of your car... I’m a woman and this kind of whining drives me nuts. "  
They are just jerks .  
if the women is disabled , elderly then what is your great suggestion ? Take someone who knows about cars. !

To have to back up the "women getting upsold" story, because I am sure there have to be men that are getting screwed over too, but I have a story to add.  
 
I had a brand new Hyundai on lease. We live in BC now, so I went to my closest Hyundai dealer to keep up with the regular oil change (which in this case was the cheapest package - I had the larger one done the time before here in Brandon) I took it in, the guy called me back in an hour to tell me I needed over $800 in work. Now Hyundai has a national system so they can see I just had some of the work done he was trying to charge me for only 4000 km before. Got only the oil change and drove the car directly to an independent repair shop who looked it over and told me the things Hyundai was trying to upsell me were in no way necessary.  
 
I had hubby deal with them from then on - and surprisingly, the "exhaust system cleaning" that they deemed so urgent to do on a year old car never came up again.....  
 
Marketplace did a show on this and they probably should revisit so more people are aware.

Thoughts on what? The crappy service from the first place? The being told to run it minimally and what the outcome might be?  
Crappy service happens everywhere and not just to women.  
Women need to speak up and not allow others to make them look or feel stupid, that is our own doing when we allow it( male or female honestly).  
If the mechanic gives you advice on the vehicle take it.  
My thoughts are she needs to get the part, not run the vehicle as per his instructions, and fix the car.