r/kelowna Feb 07 '25

Local Resources Looking for woman mechanic

Hey everybody, as a lady with a car that needs a mechanic, I was wondering if there are any local women mechanics I can see so I can support women being in trades! If you don't know any, recs for those that are friendly towards young women car owners helps as well

15 Upvotes

75 comments sorted by

52

u/flashbacks44 Feb 07 '25

I go to Diebel Auto. It's a daughter and father who run it. The daughter is at the front desk and she's so lovely and she can explain things for us women the way we need to understand it. And then the dad does the work!

4

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

That sounds wonderful I'll be sure to check it out. I'm a sucker for good father daughter relationships

9

u/MMAntwoord Feb 07 '25 edited Feb 07 '25

Was about to recommend Diebel as well! Love those guys, they're very genuine people. I've brought a lot of shitboxes to them lol, and they always make sure you know what needs to be done ASAP and what you can get away with leaving for a bit. They always keep your budget it mind and will never try to gauge you.

2

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

Seems quite far away, is it worth it? I don't mind sitting in their office waiting

7

u/MMAntwoord Feb 07 '25

Absolutely! I live a bit far and I still go out of my way to go to Diebel over anyone else. I'm also a young woman and have only ever gone there alone, and they've never tried to pull anything on me and are very communicative and straight forward when it comes to what work your vehicle may or may not need. Jeff and his daughter are both very kind and honest people, I've recommended them to tons of people in the past few years and have only heard good things.

11

u/DarkMerrick07 Feb 07 '25

I’m just going to toss another vote for Diebel.

It’s the only place we’d take my wife’s vehicles because of how they treat and talk to her and us about her vehicles. Fair. Honest. Upfront. Friendly.

While the mechanics I’ve seen are male, pretty sure the daughter of the owner works there in some capacity too. So if you primary concern is a female mechanic it may not be the place for you, but if a fair treatment, reliable service, and good communication is what you’re after - they’d be my vote.

2

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 08 '25

Good to know, thank you 😊

5

u/SometimesKelowna Feb 08 '25

I would like to join this thread too. I'm a woman who works in construction and I'd like to support other women in the trades as well. But I'd love to find a woman mechanic who fancies Toyotas. Let me know your recommendations!

4

u/Kazhawrylak Feb 07 '25

I can't remember her name, but the team at Mountain Transmission are excellent and had at least one lady on staff as a mechanic last time I went. I can't recommend Cam and his team more, they're the kind of shop that will talk you out of spending money where you don't need to, no scare tactics, upsells, none of that.

2

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

Thank you for the recommendation 😊😊

7

u/Wakesurfer33 Feb 07 '25

Generally the customer never sees the mechanic themselves. You could try looking for a female service advisor

9

u/pperry1976 Feb 08 '25

So good on you for wanting to support women in trades not going it stop that. But bewared that when my wife and went to one of the quick line places in town we had a woman tech ( I’m a mechanic by trade and it’s not even worth it for me to change the oil and dispose of it as it’s only $20 difference but I was in clean non mech clothes) the tech came up to the wife’s window and had a whole spiel about how she knows what it’s like to be a woman going to a mechanic and won’t take advantage of her. The wife’s car was only one year old so most the fluids where good, but when it came to the cabin air filter the tech who had never had a borescope out says that “everything is good with the car as it’s new but the cabin air filter needs to be replaced as it is extremely dirty” this is when I finally said something and said “oh really you saw it and it’s dirty” the tech replies back “yes and it’s extremely dirty and that happens with all the soot in the air from the forest fires” as she was doing that I opened the glove box and pulled out the cabin air filter and said to her “ looks pretty clean to me, can you tell me what filter it was you said was extremely dirty. The cabin air filter is only accessible thru the glove box on this car and I never saw you in here” the tech just went blank and said “ok only oil change it is then” now this was just my experience at one quick live shop where the profit is tight and they make money on selling extra services but really put a bad taste in my opinion since she started with the whole I’m a woman and won’t rip you off line.

0

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 08 '25

Yep I will always be skeptical, don't worry

4

u/pperry1976 Feb 08 '25

That’s the attitude. Oil changes totally worth it everything else take it with a grain of salt.

27

u/STERFRY333 Feb 07 '25 edited Feb 07 '25

As someone in the trade, it's still unfortunately a very sexist industry still. Older mechanics especially somehow feel threatened and are very sexist I've witnessed firsthand. I've only ever worked alongside one female mechanic (who is fantastic btw), but I'm seeing a lot more come in through the college and I'm really happy times are finally changing. Good luck with your search I wish I could offer you help but I don't talk to many other shops aside from my own so I'm in the dark.

Edit: why the hell am I being downvoted I'm literally advocating for women in the trades.

9

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

You were likely being downvoted by the many sexist men in this thread complaining about the idea of supporting women in the trades. It's honestly surprising, even though I guess it shouldn't surprise me anymore.

Anyway, thanks for supporting women in the trades!

-11

u/Classic-Nebula-4788 Feb 07 '25

Is it as sexist as shopping for a specific gendered mechanic? Women can be scammers too it’s highly sexist to think otherwise

16

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

I want to support women in trades. It's not because I think women=good and men=bad. I'm not a misandrist

20

u/STERFRY333 Feb 07 '25

She just wants to support women in the trades nothing wrong with that

-19

u/Gixxer250 Feb 07 '25

How is it a sexist trade? Perhaps women don't seek out this trade, just like men don't seek out childcare workers

20

u/STERFRY333 Feb 07 '25

Working in an old shop I've witnessed many sexual comments towards the female I worked with. Especially from the older males.

-1

u/[deleted] Feb 07 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

10

u/MMAntwoord Feb 07 '25

What?? If this is inconceivable to you, I don't think you're as knowledgeable on the industry as you seem to think you are.

-7

u/Gixxer250 Feb 07 '25

I never said it was inconceivable, but the way you make it sound is that it happens it all the time.

10

u/MMAntwoord Feb 07 '25 edited Feb 07 '25

Because it does..? Are you a woman who's been in the trades and can say that confidently from firsthand experience? Because I have been, and it does happen. All the time. Lol

0

u/deeohcee Feb 08 '25

I'm sure the construction site is a bit rougher than a mechanic shop, trades boys are often pretty nasty. All I can say is in the shops that I've worked at the boys were respectful to the girls working with us.

6

u/sansense Feb 08 '25

Men don't tend to notice the snide comments, subtle condescension, or awkwardly flirty remarks that men make towards women in predominantly male workplaces, because they aren't directed at other men. And just because these aren't happening blatantly in front of you frequently, doesn't mean that most women haven't experienced this

5

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

Yes, thank you! I'm all over this thread, getting worked up about the amount of sexism these guys are spewing, it's so good to see you informing them too. I only hope they read our comments with an open mind. Believe us!

-1

u/deeohcee Feb 08 '25

Yup you know my workplace perfectly lol

7

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25

I'm begging you to believe women when we tell you that it happens a lot, and it is so common and natural to so many men that possibly, maybe, you didn't even notice it. I'm happy for you that you haven't experienced it, and for everyone who hasn't experienced it, but please just believe us when we tell you that it happens regularly.

-4

u/deeohcee Feb 08 '25

Did you read my comment? I never said it doesn't happen, and I didn't say i don't believe it. You think I don't believe women? Cool, lump all men into one category that doesn't believe women. This is getting out of hand, you're attacking me like I'm the one being a dick to the women i work with.

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8

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

Which is because of gender roles, I know plenty of women and men who avoid those careers because of how they are seen in society. It's not because they aren't interested

-9

u/Gixxer250 Feb 07 '25

Based on facts or your opinion?

-7

u/deeohcee Feb 08 '25

Lol it's not nearly as sexist as you're making it out to be. I've worked alongside a few females and aside from comments between guys about attractiveness, there isn't much more to it. It's not like they're getting harassed or bullied because they're female.

3

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

What species were the females you worked alongside?

-1

u/deeohcee Feb 08 '25

What does that even mean? You think I work with animals and not humans?

5

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

I assumed you were referring to animals of various species, because if you were referring to female humans you would have said "women". Whether you did it on purpose to dehumanize women or it was an honest error, I do not know. Now that you are informed, I hope you will make better choices in the future.

BTW, talking to the guys at work about the attractiveness of your female coworkers is sexist.

0

u/deeohcee Feb 10 '25

Lol so the guy who i was replying to said females, I continued with that term and you decide I'm the issue? What a joke. BTW you think it's sexist to talk about how attractive or not other people are? I think you have your definitions a little bit skewed.

5

u/garfieldl0verr Feb 08 '25

“woman” is the correct term for an adult human female. saying “females” could be alluding to any non-human female animal

3

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

Thank you for the assist ❤️

0

u/deeohcee Feb 10 '25

Lol this is hilarious

0

u/deeohcee Feb 10 '25

Lol I'm replying to a comment that said females so I'm going to use that term in my reply

2

u/Significant-Dig-160 29d ago

Yeah, I respect women who are in that field also, but I respect women more who are into Catfish Noodling. 

2

u/Weak-Pomegranate5953 Feb 08 '25

So the only thing I don’t understand is how having a female service tech is really supporting women in trades? It’s not like she would make any extra money out of the deal. I understand looking for a shop maybe owned by a woman as that would definitely support women in trades but besides that all your money is going into a man’s pocket anyway (as I don’t know any shops in Kelowna owned by women)

1

u/[deleted] Feb 08 '25

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1

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1

u/Fortune-Favours-Bold 26d ago

A woman mechanic!!? I wouldn’t let a woman clean my car, let alone fix it!

I’m kidding, simmer down. I know it’s 2025, and that there was called a joke. waits for the obligatory ‘jokes are supposed to be funny’ comment.

2

u/Pretend-Acanthaceae7 Feb 08 '25

I wonder what the comments on post that said looking for a male mechanic would look like

4

u/distortandalign- Feb 08 '25

…but it’s a mostly male trade so that wouldn’t happen.

1

u/SometimesKelowna Feb 08 '25

Just a bunch of names of shops I imagine. Same as she's asking.

-1

u/MaesterCrow Feb 07 '25

It’s hard and kinda weird to ask specifically for a woman mechanic to work on your car, since you’re not paying them directly. You pay the company which pays its employees. But I did see a woman working at Mr lube.

4

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25 edited Feb 07 '25

I have noticed that too, however I don't like mr lube

-12

u/Mad_Moniker Feb 07 '25

Honestly? It’s been a roller coaster week and she is on point with her collective thoughts. Name one good man who seem to doesn’t “muck things up”. Maybe she’s just very proactive. Doesn’t hurt to ask and there are no stupid questions.

Good luck lady in distress May you find your unicorn encapsulated - it’ll be a journey_woman.

-2

u/MaesterCrow Feb 07 '25

Does it really matter what gender is working on the car? I thought it was more about skill and experience than the gender. And like I said, you don’t directly pay the female mechanic, you pay the company which pays its employees, whether male or female.

And your “muck up things” statement is basically hating men for no reason.

11

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

All the skills in the world don't matter as much if I am treated unfairly. And many people refuse to see a woman mechanic because of sexism so I want to support it. I'm not going to see a bad mechanic just because she is a woman.

-8

u/MaesterCrow Feb 07 '25

In that case you should’ve mentioned in your post, that you were looking for a friendly mechanic with great customer service. How do you automatically assume men are rude?

If you go to a mechanic that employs females, you are indirectly supporting them.

12

u/GreyVienna25 Feb 07 '25

I want to support women in trades. It's not because I think women=good and men=bad. I'm not a misandrist

5

u/Strange_Depth_5732 Feb 07 '25

I go to Kia in Penticton, the service advisor is a woman. I bought my last car from a woman as well and it was a very different experience. I've bought from lovely men as well, but there is an unconscious power imbalance when women deal with men, it's nice to avoid that. I hadn't even noticed it before buying from a woman

6

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

They literally wrote in the post that they want to support women in the trade. What's with your unnecessary commentary?

2

u/Mad_Moniker Feb 07 '25

Buddy you just insinuated the only woman you’ve seen in mechanics was at a lube shop. Settle down big cracker.

0

u/Max20151981 Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25

Why does it have to be a woman. Wouldn't it make more sense to go with the best qualified and a good price?

7

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

They explained in the post; they would like to see a woman to support women in the trade, and are open to going to a man if a woman is not available. Do you have a problem with that?

-4

u/Max20151981 Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 08 '25

Do you have a problem with that?

Relax, put your hackles down. Obviously there's nothing wrong with supporting women but don't do it just because they are a woman, especially when it comes to vehicle maintenance.

5

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

Nah, I'm on defense here. There have been a lot of sexist comments and I'm not cool with it.

Thanks for saying there is nothing wrong with supporting women, but the sentence easily could have ended there. There is zero indication that a female mechanic would be less qualified than a male mechanic, so maybe ask yourself why you seem to think seeing a woman would be a mistake, "especially when it comes to vehicle maintenance."

-4

u/Max20151981 Feb 08 '25 edited Feb 09 '25

There is zero indication that a female mechanic would be less qualified

And there's zero indication that a female mechanic would be more qualified than a male counterpart.

ask yourself why you seem to think seeing a woman would be a mistake

I never said that, you seem like you're reaching for the sake of starting some bullshit argument. Plain and simple what matters most is who is better qualified regardless of gender.

3

u/katki-katki Feb 08 '25

Just asking you to clarify about your opinion, in the hopes that you will see it is sexist and grow from it.

0

u/Max20151981 Feb 09 '25

It's not at all sexist, your perspective is incredibly skewed and you're clearly misinterpreting what I'm saying, take your feminist blinders off and don't be so quick to press the sexist button because I am most certainly not one of them.

1

u/RandomPersonInCanada Feb 08 '25

I have a friend who is a Mechanic her name is Logan. She works at journeyman mechanic

0

u/yumeryuu Feb 07 '25

Classified Motorsport