An all-female garage located in a rural Norwich industrial estate, which is the first of its kind in the UK, has enjoyed overwhelming popularity and success.
‘Caroline’s Cars’ was set up ten years ago by 42-year-old Caroline Flack, after she was appalled and shocked by the standard of service she witnessed women receiving at the hands of male-run garages.
It is an age-old stereotype which has been facing drivers, but women in particular, for decades: the shady, quick-witted mechanic takes advantage of the female motorist’s lack of car knowledge and charges over the odds – or even for work which has not been carried out.
The mother of two trained in car mechanics by working as an unpaid apprentice for four years, until she finally convinced her male boss to hire her as an employee. Subsequently she became one of the UK’s first female qualified MOT testers.
"Garages can be a terrifying experience for many women – I know women who prefer going to the dentist than going to a garage” said Caroline.
She continued: "I know women who have been ripped off, told their cars needed expensive work doing when it didn't or just have men talking to their boobs and being leery.
"Women come here because they know they can trust me, and that I'm not going to rip them off. I want to encourage women to not be afraid and feel safe – it's engrained in society that women automatically know nothing about cars.
"It's not just young women who prefer a female garage; men are exactly the same about big burly mechanics and their 'backstreet' reputations.”
Her theory has proven true – in the ten years that the garage has been open it has been so popular that Caroline had to break her original female only policy and hire men to cope with demand.
As well as running the garage she also runs classes for women to educate them about exactly what goes on under a car bonnet.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
