Read About Women Mechanics
We all know that women make better drivers; that’s why women’s car insurance is so cheap. But did you ever wonder if a woman might make a better car mechanic? Men of course wouldn’t mind a woman working on their car under a car lift looking under their hood.
Well, chances are, no, you didn’t. For the majority of women, a career in car repair is about as appealing a prospect as one in plumbing, refuses collection, or in the auto lift industry. It took a Frenchman named Herve Malige to do the wondering for us, and, following that, to recruit some women and find out.
His unique project runs at the Base 34 training centre, near Montpellier. This year’s intake of 15 women, all aged between 22 and 38, includes former air hostesses, beauticians and a nurse. They expect to graduate in June 2007 and hopefully found their own repair business together.
That too would be unique; there are currently no garages in Europe run by an exclusively female staff. The nearest all- female car repair business to Mr. Malige is in Montreal, Canada, and he wouldn’t be able to get a service there: the mechanics insist that all their customers be women as well.
Herve explained why ladies are better under the bonnet, saying, “What is needed today [in mechanics] is rigor and methodical diagnostics. Women are strong at identifying the causes of breakdowns - they methodically check everything.”
Finding the bonnet release
Herve’s work demonstrates that women have the potential to outdo men in the field of car repairs in just the same way as we do on the roads.
But woefully few of us are living up to that potential.
In fact, one in ten female drivers in the UK admitted she couldn’t even find the bonnet release in her car, let alone check the oil or change a tyre. It’s no wonder that women drivers’ failure to carry out basic checks has lead to almost a million breakdowns, according to motor insurance provider InsureandGo.
The problem isn’t our ability - it’s perhaps because most women just aren’t interested in what goes on beyond the steering wheels and pedals. The vast majority of us leave repairs and maintenance up to someone else, even if it means a trip to the garage or a call to the breakdown firm.
But consider that we spend 4 billion every year in the UK on unsatisfactory repair work - that’s based on an average £125 of your money wasted every time a job is botched, done unnecessarily or overcharged for - and all of a sudden there’s a good reason for getting a bit better informed!
All too often, women leave car repairs to the men in their lives, when, as we’ve proved, they’re capable of doing a much better job by themselves. And when dad, brother or boyfriend isn’t around, we all too readily fork out expensive call-out fees for a breakdown mechanic; generally to do a job the average woman could do with her eyes closed if she just took a little interest in her car.
For the seven million female motorists who say they know nothing whatsoever about car maintenance, femalefirst.co.uk recommends your first port of call should be an often overlooked source of info - the car’s manual. This tell you all sorts of dull but vital information about tire pressures, fuses, fuel capacity, etc - stuff that’ll get a whole lot more interesting as soon as you break down!
Most manuals have a log section at the back where you can make a note of fuel consumption and mileage, and when certain engine parts are due for replacement. Keeping this up to date takes care of the majority of preventable breakdowns; it also ensures you won’t get caught short with the petrol dial in the red again.
Need an oil change, fan belt, windscreen wiper blade, etc? Sounds like a nightmare, but chances are replacing everyday consumables like these are a piece of cake. If you’re feeling brave, get hold of the Haynes manual for your car (http://www.haynes.com), which explains how to do it all through straightforward language and easy-to-follow diagrams. After all - men can manage it…
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