by Brenda Halverson

Created on: May 26, 2008

I really don't like the premise that I have a greater risk of being overcharged for car repairs because I am a woman. We all need to be savvy consumers, whether we are spending money on the car or the groceries. Unscrupulous salespeople will take advantage of men or women. I don't feel the need to be an expert in car mechanics to get a good deal, either-I just need to rely on my "network" and use my instincts to determine if someone is trustworthy.

For the last year, I have had my car serviced at the dealership where I purchased it. Their service department is very aggressive, to say the least. The first time I had my oil changed there, a mechanic called me at work, reporting that my tires were "all chewed up", and stating that I needed new ones right now. I calmly informed him that I would have my husband check my tires that evening, as he had once worked in the tire department of a car dealership and would be able to determine if I needed new tires or not. I could tell this dampened his spirits some, and rightly so; as it turned out, I got 13,000 more miles out of those tires before I really did need new ones.

A few months ago I did have a problem with a tire. It was making a noise and causing a vibration in my car. When I requested that they check it, the dealership told me I needed to have my tires rotated. I had just had them rotated, and said so, but he explained that because I have a long commute to work each day, regular rotation of my tires is very important, and I told him to go ahead. I had a coupon for a free rotation in my glove compartment, and he evidently found it, because I got a call at work saying my tires were fine, but my battery cables were all corroded, and they needed to work on the battery. That I did believe, based on a comment my husband had made a few weeks previously, so I said, yes, fix the cables, and what about my tire? He said my tires did not need rotated (surprise!). A week later, the tire noise and the vibration were severe. At my request the dealership checked the tire, told me I needed a new one, and charged me $36.00. I complained about that, since I had asked about my tire, and they waived that charge. I took the car back to where I had purchased the tires (at $200.00 less than the dealership would have charged me) had a new tire put on and the old one adjusted and all I paid was $27.00.

I was losing patience with the car dealership. I was on guard all the time, and had decided to take my business elsewhere after the service

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