Girl vs. car: Why let Johnny Attendant fix it when you can just as easily?
When I turned 16, my mother gave me some advice for handling minor car repairs: Put on a nice dress, do your make up, walk into the store and find some guy who will happily ring you up for whatever you need and then walk you out to your car and fix it for you.
I pulled this stunt earlier this year when my car battery died, and honestly, watching the AutoZone clerk use no more thought in that task than I had when I applied my mascara that morning left me feeling like being taken care of had both pros and cons. So when my wiper blades started to just smear the dirt around, I decided it was time to try on a little feminist empowerment and elbow grease.
I snagged a set of windshield wipers at a local auto supply store for $10 each. The used blade slides right off the arm, and the replacement clipped back on neatly. I could have swapped out wiper blades as easily as some mass transit-using women swap out their comfortable walking shoes for dress shoes the block before their office building. (Total cost: $20)
A friend had coached me on an oil change technique—parking the car with one side of wheels on the curb. I was then able to shimmy in under the car, an oil catch pan and wrench in hand. At the bottom of the oil pan is a plug that looks like a bolt. I loosened that a little with the wrench, and then looked away, eyes closed, to release the bolt and let the oil drain out into a catch pan to take to a recycling center. I replaced the bolt and then went to work on the oil filter, which was, loosened with a wrench and removed. I prepped the new filter with some oil, filling it about 2/3 full and coating the gasket with some oil. Arm-deep in the bowels of my car, I twisted on the new oil filter, tightening it just as much as I could with one hand—and hoping that the instructions I had used, which suggested just tightening it as much as possible with one hand weren’t going to discriminate between male hand strength and female hand strength. Then, back in daylight and above the engine, I poured in about three and a half quarts of oil—purchased for $3.89 each. Then I started the car and let it run for about five minutes, which lets the engine distribute the oil, and let me check for any leaks. Then I turned the engine off and checked the dipstick, added the remaining half quart of oil, and went inside to detox my entire body from everything acquired on my skin by crawling around in the gutter and playing with oil for half an hour. (Cost: $15.56 for oil and $3.49 for the filter. Total: $19.05)
A do-it-yourself headlight repair looked formidable once I looked under the hood. My engine looks less like it was assembled from a box of monochrome Legos, and more like an armadillo—armed to defend itself from your entry. In my old car, it was possible to apply the simple use of a screwdriver to remove the back of the headlight and replace the burnt-out bulb. Lucky for me, Compare Auto Mechanics already had an article outlining step-by-step directions to replace a headlight in a Subaru Impreza.
Yes, I drive a Subaru, and at my local Subaru dealership, a headlight bulb cost $23, and labor is $21.80. A windshield wiper blade cost $18, and has no charge for service. An oil change costs $32.95. The service coordinator I spoke to said the cost includes filling up all fluids and checking everything possible, including tire pressure. The benefits of letting them service your car, he said, included a one-year warranty on parts and service that would be honored at the nationwide network of dealerships.
My home repairs cost just $39.05, and taking my car in for those services would have cost $113.75, which is a pretty significant difference—unless you add in the costs for things like buying more coolant and windshield wiper fluid, both of which would be topped off if I took my car in for service. And of course, there’s the question of how much your time and clean fingernails are worth. The way I see it, if the benefits also include not having to roll around in the gutter or later spend half an hour scrubbing the grease off your skin, the oil change is worth it. But take care of your wiper blades and, as long as your car allows, your headlights on your own.
—Elizabeth Miller
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