Confused about your car? Check out this free workshop

Posted on 17 March, 2021

Do you know what to do on a dark, stormy night when something goes wrong with your car?

I don’t. In fact, I wouldn’t know in the bright light of day. And while once upon a time, that kind of thing lay firmly in the realm of “men’s business”, my husband wouldn’t have a clue either.

It’s the same when we get our car serviced and receive the bill. Puzzling over each line and the seemingly exorbitant fee, we scratch our heads and pay the bill, leaving with the impression that we’ve been ripped off.

“I guess in the past, there’s always been a big stigma around people that work in the car industry,” says Isabelle Schmidt, Marketing and Communications Manager at Autoco Group.

“Whether it’s a mechanic or a car salesman, they’re almost always portrayed as people that are going to rip you off.”

This stigma was the initial inspiration for Autoco’s first Car Maintenance Workshop in collaboration with HerCanberra in August 2015.

“It was about getting people into the workshop, meeting our really great mechanics and auto electricians, because they’re all really good people.”

Originally targeted towards women, the workshops have grown over time and now welcome people of all genders and ages.

“Over time, we had a lot of inquiries from women who wanted to bring their partners or single dads who wanted to come and learn a little bit more. Even dads that wanted to come with their children who were about to get their P plates. So now it’s open to everyone.”

The workshops steer clear of acronyms and technical lingo. Instead, they use everyday language to explain the things that you really need to know about your car.

“We don’t go too crazy in-depth,” says Brendan Hayward, an Autoco Auto Electrician who assists with running the workshops.

“It’s more like how to check fluids like your oil and coolant, where to top up the windscreen wipers, how to change a headlight globe if you get stuck one night.”

“The sort of things that would help someone in the day-to-day, but also looking over the car in general and explaining what some of the larger components do, and how that connects between the accelerator pedal and actually driving down the road.”

In fact, the workshop is divided into three distinct sections: all about the tyres, what’s under the hood, and preparing for the worst-case scenario.

This inclusivity and mission to empower people, especially women, extends to the internal operations of Autoco as well.

“Every woman that has applied with us, we’ve taken on board for that same reason,” says Isabelle.

“We’re trying to make the industry more inclusive. It’s really important that it starts with businesses doing their part and making it more of a supportive environment.”

Making the auto industry more inclusive and empowering women to feel safe and confident with their vehicles? Now that’s a mission that we can get behind.

If you’re a Northsider in need of a service, Autoco is opening a brand new store in Mitchell. Autoco Mitchell is located at 133 Flemington Road, bringing their total store count to four across the ACT.

It’s right near a light rail stop, making it easier than ever to drop your car off for a service before catching the light rail into work and back.

Credit: Robert Schmidt (Mechanic and CMW guru) at a past workshop.