Visiting car dealerships can be intimidating for many women. These entrepreneurs hope to change that

Leyla Balouch has had her fair share of bad experiences at auto mechanic shops.

But after seeking out the services of MAE, a virtual car-buying service designed to help women with the car shopping experience, Balouch says she's feeling more empowered to take care of her own car.

"It was just really interesting to hear that there was somebody who could coach you through a very stressful and frustrating process that most people don't enjoy and that I had never done on my own before," Balouch said.

MAE, which stands for Making Auto Easy, launched officially this week with a women's-only car show in Vancouver. 

It's one of several businesses across Metro Vancouver hoping to empower women and make them feel comfortable in what they describe as an intimidating, male-dominated industry.

Vivian Liu, a former district manager for General Motors, says she decided to start the company when she saw a knowledge gap among women when it comes to cars, leading them to feeling uncomfortable visiting car dealerships or auto body shops.

"They're kind of talked down to and sometimes disrespected," Liu said. 

"Even myself going into the store, even though I've been working in the auto industry, I even have those feelings too, because they see you in that type of way.

"Since the inception of the auto industry, it's always been this way,"  Liu told CBC News.

"The industry, the lifestyle of working in it, it wasn't suitable for women and that's kind of carried forward to the type of experience that we all experienced today, and it has not changed."

The car show, Making Auto Easy Presents: The First Women's Auto Show, was held Thursday at the new Toyota dealership in downtown Vancouver, where the company also launched a service called Matchmaker, which helps customers narrow down car options from about 1,500 vehicles to six, helping them make the best decision based on their needs and preferences. 

The service is not limited to women; it's available to anyone who needs help.

Getting your nails done while servicing your car

Leah Gillanders, a Red Seal Certified mechanic, agrees, saying most women have bad experiences at automotive shops. 

It's why she decided to open Leah's Automotive in North Vancouver seven years ago.

"I wanted to be able to help people beyond what a dealership could do," said Gillanders.

A certified BMW technician, who fell in love with cars in high school, Gillanders says her shop focuses on European luxury vehicles, and she tries to offer customers — especially women — a different experience by educating them about their car while fixing it, in hopes of making them feel more comfortable about taking it in to a mechanic. 

Gillanders offers women-only automotive classes too.

"I really try to just explain more, explain why we're doing this, explain why … your brakes were out or why the control arm or what a control arm is," she said. "I explain some more of how it works so they understand.

"If we can educate women about their car, while it's getting repaired, that was my goal."

Gillanders says getting one's car fixed or looked at shouldn't be a bad experience. She's extended her business to a nail salon next door.

"Girls can hang out, get their nails done, my nail technicians, they've taken a few of my auto classes too so they can talk cars with everybody who comes in. It's a really cool vibe."

Meeting women where they are

Lex Marshall, lead detailer at DETAILS by Lady T in Coquitlam, east of Vancouver, offers to bring her services to where her customers are, anywhere in Greater Vancouver. 

The auto detailer of the mobile cleaning service acknowledges it can feel intimidating to visit an auto detailing shop.

"This is a really male-dominated industry and so it does make a difference for you to be able to feel comfortable to just say, 'How can I upkeep my vehicle on my own? What can I do between details to keep it clean?'" said Marshall. 

"Just being able to get that knowledge and feel comfortable to ask, I like to be able to give that to someone."

Back at the event, Balouch says she now feels so empowered about managing her car, she recently took her husband to the dealership with her — so he could watch their kids while she talks shop.

"I just felt like that was really awesome," she said.