Guys, Here's Why Her Car Problem Is Actually Your Problem

I recently had a new set of tires put on my car.

There are fun ways to spend money, like booking a nice vacation, and there are un-fun ways to spend money, like putting new tires on your car. Unfortunately, the un-fun things are usually the necessary ones. So $1,300 later, I rolled out of the Tire Discounters parking lot with brand-new set of rubbers. 

And just a few minutes after that, my tire pressure light came on. The front right sensor wasn't reading.

Are you f*cking kidding me? 

I whipped a U-ie and headed back to the tire shop. After I went inside to report the problem, a service tech followed me to my car and proceeded to scan all four (newly-purchased) tires with his handheld machine.

"All set," he said to me. "You should be good to go now."

And so I went — only for the light to come right back on just as I turned onto the main road. This time, it was the front left sensor. Back to Tire Discounters I go!

This bad boy just would not go away.

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The same guy came out with his same handheld doohickey, and he, once again, scanned all four ties. I fired up my car. The light immediately came on. This time, none of the sensors were reading.

"It looks like you have a dead battery in one of your sensors," the tech told me.

"Which one? Why are none of them reading?" I asked. A sensible question.

"Well, sometimes after we scan them, they have to reset," he responded matter-of-factly. "They can't all reset if one of them is dead."

Now, I will be the first to admit to you that I don't know anything about cars, aside from the necessary information required to operate one. But none of this made logical sense to me. 

If only one of them was dead, why did the unreadable sensor jump from the front right to the front left to suddenly all four? And what are the odds that this sensor went dead at the exact same time I had all of my tires replaced?

After the tech informed me that a new sensor battery (which I was told is just like a watch battery) would cost $79.99, I declined any further service so that I could go home and consult my husband.

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Given the fact that my TPMS sensor batteries had likely never been replaced in my 2018 GMC Terrain (I've had it since 2021), my husband assured me it's probably not out of the question that one of them died. He's usually the one who deals with our vehicle maintenance, so he offered to take the car back in and have it handled as soon as he had a chance. 

I knew his work schedule was packed and stacked, and I didn't want to add another thing to my husband's plate. So just before an out-of-state road trip, I took the car back to Tire Discounters myself. And that's when, after a nearly three-hour wait, they informed me that all four sensor batteries were dead.

I was in luck, though, because they were running a buy three, get one free deal!

Of course they were. 

My Tire Saga Continued — Until My Husband Got Involved

After again expressing what a wild coincidence it must have been for all the batteries to die at the same time, right after my tires were replaced, I finally agreed to let them install new sensor batteries. I felt like such a sucker for caving, but I just wanted to get it fixed and to be done with this place for good.

So $300 later, I pulled out of the lot and… ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME? The tire pressure light was on. The sensors still weren't working.

Absolutely fuming but trying to be kind (you know, that whole flies-honey-vinegar thing), I walked back into the store and told the purple-haired woman at the front desk that the problem had not been resolved. Per her instructions, I then pulled my car around to the first bay, where a mechanic came out, looked at me like I was an idiot and told me that the sensors were still "learning."

"That's what the flashing light means," he told me. "The sensors are learning."

I informed him that the light had been flashing for weeks now, so I didn't think that was the case. He told me I simply needed to drive around for a while — interstate is best — for them to fully reset. The light would turn off on its own and the sensors would start working. 

With a strong hunch this was absolute bulls*t, I thanked him and drove away.

You'll be shocked to know that the light flashed from Nashville all the way to Birmingham and back for my weekend road trip. And the sensors still weren't working.

"Yes sir, right away sir!" — that mechanic, probably.

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Completely and utterly fed up, I sent my husband to Tire Discounters to get the issue resolved. I went with him and sat in the waiting area.

Within seconds of my husband saying there was an issue — and, y'all, I mean SECONDS — the manager came out to speak to him. He apologized profusely, promised he'd handle it himself and moved my car to the front of the line. Just a few minutes later, the same manager came back, told my husband the car was all set and handed him a $50 voucher for his next service.

Are you. F*cking. Kidding me.

The ‘Pink Tax’ On Wheels

I wish I could tell you this was a one-off — some evil plot cooked up in the breakroom at Tire Discounters by some service techs who had it out for me. Or that I just have some sort of imaginary victim complex.

But it’s not just me. And it’s not just TPMS sensors.

Multiple studies have shown that women get quoted higher prices at auto repair shops than men do — especially when we look like we don't know what we're doing. And if we're being real here: most of us don't.

One study from the Journal of Marketing Research found that repair shops were far more likely to overcharge women who didn’t seem to know the market rate. But when those same women casually mentioned they’d done a little research? Boom — suddenly, that alternator doesn’t cost $900 anymore. 

Another survey by RepairPal found that 77% of people believe mechanics are more likely to sell women unnecessary repairs, and two-thirds think women get charged more than men for the exact same work.

For some unscientific research, I talked to my big brother, who has been a mechanic for 30 years. He works on transmissions (mostly for large commercial vehicles), so he rarely even sees a female during his workday. But he assured me this sort of gender discrimination absolutely happens all the time, at both chain retailers and mom-and-pop shops.

And I know what some of you might be thinking: Maybe they just didn’t like you. Maybe you were rude or difficult.

Nope. I was delightful!

OK, maybe delightful is a strong word. But I was polite. Friendly, even. I thanked them, smiled, asked reasonable follow-up questions. I wasn’t hostile — just skeptical. Because let’s be honest, when your tire pressure sensors conveniently die on the exact same day you drop $1,300 on new tires, your spidey senses start tingling a little.

All I did was calmly point out that the timing seemed… suspicious. And I found it odd that one sensor was out, then another, and then suddenly all four were dead. That’s not being combative. That’s being conscious of the fact that I didn’t want to fork over hundreds of dollars for a set of imaginary watch batteries I didn’t need.

Now look, I’m not saying every mechanic is out here twirling his mustache and scheming to upsell women. I’m just saying that when a man says, "Hey, something feels off with my alignment," the response is, "Let’s take a look, sir." But when I say it? I’m told the tires just need to learn how to be aligned, or something.

That’s why — if you have a wife, girlfriend or daughter — this is one of those "be the guy" moments. Kind of like killing spiders or carrying her heavy luggage. Take her car in. Or, at the very least, go with her.

Because your presence shifts the energy in the room. When I went in alone? Shrugged off. Multiple times. Forced to sit in the waiting room for hours over a problem they caused. But the second my husband showed up? It was like I brought Liam Neeson to the tire shop. The manager came out. The problem got fixed in minutes — no miles and miles of interstate driving required for the sensors to "learn." There was even a coupon involved. A coupon!

You don’t have to be a car guy. Hell, you may be as clueless as she is about what's happening under the hood. You just have to show up. Because whether you realize it or not, the world still treats us differently when you’re not around. 

Well, the auto repair industry does, anyway. And no, I'm not f*cking kidding you.

Let's Open The Mailbag

A couple of weeks ago, I finally brought back Womansplaining, and we kicked things off with a discussion about a TikTok video that went viral, igniting a battle of the sexes. 

READ: Stop Keeping Score In Your Marriage & My Thoughts On The Viral Dishwasher Divorce Lady

Not to saw my own fiddle, but I feel like I did a splendid job of remaining objective and playing referee on this one. It seems y'all agreed.

JTK Writes: I have never in my life ever sent an email after reading something… but as a guy married 30 years, you are spot on.  It is a partnership, gratitude is important, some days/weeks it is 75/25 you and sometimes it is 75/25 them. But you happily do it because you are a team!

Jon C Writes: Loved your recent Womansplaining article. Dead center bullseye. For what it’s worth, we have the typical arguments, but they generally end when I want something better than a TV dinner or she needs a jar opened.

Chris B. Writes: My takeaway from today's Womansplaining… Well, beside the value of gratitude. We’ve been happily married since the late ’90s, and I doubt a day goes by when one of us (usually both) doesn’t thank the other for something.

No, my takeaway is this: people leave the garbage in the house until morning? So it can stink up the kitchen? Gross!

Amanda Writes: The accuracy. Women have been emasculating men for so long, it’s really quite sad. We have to remember they aren’t just hairy smelly women. They are completely different than us.

Amber:

I agree completely with Amanda, but I want to take it a step further.

Despite what a lot people on the Left will tell you, men and women are very different, and if you're going to be in a heterosexual relationship, you have to be both aware and respectful of those differences. That doesn't mean that BAD behavior should be waved off as "guys will be guys" or "girls will be girls." Your biology is not an excuse to be an asshole.

But it does mean that women have to recognize that men don't necessarily think the way that we do, prioritize the things that we prioritize or respond to situations in the same way we would respond to them. And I think that's where Paige (from the last column) went wrong.

Likewise, though, men have to understand that women are unique in our own ways, too. That's why it always puzzles me when men get mad that "women are too emotional!" 

Bro, our bodies operate on a 28-day cycle that determines our mood, our weight, our energy levels and our hormonal balance based on the week. We're literally made that way. 

But don't worry, guys. That's why you have a Womansplainer.

Womansplaining is a weekly column about dating, marriage, sex and relationships.

Email your thoughts, questions, stories and gripes to Amber.Harding@OutKick.com or tweet her @TheAmberHarding.