Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, in partnership with Vermont Public.
MILTON — Allison Rowley loves cars. She's a hobby mechanic, and she spent a year working at a South Burlington auto repair shop.
There, she noticed many customers didn't know the basics of automotive maintenance — they had never had the opportunity to learn. She saw that being especially true for women and others with marginalized identities. She said the lack of knowledge was not because of interest or ability, but because of who is typically taught about cars.
“There is a big drop off in car knowledge based on gender,” Rowley said. "Society has really created an auto industry where men are the ones who know about cars, which is just a result of no effort being put in to teach people."
Rowley said knowing about your car, and feeling knowledgeable and confident at the auto shop, "is incredibly powerful." She wanted to make that possible for more people.
So a few months ago, she started Rowley Wrench. It’s an organization that offers free workshops on how to take care of your car.
“We want to pull back the curtain and give people an idea of how the auto repair industry works," Rowley said, "to give them the best possible knowledge base to make decisions.”
Rowley recently led workshops in St. Albans and Winooski focused on preparing cars for Vermont winters. About a dozen people attended, including 20-year-old Annelise Bedan.
Bedan is originally from Maine, and she’s a student at Champlain College in Burlington. As an Asian American woman, she said she often worries about how repair shops will treat her because of her marginalized identities.
“It's usually a white man servicing my car,” Bedan said. “And then I feel nervous asking questions, because, ‘Oh, maybe he'll think of me a certain way.’ I feel as though, when you're getting your car worked on, if you don't know what's happening, they're going to charge you more money, especially if you're a person of color, or if you're female."
Bedan's fears are not unfounded. The vast majority of auto mechanics are men, and a study published in the Journal of Marketing Research in 2017 found that when men and women customers said they did not know the cost of a repair, auto shops quoted women higher prices than men.
At Rowley’s workshop, though, Bedan said she felt safe asking questions. And because of that, she learned a lot more about her car.
“After this workshop, I feel like I can take the power and hold it in my hands now," she said. "I know how to go about my next visit to the shop, and how to ask for things, and how to assert myself in this situation where I do know what's going on, I know what needs to be done and how it is done, so that I won't be taken advantage of."
Rowley has been working with Good News Garage to connect with people who might be interested in her workshops. Good News Garage is a New England nonprofit that fixes donated cars and awards them to people who need them. Tom Kupfer is the organization's marketing manager.
"Maintaining your vehicle is incredibly important because here in Vermont, our vehicles have a very short lifespan, unfortunately, compared to other parts of the country," he said.
Kupfer said it can be easy for people to avoid basic car maintenance — especially if they weren't taught about its importance at a young age — because it can be expensive, time-consuming and intimidating. He said Rowley's workshops can help.
"Rowley Wrench helps folks that aren't traditionally indoctrinated with automotive education obtain that education in a really supportive and welcoming environment," Kupfer said.
Rowley said interest in the Rowley Wrench workshops has been strong.
"There is a real want for women, queer folks, people of color, and people who are from out of state to know more about their cars," she said.
As a queer woman herself, Rowley said she's dedicated to helping people who are part of marginalized communities know more about their cars in just about every way.
"Not only saving people money, but keeping people safer on the road," she said.
Rowley Wrench plans to hold free, virtual car maintenance workshops on the first Saturday of every month starting Jan. 3, 2026. Anyone is welcome to attend.
