Argh. This is a little bit frustrating to read. Leaving the gender stuff aside, good shops recommend fluid checks and air filter replacements and battery checks

Argh. This is a little bit frustrating to read. Leaving the gender stuff aside, good shops recommend fluid checks and air filter replacements and battery checks and so on because it's a good idea. A bad air filter won't just hurt your gas mileage and performance, it will destroy your rings, causing your engine to wear out a lot faster and eventually start burning oil, further damaging other components down the line. And for what, to save 20 bucks now and again? Things leak. A lot of people never realize their car is leaking. They don't get in the habit of crawling under their car and checking to see if their transmission is coated in grimy oil or if their transmission is sweating transmission fluid. They never notice the very slight groaning sound the car makes when turning the steering wheel because the power steering pump is leaky. They see a few drops under the front of their car in the parking lot and assume it's normal or runoff from their AC system when it's actually a radiator or water pump. If you don't trust your mechanic enough to follow their recommendations, you should get a new mechanic. People -- man or woman -- coming in to a shop and ordering the shop around as if they know cars better than the shop staff are the worst sort of customers.