Getting repairs or maintenance done on your car is always a challenge but if you are a female it seems to be assumed that all we know how to do is get into it and drive. I went in today for a routine oil change and indicated when I called that with 53,000 I probably needed a few other things. Well two hours later I left their with almost $400.00 in repairs and maintenance. Which I needed but why is it assumed that women haven't a clue about cars?
I was raised with a father that changed cars as often as his mind, clothes etc. I think we had every make, model that was available between 1960-1980. His car of choice was a Cadillac of any style but we had lots of others. He was a cash and carry sort of man and always wheeled and dealed. So with all this said, when I bought my first car (from him for $800.00) and don't laugh it was a 1964 Cadillac 4-door, that everyone I knew liked to call "The Big Boat" but hey it got me from point A to point B. I had to know how to check all the fluids and battery (when you had to put water in them, tires and all the other fun stuff that a girl of 18 wants to do). But it did educate me a great deal later in cars and how they run. For this reason when David and I go to purchase a car for me he usually tells the salesman "don't talk to me talk to her she is the one that will be driving it".
Of course today you can't just open the hood and know where the alternator or even the dipstick is because everything is hermetically sealed so you have to take it to a mechanic.
Another story of love and autos is when I was dating David I had driven to his apartment to see him and as I left to turn the corner away from his place my 1964 Caddie lurched to the left and sounded like I was dragging my muffler. I managed to make it back to his place and he graciously crawled underneath to take a look (he knows his way around a wrench and repairs on the old cars) well my stabilizer bar had completed broke in half. We called a local repair shop and they suggested we go to the junkyard to find one. There just happened to be a very large junkyard nearby so off we trekked. Row after row of cars and of course the last row we came to had several old caddies. Well after about 4 hours passing wrenches, scraping knuckles and swearing we had our replacement bar.
The job of getting the old one off was even more of a challenge but my guy managed to get the job done. Many of my friends said that was love, that he got in, got dirty and repaired my car for me at the drop of a wrench. Actually that has been one of our things to do together since we have been married and I still go out and attempt to supervise when our son and David get together for a little "repair work" on our truck.
So the moral to this story is don't assume all women have no clue about cars.I am not as "girly" as you think.
No comments:
Post a Comment