Feeling intimidated taking car to mechanics

[IjustbelieveinMe]

I need to get my car fixed up, it has a couple of dents, wheel trim rash from a pothole and some scratches from a carwash.. My car is my only asset so I want to maintain it and keep it looking good.
Except I am so worried taking it somewhere to be worked on as I feel so intimidated in those environments being a single woman. I am worried they will laugh at me and say it's not a big enough job for them. Or I will cock up my parking if I do go because I will be so anxious of them looking at me.
I get the car serviced each year at a Mazda dealers but that's more geared towards women etc.
But I still keep putting it off now even though I really need to do this. If I have to sell the car it's in my best interests to have kept it maintained. It's only a couple of years old. Any advice on how to handle this Particularly with getting a quote etc...

You’re not wrong tbh. I hate to say it in 2023 but take a dad-type bloke with you.

Please don’t worry, I work in a garage and I do see this a lot. Can you phone around until you find one with a woman employed? I know it sounds awful but I have seen women visibly relax when they see/hear me!

No job is too small. You can always pm me with their quote and I can see if it’s in a realistic or inflated ball park!

Sounds like you need a body shop rather than a mechanic. Ask around people you know for a recommendation. Sounds like relatively minor damage and nothing they won’t have seen before.

Agree with pp. That all sounds like bodyshop work, not mechanics. And a decent valet will sort most carwash swirling/scratches.

Could you get one of those mobile dent repair companies to come to you and sort at least some of the stuff out? Dentman, Dingbro, Chipsaway, those kinds of places.

It is a smash repair place, I have seen them constantly recommended in a Facebook group for my local area. I am in Australia where the men are very alpha shall we say, I wish I had someone to go with me but I don't know any men outside of work.

I found a mobile repair guy who just messed me around saying they would come out to look at the car but then they never got back to me.

If you go to a garage and they laugh at you or make you feel bad, then you will know they are not a good garage. A good garage will be willing to explain things to customers with limited mechanical knowledge, and help them make informed choices.

Actually you have given me the idea to find another mobile person, I will look into that now. I should have done this anyway but it's been a stressful couple of weeks trying to get this all sorted and I was feeling overwhelmed by it. Thank you all