A ‘level of trust:’ Orange County shop teaches car basics to more women

On a warm day in August at an Orange County smog shop, 11 young women — almost all in their 20s — watched a kneeling technician use a lug wrench to change a tire on a car.

With her hands covered in grease, technician and smog shop owner Angie Hernandez showed participants what to look for. They also worked under the hood, learning how to check oil levels. The engaging lesson was during an auto basics class at Soco Smog Test in Costa Mesa.

Fullerton resident Hernandez started hosting the hands-on workshops in Orange County to teach women basic car maintenance skills, shortly after she opened her business in 2020.

“These are basic everyday (car) things that I find a lot of people don’t know,” the 33-year-old said. “I’ve always loved the idea of women empowerment…I didn’t like the idea of not knowing things, and feeling like you’re getting ripped off.”

Hernandez wants her business to allow women to feel comfortably themselves. With its sage green walls, floral decor and empowerment-themed stickers, her shop achieves just that, “balancing a feminine vibe” with a “typically masculine line of work,” Hernandez said.

With over 450 reviews, Soco Smog has been called a “hidden gem,” with a rare five-star rating on Yelp. The woman-owned business — a STAR-certified test-only station — prides itself on being eco-friendly, an achievement that less than 30% of smog check stations in Southern California can claim.

Once she opened her business and started posting car “how-to’s” on TikTok — which now has over 6,000 followers — Hernandez quickly realized how many women didn’t feel comfortable maintaining their vehicles, or were afraid of being overcharged.

More women were relieved to see “safe spaces that exist like this for us,” as one commenter on TikTok noted.

Many of the workshop attendees, typically around 10 to 15 women, are “kind of clueless when it comes to cars,” Hernandez said. She remembers being treated differently when going to an auto shop, so she eventually learned how to do things on her own. Overcoming personal fears when it comes to auto maintenance is the ultimate goal for her in-person and online lessons.

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Each class includes live demos and hands-on lessons, with participants taught vehicle basics like checking air filters, oil level, fluids and brakes. They also pick up skills like jump-starting a car and other essentials, such as changing and inflating tires.

“I kind of fell in love with learning about cars and fixing my own cars,” Hernandez said. “I felt proud to be able to do mechanic work on my own.”

Hernandez has held around six classes at Soco Smog since 2021. She plans to host workshops more frequently — perhaps every two months — due to the high demand. Sign-ups will be posted on the shop’s social media.

It’s no surprise that the automotive industry is largely a male-dominated field, research shows.

Only 12.3% of women are employed in auto repair and maintenance industries, according to 2023 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, compared to men’s 85.3%. The shortage echoes a rising demand for auto technicians, which is predicted to outplace supply by 2025.

Though women make up one of the largest consumer groups, the automotive industry has historically been “a toxic environment” for them, according to research from Trade School Future. Federal research shows more women, who have been actively working with cars since the 19th century, remain underrepresented in every sector of the auto labor force.

For this reason, Hernandez resonates with women who may feel intimidated in the traditionally male-dominated space.

San Pedro resident Amanda Cayax drove around 45 minutes to attend one of the Soco Smog workshops.

“I’m really kind of intimidated by mechanics (who are) usually all older males, and I don’t really have a lot of knowledge in that area,” Cayax, 21, said. “I also don’t know what mechanics in the area are trustworthy or will try to upsell or overcharge you. When I saw this, I thought it was a perfect workshop.”

Cayax thought that changing a tire was one of the most helpful things she learned from Hernandez’s most recent workshop on Aug. 17.

“I know it’s a really basic thing but I’ve never really seen it done,” Cayax said. “Things like this create a safe space for women without feeling scared, especially to ask questions. Woman to woman — there is a level of trust there.”

Chelsea Sanchez also found the recent workshop helpful, adding that learning to change a tire was her highlight.

“I really think these skills are important to have. I there’s things I can do to save money on my end, especially in this economy, I’m gonna take the chance to do it,” the 25-year-old San Clemente resident said. “I’ve been in multiple situations with friends or myself where knowing how to change a tire would have really helped.”

“Girls in the Garage”

A Mission Viejo area mechanic shop, which has been hosting workshops to empower women in cars for years, is the Mission Viejo Transmission and Auto Repair on La Paz Road.

The repair shop’s free monthly workshop program, “Girls in the Garage,” started in 2012 at a friend’s recommendation, said owner Kevin Hurley.

“81 women showed up,” Hurley, 66, said, of that first workshop. “(For) so many women, it’s not that they’re scared of their cars, but don’t know a lot and they obviously can learn. It was amazing how much people did know, and how fast they picked up on what they didn’t.”

The program continued to expand, growing to include 12 car stations for live demos, with a capacity for 400 attendees at a time. “Girls in the Garage” has since worked with over 14,000 women over the last decade, from sports teams and diverse car enthusiasts, Hurley said.

He recalled the Girl Scouts of Orange County coming through, with even the youngest scouts “learning hands-on” life skills like how to change a tire, check fluid levels, and other general car maintenance skills.

Though the inclusive workshops have been on hiatus since the COVID-19 pandemic, Hurley said he plans to restart classes as soon as spring of next year.

Driving a legacy 

Other businesses and spaces in Southern California have a similar mission: to make the wide, often intimidating world of cars more inclusive and accessible — whether it’s for commuters, enthusiasts, or the career-minded.

Among them is Corona’s Woopy’s Auto Parts, which has served the Inland Empire for over a decade. Though the repair garage is temporarily closed, it was known in the community for its charismatic owner whom patrons say was so good at what she was doing, she was “better than a guy working on cars.”

The local auto shop is focused on bringing more women into car culture.

At the Los Angeles Petersen Automotive Museum, an ongoing lowrider exhibit, “Best in Low,” honors Chicano lowrider culture and communities of the 1960s. The show features two lowrider builders, Sandy Avila and Tina Blankenship-Early, who are both members of the club “Lady Lowriders.” The L.A.-based car club advocates for more women in the lowrider scene and throughout car culture.

Pasadena resident Avila is the Lady Lowriders’ president and founder. Though she’s been building her own car since 2019, when she first started learning the ropes, she didn’t know where to start. She soon found an encouraging and motivating community with the lowriders.

“Women are definitely the underdogs when it comes to automotive anything,” Avila, 41, said. “Our group shows you can bring a positive, feminine light and aspect to the automotive world for men and women… others being in the auto industry brings motivation to other women and encourages them that they can do it too.”