I had a regular car maintenance done yesterday, and I really love the place where I take it. I am pretty sure it is a Brazilian family, and they LOVE Volkswagens (which I have). So the guy calls to tell me my car is ready, that everything looked great, the car looks brand new (it has 50,000 miles), and that there was no major work they recommended doing. I told him that this was great to hear (?!), to which he replied, "Yeah, especially because I have four other volkwagens here and the owners are not going to be happy to hear they have a lot of work to do." It was obviously my lucky day.
So then I take the bus to go pick up my car and it starts raining the second I step into the shop. The guy reiterates that my car looks great, explains one common repair they made that is not my fault at all, and gives me a sheet with the next recommended maintenance (a big one). THEN he says, "Your car really looks great. My Dad said...Well, you know, I don't want you to think we are racist or anything, but my Dad said that for a woman's car, yours looks great."
Thanks? I want to know what woman are known for doing to their cars? I mean, I take it in for oil changes, I have the alignment done, I put dry gas in it, I check the tire pressure.
Besides, are woman really a different race? If you are male, don't answer that. :-)
8 comments:
Dry Gas?? Is that a new thing? Mine always has come in liquid form.
Ron, I don't know what it is exactly, except I think it has more ethanol in it to dry out any water in your gas system. I do it a few times a year, especially if it's been rainy. It comes in little pint containers that you put in a full tank.
I was wondering about the dry gas too. But I know what you are talking about. My dad recommended it to me one time.
And has the word sexist left our vocabulary so much that people don't know it? Odd.
What women are "known" for doing to their cars is NOT doing all of those things you listed. No oil changes, no checking fluids or tire pressure, no 50,000 mile checkups. And I have certainly known women like that. But I've also known the other race (men) (ha!) to do that too.
I recently had a run-in with a man who made a sexist comment to me, in a similar, semi-apologetic way. Immediately I judged him as being too ignorant to be bothered arguing with, and felt a little sorry for his girlfriend, who was the object of his insult. On the other hand, she can't be very smart if she's sticking with him.
I have no idea why that made me laugh so hard, but it did.
Sometimes I feel like my husband is from another planet, though. For real.
Well he works in a garage so he'd be the best one to ask. Ask him next time :-)
I think maybe he's going by that stereotype that says women don't know much about cars compared to guys--how the engine works, what to do/not to do etc. Certainly by age 14 most of the people in autoshop class are not straight females. To me his comment is the equivalent of all those ads implying that the only good meal a man can cook comes from a box...
Danielle, I figured I shouldn't correct him 'cuz he fixes my car.
Ern, I suppose you are right!
Spark, I am not sure the father who said it speaks English very well. Definitely from a different place and time so I chalk it up to that.
Chick, it makes me laugh too! I keep finding myself repeating the story.
Aurora, here's to changing the stereotypes!
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