61 thoughts on “Dipsticks

  1. wearnicehats

    The only thing sexist about this would be if Halford’s were not doing an equivalent free men only workshop. Women only workshops such as these are common in the UK and are a good idea given the way that men tend to belittle women’s knowledge of such things – in, dare I say it, a sexist way and usually with no basis in fact. As a man who knows the square root of feck all about cars I would love there to be a similar workshop for me.

  2. Wayne.F

    Or an excellent service designed to create an environment where women who want to or feel like can learn something new can! Some people are just a little too sensitive

    1. meadowlark

      I’d rather learn in a class with other women rather than from my partner or father, both of whom would get irritated pretty quick with how useless I am with all car related things

  3. Guil O'Tine

    I took one of those courses run by FAS or a local tech years ago and found it really helpful. Dont knock it till you’ve tried it! :)

  4. Prop Joe

    Alan, bro:

    Lose the mangina and ask your female friends if this is something they are offended by,
    Between this kind of cr** and every second article on the journal I am losing all faith in the manliness of anyone in this country.
    There’s an article on there today about how the word “friendzone” is offensive to women,

    1. Owen

      I’m going to start a boy band called ‘Friend Zone’. It’s going to be like ‘Boyzone’, so no talent needed. You want in?

      Basically it will just be made up of oversensitive guys with loads of female friends. You know, the lads that might fall into a bag full of t1ts and come out sucking their thumb.

        1. Owen

          You want in Mani? I’m still look for both the rebel and the gay guy, so some options available. Prop Joe, I have you down tentatively as the deep voice guy.

    2. Alan D

      Prop Joe, Dude:

      That was the first thing I did. They agreed that it was sexist.

      It’s also shi**y for us ‘bros’ who have no clue about car maintenance, but are excluded from this because it’s assumed we do / should.

      1. Prop Joe

        Either you have some over sensitive bro-ettes, or they were having a bad morning because not a single chick I know would find this offensive.

          1. Owen

            It’s a new boy band I set up at lunchtime due to a slow day in work and this post being pedantic. I gave most people a role in the band, linking comments in this chain to stereotypical boy band types. – Quite hi-tech stuff really.

            Prop Joe is the deep voice guy, Mr. T the tatoo guy, St John the gay lad, Clampers the ‘writer’, and Jess is the front man .. she’s kinda like the Bono of the gang. Mani might be the quiet guy whos name we all forget.

            Playing the Village next Friday. Free entry if you mention BS.

          2. Prop Joe

            I also wear a fedora, drink scotch and will be the one most likely to leave the band. Divorce, go off the rails, hit rock bottom, go into rehab, become reclusive before staging a solo comeback doing Tom Petty influenced folk songs in small clubs and denouncing my past as a boyband member. I’ll battle addiction on and off for a number of years before joining the rest of the group on stage for a 20 year reunion, followed by a new tour and album and a top ten hit.

  5. Small Wonder

    An awful lot of that is checking things and looking at the lights on the dashboard. A five minute conversation would do it… unless of course you’re mansplaining it…

  6. ReproBertie

    I know a few fellas that could make us of that workshop. Maybe if they all went in drag. It would be like the reverse of the Life of Brian stoning scene.

  7. St. John Smythe

    Its probably a good idea to have some car maintenance workshops for those women who would rather not learn about it in a male-dominated environment, however, it could probably be a bit more challenging than is provided above. Understand the engine, the difference that different types of tires can make etc. In truth, lots of men could use this too.

  8. Mr. T.

    What’s wrong with this?

    I’d prefer if my wife could change her own flat in the middle of nowhere instead of calling me out from my nice comfy couch in my jammies.

    1. St. John Smythe

      Jesus man, give the woman a break…she’s only trying to get home in time to get the dinner on for you.

        1. Mr. T.

          That’d be your style alright.

          I see you stole someone else’s user name from back before you’d ever heard of The Wire.

    2. Stephanenny

      A tyre change is not difficult. You could teach her.

      None of the things listed up there are remotely difficult. A two paragraph email would be sufficient.

  9. Matt

    Most times I’m asked technical questions about cars by women, they completely lose interest in the answer. That doesn’t apply to all women, but is super common. Nobody’s keeping the information from them.

    1. Janet, I ate my avatar

      it may be your delivery, or maybe you are just real pretty and they don’t actually ask to hear you talk ?

  10. Jess

    For those asking why it’s sexist. Why is it any different teaching this to a woman than it is a man?

    We have unisex in first aid, nursing, primary care that do not require gender segregation in order to explain how to fix a human body. There is no reason you need a specific course to tell you how to change the oil in your car of check tyre pressure.

    Some of yous might say that its more common for women to not know how to change oil or a tyre. Ok, if we accept that, why is teaching the woman who doesn’t know this different to teaching a man? Does the woman go on the women’s course and the man go on the normal course, or is there a man’s course?

    Its silly, its not the end of the world sexism, just the roll your eyes type.

          1. scottser

            From one guy to another, you should know how to service your car, scooter, bike whatever. If you cant, then get your boyfriend to do it.

  11. RobinBoy

    Everything is sexist now.

    How much sympathy do you think a man would get if he stood up and took offence to the word “mansplaining”? Or the recent trend of shaming men who are “manspreading” on public transport?

    I seem to recall the glee from certain female groups during the viral pics, taking joy in naming and shaming these men, yet when a guy (in London I believe) retaliated with his own “women who eat on trains” he was hounded by feminist groups. “How dare he take photos without consent.”

    Nether trends were beneficial to either side, but it does show the taboo of shaming one vs the other.

    Equality & sexism is not a one way system.

    1. Nigel

      ….How the hell could women eating be equivalent to men ‘manspreading?’
      (not that I do think taking photos for the purpose of public shaming is generally iffy.)

  12. martco

    relax all you really need to know is if you have an EA189 type diesel engine in your Golf/Polo/Passat/Scirocco and if you need to sell it off asap before everyone else does

  13. doncolleone

    “beginners guide” not good enough? all youse “this is feminism going mad” have serious personality and identity issues. get help.

  14. Stephanenny

    I’ve booked this out of sheer curiosity. I already know how to do all the things listed and more so I’m curious to see what the other things are.

    Also curious to see how long it takes to explain the difference between a light being on and a light being off.

  15. Deluded

    I imagine it’s like when I explain to my boss what I do.
    “I don’t want the pains, just give me the baby”.

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