| Meet Mandy . . . Mechanic
Author: Sheronde
Glover
 She's
tall, thin, young, and attractive and if it wasn't for the baseball cap and the
greasy hands, you'd probably think she was a model. But Mandy Harbin is no model;
She's the owner of Tires by Mandy and in the time it takes most models to walk
down a runway, and with the same grace and style, Mandy can disengage a bad tire
and replace it with a new one. She's living proof that women can
repair their cars ---- if they need to, if they have to and if they want to. In
the business for almost 10 years, Mandy says that working on cars comes second
nature, like shopping at the grocery store. She's always been around mechanics,
her father owned the business prior to Mandy and her brother owns the auto shop
that sits next door. The auto business for Mandy, is indeed a family affair and
she counts her customers as an extension of that family. Mandy
gets sheer joy out of knowing everything she needs to know about caring for her
car and feels that women can effectively manage their own car maintenance once
they remove the fear of "getting their hands dirty" and begin to recognize
and address early signs of trouble. Women are often overwhelmed by the idea of
auto repair, but Mandy notes that doesn't have to be the case if women follow
general rules of maintenance, which includes keeping their cars regularly maintained
and handling problems early on.
Mandy's specialty is tires and she gave
us some useful tidbits about keeping those wheels in check to keep us safe while
on the road.
Two Primary Tips for Maintaining Your Car Tires
1. Rotate and Balance
2. Checking the Air Pressure
Rotating
the tires and checking the air pressure provides better gas mileage and lessens
the wear and tear on the car. And with gas mileage at all time highs, this is
good information to have. For checking air pressure, Mandy says don't trust an
"eyeball's view" to determine if your tires are low. Purchase an air
gauge. Front tires, she notes tend to look lower because the front of the car
has more weight on it, which can be deceptive. An air gauge will give a more accurate
reading of whether your car really needs air.
On Mistakes We Make
Putting too much air in the tire is something Mandy sees often, which is very
dangerous. Too much air is just as bad as too little air and can cause your tire
to explode. How do you know what you need? Mandy warns that it's very important
to check the tire that's on the vehicle. Often people refer to the Owner's Manual
for this information, which is relative to the tires that came from the manufacturer.
If you have a new car and have had tires installed since your purchase or you
own a used car, you want to make sure that you're getting the right information.
Environmentally Speaking
Another reason to maintain your car
. . . it helps the environment. Tires we discovered are difficult to dispose of.
On average Mandy changes 300 tires a week ---- that's a lot of tires! Having your
car aligned and keeping your tires rotated are good ways to maintain the health
of your car; it's tires, and the environment . . . now that's a nice extra bonus.  On
Women and Car Repair
Women can be taken advantage of when it comes to
auto repair. To combat this, Mandy suggests getting a second opinion before getting
auto work done. If possible, consider smaller, family owned repair shops versus
larger corporations. Become familiar with general maintenance issues like how
to check your oil, how to check the water, and how to change a tire. Keep a spare,
a lug wrench, and a jack in the car so you'll have all the necessary tools in
the event you have a flat tire.
And as a little extra incentive for
you ladies that are still really opposed to handling some of your own car maintenance
----- Mandy never has to go to a gym because working at her shop keeps her in
tiptop physical shape!
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