To think women are perfectly capable of driving and parking "big cars"?

[Kingcyrolophosarus]

and to hate the casual sexism from male garage workers

Took car to the garage, patronising young guy " would you like me to reverse that out for you?"
No thanks, I've been driving since you were in nappies mate. I've had this car for 5 years, it belongs to me, not my husband. I know how to look after the engine, I know what tyres it takes, and I can fit those tyres by myself

Car hire guy when I was changing a car( for price reasons) "is it too big for you, can't you park it?"

Tyre garage guy
" ooh these are really expensive" proceeds to quote 30% extra
Er, you really think I don't know how much they cost?
I'll go to a garage that doesn't assume I'm stupid thank you

[backwardpossom]

I love driving and am a much better driver than DH. YANBU.

[GhoulWithADragonTattoo]

I might be wrong with my spatial awareness comment. An article here reporting that women park better on average!

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/9047627/Women-are-better-at-parking-than-men-study-suggests.html

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

YANBU. The main reason I traded down from the biggish car I used to drive to something more compact was that, try as I might, I couldn't adjust the seat and steering column position to something that didn't give me back-ache!!! Had to conclude that the thing was designed for someone a few inches taller than me.... Sexism built in as standard.

Vorsprung durch nicht fur der kleine wimmin innit...??

[AudrinaAdare]

I've helped many a lone panic-stricken man in the baby aisle when I'm late-night shopping because I don't dare brave the car-park during the day so I'll take a rightful seat on that bench ta

[FreudiansSlipper]

yes it is very annoying I am getting quotes for some work that needs doing and getting a lot of little woman you have no idea what you are talking about, I do seem to get it more than some of my friends but I think it is to do with how I come across too I am small and softly spoken

I hate just as much men can not multi task, men need training that sort of thing, they are not as responsible it's all rubbish though society and attitudes sometimes allow them to be that way

[RyleDup]

I'm perfectly capable of reversing and parking my big car. Well not so much of a car, a 20 ft van.

[CogitoErgoSometimes]

I met a patronising young chap at one of those fancy car washes. Anyone who has a newish Passat will know that releasing the button-operated hand-brake feature is a bit of an acquired skill. So I offered to manoeuvre it around to the shampoo and set area (or whatever it was) for him but he waved me away and jumped in. After several attempts where the car jerked about a bit but stayed firmly rooted to the spot, he had to admit defeat.

Did it for him. ....

[noblegiraffe]

I'm ok at parking, but if there's a bloke in the car with me (not DH, he can't drive!) I get really stressed because I think they'll be judging my parking as a woman and then inevitably bodge it. It's called stereotype threat.

[steppemum]

totally agree with you op.
I have been driving for shock horror 28 years
I have driven literally hundreds of cars, minibus, vans and even a 7 and 1/2 ton truck (but that wasn't willingliy and wouldn't do it again!)

I can reverse park into small space and parallel park better than dh as I lived in London for several years.

I once helped strip down a truck engine and re-grind the cylinder block (can't remember the proper word for it)

I take great pleasure in talking knowledgeably about my car engine with garage people.

BUT I actually hate doing car stuff and am very happy that dh likes it, so hand it all over to him, in the same way he can cook, but hates cooking so I do most of it.

[backwardpossom]

YY to the Passat 'handbrake', Cogito - confuses many people.

[OldMumsy]

Once when being patronised when buying a power multi block that I was going to add a cable to I got asked if I knew what I was doing in a totally male patronising way. I could not help myself declaring my Physics A level and degree qualification and asking said jerk what his were. Women are always assumed to know nothing about electrickery!

[Jins]

I got patronised when buying a usb extension cable in Maplins once

Possibly the least complicated thing ever to be patronised about

[WearingGreen]

I'm like noblegiraffe. Fine when I'm alone but if I feel 'on display' I panic about letting the side down and then I fuck up.

[EuroShagmore]

I drive a sports car. Not a little "hairdressers' car" but a proper throaty brutish hulk with a lot of horses under the bonnet. Everyone assumes it is my husband's. He can't drive.

Someone mentioned laptops and pens for women. Those are clearly ridiculous, but I do wish they would bear the dimensions of women in mind when designing cars. I have yet to own a car in which I can get the clutch all the way up with my heel on the floor. My feet are a size 5, so not exactly tiny, but not big enough for that. I have to drive like I am playing the piano, lifting my knee up, if I don't want to ride the clutch. My dad has a van that I have driven once or twice. I had to perch on the edge of the seat as it wouldn't move forward far enough for me. I'm 5'6, so again, not exactly tiny.

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

YY. It's all just practice with cars, I think.

My parents are terrible at parking because they live in the sticks - my dad needs about two car lengths to get his Galaxy parked, and even then he does it with about a zillion chops and much grimacing and energetic turning of the wheel. It's painful to watch.

I think part of the issue is that women still don't do as much driving and parking of big cars, so don't get so much practice.

[quoteunquote]

How tedious,

Where I live almost all the roads are single track with very high hedgerows, I spend about 25% of the time reversing, as does everyone here.

I drive trucks, vans,tractors, 4/4, pull trailers, flatbeds, if I couldn't reverse as easily as I can drive forward, then I would of given up driving years ago.

[stubbornstains]

I've always found that if I turn up at the mechanic's wearing a filthy high-vis jacket, hang over the open bonnet with him asking a million questions, and hint about being on first name terms with the blokes at the scrapyard, I always get spoken to as an equal.

It's a shame though, that although I've had numerous mechanics I can only refer to them as "him". Never had a female one.

[BiddyPop]

I learned to drive in my mother's 2 litre engined car that had no speedometer, so I had to learn to judge my speed otherwise (and not always successfully - mum got twitted once about her driving when I passed the shift supervisor's car late one night at over 90 mph on a 60 road, she didn't spill on me for years to Dad luckily), and also using Dad's 2l Volvo estate.

Now while I bought a Fiesta and latterly a Golf for my own use on a daily basis, I still regularly use DH's 2l volvo estate, and my Dad's 2.4l Volvo estate also - the first time I drove his latest (when he changed from manual to automatic gears and up from 2 to 2.4 litres!!) was at 5am driving my DBro and his fiance to the airport 40 miles away.

And I regularly end up bringing not only my own car, but DHs as well, for their regular service as he is out of the country so much. I have been talked down to in the past, but as I have grown more confident in life and in my knowledge of cars, it doesn't happen so much at regular garages -but tyre changing places DO tend to be more sexist, I find. (And while I have gone to the same service guy for over 10 years for both our cars, I did change this year to get a cheap "in between" service done on mine, and I have had to drop DH's to the main dealer to sort a few issues as well).

I have even managed to buy my own car without the dealer referring to DH (who was present). At one stage he looked over as if to call DH over, but changed his mind as it was clearly my car and my money.

(MIL changed garage after years of buying cars there as the dealer referred to FIL constantly 1 time, when she was the one actually doing the purchasing. She changed to a different brand, but didn't like it so reverted for the next car, and the original dealer NEVER ignored her again, and occasionally poor FIL is the one who feels insulted by this ).

[BrandyAlexander]

yanbu, unfortunately I let the side down as I almost come out in hives if I have to park. Front and back sensors were made for the likes of me.

[TwelveLeggedWalk]

YANBU. We have a T5, it has a dented bonnet, scratched mirror and cracked wing, all courtesy of Dh. I can parallel park it under pressure.

Unfortunately what I know about engines would fit in large font in the top of a very small pin.

[AudrinaAdare]

My DS goes to a respite playgroup where there is a lovely big and usually empty car-park. I am often tempted to just drive all over it backwards for half an hour as is recommended in this book. Then I remember that it is overlooked by a load of houses and someone will call the police to arrest the obviously drunk woman in the Peugeot.

[ConsiderCasey]

noblegiraffe. I'm with you. I'm great at parking if no one is watching me, but if I'm being watched I too feel stereotype threat and imagine the negative things people are thinking of me as I'm parking....so I fudge it.

[DontSweatTheSmallStuff]

I phoned a garage to book the car in for a service and MOT. Service fine but was then asked "How do you know it needs an MOT?" !!!!!!! Er hello, do i really need to explain?

Went to a local Honda garage to inquire about finding out the code for the radio. The code we were given by the Honda garage (not so local) we originally got the car from was wrong - not their fault- previous owner had changed radio and not updated code in car paperwork. I had already locked the radio by putting in the code wrong too many times. The local garage gave me some bollocks about having to disconnect it from the electrics, would take ages etc etc. then they'd have to phone Honda and try (big sigh and emphasis on TRY) and get the code. They wanted £50 to let my car sit around and make 1 phone call.

I already knew all I had to do was leave the radio on for an hour and it would unlock, so did that then spoke to the original garage who got the code for me no hassle, no charge. If i buy another Honda, i won't be using the local dealer.



I currently have a man from British Gas fixing my boiler. He is being very unpatronising and explaining in detail what's wrong which is great but would be even better if i knew wtf he was talking about

[RaspberrysAndIcecream]

Yanbu!!! I can drive & park my car very nicely - even dh best friend laughs at how I can park better than dh!!
I've had lots of cars for work (nannying) & to be honest, there's nothing better than when the dad boss takes u out for a spin in their car when u first start so they can see that you can drive & you drive it & park it better than them!! years of school & nursery runs have their uses & driving lots of different cars makes u much more confident at just getting in a car and driving!!

I have also walked out of dealerships when buying cars due to the salesmans complete lack of ability to talk to ME & not my dh!! I am buying the car & last time dh came with me was because we were going out afterwards, not because I needed him to hold my hand!!
(sorry, that's turned into a rant - but I feel better now!!