Verdict on Month 3

“He who has a why can endure any how.” --Friedrich Nietzsche

Thoughts on my endeavor with cars:

Will I stick with it?

There’s not much to stick with, honestly. If I ever get a flat tire, I will change it myself. I am woman, hear me roar.

Also of note, I have developed an excellent tactic to employ with the mechanic guys that change my oil and try to sell me $20,000 worth of car parts every time I darken their door. Ask questions. It sounds simple, but it works. Become one of those annoying people who constantly asks, “Why?” Eventually, one of two things will happen. They will run out of sales techniques and give up. Or they explain a legitimate reason why you need to have something done.

I employed this strategy last week when I got my oil changed. Not only did I learn what a gasket was, I learned why there should only be one in the engine of my car and my car (inexplicably) had two. After the reasoning was explained to me, I understood the situation. I also think the car guys were impressed that I was legitimately trying to understand what was happening with my car. They turned out to be super helpful and instead of selling me overpriced doodads, they explained everything to me and gave me a $50 discount (most likely because I utilized my womanly wiles). Success? I think so.

Am I glad I tried this?

Yes. While, it did not go as I originally planned, I still learned a lot. Instead of my eyes glazing over with confusion and not even attempting to understand, I now feel like I have a general knowledge of my automobile. This knowledge (small as it may be) is quite empowering because I do not need to rely on other people completely. I have a greater awareness for what’s going on under the hood and have developed new catch phrases like “If it leaks, it’s broken.” Obviously a fabulous end result.

Would I recommend trying it?

Definitely. And I recommend that you do a better job at it than I did. Then share your knowledge with me.

I’m not sure that I can declare this month a success… but I did learn a lot of great information that I can actually apply to my life. I lived to tell about it, despite SUV man’s best efforts.