Are women born mechanically challenged?

[JasG]

That's funny !!! Actually the main issue here is not her opinion of me or the service advisor, it's just that I don't understand why women cannot learn about mechanical things instead of being so ignorant. I can do laundry, change diapers, do housework, prepare a year's worth of meals, use a sewing machine (!!!!!) and I can easily do all those things, and no doubt tens of thousands of the members here can also....so why can't women at least learn some BASIC mechanical aptitude???? Remember the joke about the blonde woman who thought the shop was going to rip her off, but she said to her friends afterwards: "The service advisor told me I only needed turn signal fluid..."

Both my sisters can change oil and a tire and do undertstand basic repairs. My one brother inlaw can't even check the air in his tires. I think it is just as much how a person was raised as anything.

I also had an uncle (by marriage) who was less mechanical than my brother inlaw. I know a few guys who are about the same.

I also knew a few girls growing up that they grew up on farms. Not only could they fix things, looked good, but were tough as nails too.

[lsmurphy]

Guys, I recently lost my beloved 2004 Buick in a divorce...my ex and I are still on decent terms and last week told me she took the car to the selling dealership because the "Service Stability Sytem" warning light sometimes came on. The car has had the issue for some time now and the only real side effect is that when it malfunctions, the cruise control disengages and the repair is to replace the steering position sensor (about a $450 repair). Well, back when it began acting up, I told her it would be a waste of money to pay for fixing it because the car is only used on cruise control maybe 4-5 times a year. Oh yes, and they also told her the lower intake manifold seal has to be replaced because it leaks oil....I know about that too, and the oil leak barely registers on the garage floor...maybe half an ounce a month at most. Which I assured her was a minor problem anbd no cause for concern. And they told her the rear self-leveling shocks need replacing, and she will never even put anything in the trunk or rear seat that even requires the load leveling to function. Told her it was a waste of money to replace them with self-leveling type, all it needs is a pair of good shocks with no load-leveling function.

I don't mind that a dealership service dept. wants to make an obscene profit selling her repairs she DOESN'T EVEN NEED for a car worth maybe $7,500 at most because it's HER money.... but what baffles me is why she won't take my honest, unbiased, and informed advice over that of a service advisor who probably can't even change a tire. Makes me wonder, are women simply BORN mechanically challenged or do they take lessons somewhere in life to become that way?

Having been divorced twice (now HAPPILY married).............


When I divored the woman I also divorced myself from HER problems.


Get out of HER business.

[Gale Hawkins]

Both my sisters can change oil and a tire and do undertstand basic repairs. My one brother inlaw can't even check the air in his tires. I think it is just as much how a person was raised as anything.

I also had an uncle (by marriage) who was less mechanical than my brother inlaw. I know a few guys who are about the same.

I also knew a few girls growing up that they grew up on farms. Not only could they fix things, looked good, but were tough as nails too.

JasG it think has nailed it that for the most part it is how a person was raised and his last sentence I have seen over and over on ALL points.

[scollins]

This brings back some memories of "pranks".

When I was back in high school in the early 70's, the VW Beetles were real popular. I got a job for $2 an hour at a quick mart filling station (49.9 a gallon then) Someone wanted me to check their oil on their VW so I told them to lift their "hood".
WTF?? No engine under the hood?

So - I learned that the engine was in the REAR.
Someone told me to check the water level in the "radiator" on a VW and they all laughed their "axe" off at this "new guy", as I looked all over for the radiator. WTF???
Finally someone had enough of the joke and told me they were "air cooled".

I learned so much more from old timers who were mechanically inclined than I did from college classes.

Stuff like - how to tune up a B & S engine using a business card as a spacer.
How to "hang" an axe handle.
How to sharpen a "virgin" axe or Pulaski for 8 hours with a 12" file until the bevel was 1.5" on each side.

I was told about a wildland fire supervisor who was not real mechanically inclined. He told the guys to change out the engine oil and oil filters on the chain saws.

Being raised on a farm, or working around heavy equipment for 15 years does have its advantages.

SC

If only I was that age, again, and know what I know now.

At the Ranger station I worked at, we always enjoyed sending some new guy or gal that was hired to look for a "water hammer", a "board stretcher" or a left handed monkey wrench.