“The shops be TAXINNN.”
Walking into an auto repair shop as a woman is a slightly different experience than doing so as a man. Many women psychologically brace themselves to be taken less seriously.
Sometimes, they’re even charged more than men for basic repairs and maintenance. That’s what one woman claims happened to her after she sent her vehicle in for a diagnostic when her check engine light came on.
TikTok creator Rina (@mrsplaytoomuch) shared an experience many women can relate to. In a recent clip, which has garnered over 31,000 views, she stares at the camera with a blank look on her face.
“How it feels being a girl at the mechanic and they quote you $9,700 to fix ur car because the engine light turned on but u lowkey feel like they only told u that cause ur a girl and all ur homeboys only rap and do fashion so u cant even ask anyone for help,” she writes in the video’s text overlay.
She continues, writing, “and u just paid rent and have to pick up ur daughter in 30 min and they told u if don’t fix it ur car can randomly never turn on again within the next 2 weeks.”
Through additional details Rina shared in the comments section, Motor1 learned that the car technician recommended she replace the transmission and the airflow sensor in her vehicle.
Replacing a transmission is not cheap. In fact, according to AutoZone, it’s one of the priciest repairs car owners may face. While the price heavily depends on the vehicle’s make and model, the auto parts retailer estimates it ranges from $2,500 to $6,000 or more.
Add in other factors such as labor and transmission oil replacement, and car owners may be looking at another $1,500 on top of that.
As for an airflow sensor replacement, AutoZone reports that the repair ranges from $150 to $600, including labor.
Based on those estimates, the price Rina was quoted could fall within a reasonable range.
However, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), getting a second opinion is a good idea, especially if the repair feels unexpected and expensive. Even experienced mechanics make mistakes when diagnosing major issues.
In the comments section, others shared similar experiences and advice about next steps.
“One time a guy quoted me 1600 for a scratch,” one user shared. “Told me i had to replace my whole bumper. I went to another guy and he said 400.”
“Me putting 3k on my credit card when I went in for an oil change,” wrote another.
Some commenters insisted she get a second opinion. “Run diagnostics and get a second opinion from someone you can trust who works by themself,” someone advised. “The shops be TAXINNN.”
According to a 2012 study by Northwestern University, car technicians were more likely to quote women a higher price for the same repair.
In the experiment, researchers found that women receive quotes $13 higher than men for a $365 repair. However, they also found that women were more likely to get a reduced rate if they expressed knowledge of how much the repair costs on average. The researchers wrote, “[A] woman in this context has a distinct advantage in revealing good price knowledge early on.”
On Reddit’s r/Feminism, women shared stories of running similar experiments on their own.
“My car needed some work and I went to get it taken in, they told me it would be $1,920,” one person shared. “So I got my uncle to go speak to the guy since my uncle knows a good bit about cars, and the price was knocked down over 200 dollars….”
“One time they tried to charge me like $500 to get my brake pads replaced,” another wrote. “Brake pads are like $30-60 where I am….”
Motor1 has reached out to Rina via TikTok and Instagram messages. We’ll update this article if we hear back.
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