Bragging Rights
While I hate to promote gender profiling, let me just say I am a total woman when it comes to car maintenance. I understand that the transmission, carburetor, and engine are all things that are important to driving, but know no more than that. I can pour oil in my car, know how to use a tire gauge, and am aware of the function of jumper cables, but can’t remember which clips go where.
This particular lack of knowledge turned out to be a problem one time in a library parking lot when a woman asked if I had jumper cables. I said yes, and then I pulled my car up next to hers only to learn that she did not know how to use them either, and so we asked a gentleman entering the library if he could help us out and he responded, “I know how to use jumper cables but I won’t help you because I don’t want to get sued if anything goes wrong.”
Yup. That’s what he said.
Really, dude, if that’s your answer, please just say “I don’t know” next time and avoid the bad ju ju I sent you. Our good Samaritan arrived in the form of a tattooed, bandana-wearing dude exiting the parole building next door to the library (why they chose to situate the parole office and the library next door to one another is beyond me…). He was friendly and helpful and took care of the problem in no time without any concern over me suing him. The experience made me much more open to parolees.
But back to the story at hand. I know very little about cars. Which is why I am so very proud of this fact: I changed my car’s headlight.
Subaru cars require a couple special steps to change a bulb and I didn’t want to mess it up but I also didn’t want to cough up $60 at the Subaru dealership. My friend the mechanic told me I could bring it in to his shop and he’d charge me the cost of the bulb.
Well, it turns out he didn’t have the bulb in stock so he gave me the model and told me to get it at Kragen and he’d install it for me, and I asked him if he could just show me how to do it. So he did. And I remembered. A real triumph. Seriously. Got a headlight that needs changing? I’m your gal.
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Good for you. I felt something similar when I installed our new kitchen faucet. It felt great.
I did that once too! I bought the bulb and then called my dad and had him walk me through it. When I was 18, I changed out the fan on the A/C in my ‘82 Firebird (called my brother and he talked me through that one!)
I actually love learning new things about how to maintain/service my own car. I took an autoshop class in high school, mostly because I knew there would be a lot of guys in there, but I learned a couple of things. It’s very empowering when a service light goes on and I have to figure out what to do.
Next up: change a tire! And memorize where those cables go. It’s a simple, empowering thing to learn and you could really help someone out sometime. Believe it or not, I’ve encountered men who have no idea how to use their jumper cables and I think, “Dude, why did you even admit you have them?”
Umm… I can pump my own gas and take the car to the shop when the blinky light tells me too. That’s about the extent my car know-how, so you GO GIRL!
Bravo! I’m wiping a proud tear away right now.
can you adjust mine so they point in the right direction?
As someone who also knows nothing about cars, I am duly impressed. Also, I can’t believe that guy was concerned about getting sued, although it’s hysterical that the parole office and the library are right next to each other. At least it’s not next to the school!