I just heard an amusingly sexist commercial on RW radio

[Enrique]

It is for some service called "My Repair Shield" which looks to me like a scam, I'm not sure exactly what they do, it seems like you pay them money for some benefit that they probably never pay out to anyone.

Anyway, the gist of the ad was "protect the woman in your life from being cheated by auto mechanics." They cited some statistics about how women get ripped off, and they told a story about about some dame that paid $2,000 for a $100 repair.

I'm confident that some of the fellas buying this crap to protect their little ladies are just as vulnerable to being ripped off, including by "My Repair Shield".

[TlalocW]

1. Well, when you think about it

Women probably do get ripped off more by mechanics than men because the mechanics THINK that women know less than men about car repairs so they try more often than they do with men.

TlalocW

[1StrongBlackMan]

2. Actually ...

(And from a mechanic friend) ... The owner of the repair shop knows exactly how much they must make, every time they put a car on the left. The more is dishonest ones factor that into the cost of every repair.

For example, if the number is $300.00, a $25.00 oil change means someone (male or female) is going to get a $575.00 brake job.

Now, with respect to whether it is a male or female, the owner/mechanic doesn't care. They probe the customer/victim as to their automotive knowledge. They start by listening to how the customer/victim describes the reason they are in the shop in the first place.

For example: "My front brakes are grinding" or "My right front caliper seems to be frozen", will get different service then, "My brakes are making a funny noise."

Do mechanics make stereotypical assumptions about automotive knowledge ... Sure. But they are just as eager to rip off an ignorant male, as well.