At Girls Auto Clinic, Women Can Get A Manicure While Female Mechanics Fix Their Cars

At Girls Auto Clinic, Women Can Get A Manicure While Female Mechanics Fix Their Cars

Patrice Banks recently launched Girls Auto Clinic – a Philadelphia repair shop that employs women and caters to women.

The auto care industry is a male-dominated profession. But the majority of customers at repair shops are women.

Recognizing the disconnect, Patrice Banks launched Girls Auto Clinic – a Philadelphia repair shop that employs women and caters to women.

Banks, a former DuPont materials engineer, now calls herself the “chief she-canic” at Girls Auto Clinic. She founded the shop to take the stress and anxiety out of the repair experience for women, who have told her that they worry about being ripped off at male-operated service centers.

“It’s no secret most women hate their automotive buying and repair experiences because we feel misunderstood, taken advantage of and/or mistreated,” the shop’s website explains. “To make things worse, the automotive industry has not done much to ease concerns, anxiety and fear despite the fact more than half their customers are women and spend $200 billion a year on buying and repairing their cars.”

With that in mind, Girls Auto Clinic offers free monthly car-care workshops to help women boost their automotive acumen.

“We educate and empower women through their cars,” Banks says in a video for Rise Up.

Banks says she got the idea from a blog that she created. The blog surveyed women about all the tasks that they have to pay men to do for them. By far, she says, the No. 1 response was car repair.

When she Googled “female mechanic,” she found pictures of bikini-clad women draped across exotic cars.

“That’s when I decided that I’m going to learn,” she says in the video. “There’s a space here for education, for empowerment.”

Launched in January, Girls Auto Clinic offers services such as oil changes, tire rotations, fluid flush-and-fill, brake-pad replacement, transmission service and check-engine-light diagnostics. While women wait for their cars to be serviced, they can get a manicure or pedicure at the onsite Clutch Beauty Bar.

“We want women to feel like they can be themselves and just relax,” Banks says. “ … This is just kind of like a clubhouse for women. Just come and hang out.”

But her vision for the shop is much bigger than that.

“I want to reach every woman driver,” she says. “We should demand a better automotive experience.”

You May Also Like

Auto Care Association Leaders Visit Northwood University

Auto Care President and CEO Bill Hanvey was the guest lecturer for several Northwood automotive aftermarket courses at its Midland campus.

Bill Hanvey Auto Care Northwood

Photo caption: Bill Hanvey, president and CEO, Auto Care Association (pictured on the right), teaches an automotive aftermarket course during a recent visit to Northwood University in Midland, Michigan.

Leaders from the Auto Care Association recently visited Northwood University to meet with students enrolled in automotive aftermarket courses.

Autel Partners with MOTOR to Provide OEM Data on Ultra Tablets

MOTOR TruSpeed Repair will be available for integration into Autel’s diagnostics software on all North American Ultra-series tablets.

Autel MOTOR Information Systems
MPA Announces Schedule for Part Smart Training

The free courses cover vehicle starting and charging systems, braking, hubs and turbos.

MPA Part Smart
Shop-Ware Announces Partnership with Amazing 7 LLC

The product launch offers staff members valuable context to incoming phone calls, to respond to customers personally and intelligently.

Shop Ware Amazing 7
Hunter Announces Integration Partnership with UpdatePromise

The integration will allow service advisors quick access to Hunter’s autonomous inspection results.

Other Posts

MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Achieves UAF Gold Lifetime Trustee Status

The designation goes to “outstanding donors who significantly support the UAF’s mission.”

MEMA UAF Gold Lifetime Trustee
ASE Ed. Foundation, Auto Dealer Associations Tackle Tech Shortage

Three student competitions are currently scheduled for 2024, with more being planned.

ASE Education Foundation Auto Dealers
Northwood U Announces 2024 Class of 20 Under 40 Honorees

The program recognizes NU alumni who are ambitious professionals doing great things in their careers, organizations or communities.

Northwood University 20 Under 40
Two NexaMotion Units Expand Product Offerings, Open New Locations

Transtar Industries and C&M Auto Parts are expanding.

NexaMotion Expanding