This Latina Provides A Safe Space For Women To Learn Free Auto Repair and Maintenance In O.C.

On a hot Saturday morning in late June, Angie Hernandez, owner of Soco Smog Test in Costa Mesa, hosted her fifth “Women with Wrenches” workshop.

From oil changes to replacing tires and jump-starting a car, Hernandez’s hands-on sessions provide women with the tools to maintain their vehicles and be prepared for on-the-road emergencies.

“There’s a smaller group today, but there’s usually a much larger group that comes,” Hernandez said, greeting the women entering her small, pale-green shop.

That morning, six women attended the workshop, having learned about Hernandez's free class through TikTok.

The 33-year-old proudly runs one of Orange County’s only woman-owned-and-operated Smog Test shops. She prides herself in providing a safe space where women can learn about vehicle maintenance and repair and feel comfortable asking questions.

While she only recently started offering these workshops, Hernandez's passion for cars and spreading knowledge both date back to her younger years.

“Well, I've always loved cars, but I never thought I’d be doing this,” she said. “Growing up, I feel like most Latino families always worked on their cars at home, and I figured that was normal.”

She often watched her father fixing cars at home. But it wasn’t until she purchased her first car from Craigslist that her own interest in engines escalated.

Hernandez had little money back then. If her car needed to be fixed, she either went to her brother for it or searched for lectures on how to fix the problem on YouTube.

She vividly remembers feeling that spark you get from achieving something you thought you couldn't do. For her, it was the day she performed her first oil change.

“My brother taught me," she said. "From there, I was like, if I can do this, what else can I do and learn?"

"I felt empowered," she continued. "That was the first seed implanted, that feeling of, ‘Oh my god, I just did that myself.’ So that’s what I hope my workshops do. I hope it plants little seeds in the women who come to want to keep learning.”

Despite her appreciation for cars, Hernandez never pursued a career in the automotive industry. At the time, she was studying to become a high school teacher, eventually working as a preschool teacher for a while before deciding to carve out a different path.

For four years, Hernandez worked for other companies before saving enough money to open up Soco Smog Test in 2020, becoming part of the 10 to 12% of women who make up the auto repair and maintenance industry in the U.S., according to Consumer Affairs.

For reference, men make up 87% of the auto repair and maintenance industry. While it’s been reported that the interest in the craft spiked among women during the pandemic, women are still a minority in the field.

Hernandez never shed her need to teach others, which prompted her to provide these hands-on workshops free of charge.

“I feel so special," she said. "I love that other women come in, and they say they come here because they feel comfortable. That is the most important thing to me because no matter if you are a woman or man, it's very uncomfortable sometimes, especially if you don’t know anything about cars, to go into a shop and get your car checked out.”

That day, Hernandez invited Bridget Cooper, a friend in the auto industry, to help her with the workshop's demonstrations. Cooper kicked off the session by opening the hood of a grey Nissan to show the group how to check their car's oil.

The women huddled around her to get a better look. Some took notes on their phones, while others took reference photos and videos.

Cooper values being able to help other women and, like Hernandez, only wants to show women that they can fix cars, too. That it’s not hard for the most part.

She explained that men are often taught how to work on their vehicles from a young age, while many girls are simply taught to call for help if their cars break down.

"That needs to change," Cooper said. "There are a lot of women who are single moms and a lot of women who may not have someone at home to teach them or show them how to do this."

"We want them to have basic knowledge so when mechanics talk to them, they already know how their car is running, what needs to be fixed, and why," she said. "They’re less likely to be taken advantage of and will be more prepared in an emergency, too."

Having one's inexperience taken advantage by a mechanic happens much too often. It almost happened to Jessica Doverspike, an attendee of the workshop, who has had similar encounters when visiting a shop by herself. She almost got scammed into fixing something on her car that didn’t need fixing.

"I was told that my belt needed to be replaced because it was torn up and this and that, and of course, I freaked out," she said. "But thankfully, I decided to go to another place for a second opinion, and there I was told that my belt was fine."

"But now I can pre-assess what my car needs," she added. "I know what I’m looking at and won’t be easily fooled.”

Doverspike said she’s considered taking a course to learn more about under-the-hood basics in the past, but most of the classes she found were too expensive. Then she found the SoCo Smog Test's free workshops.

As Cooper prepared another station for a demonstration on jumper cables, Hernandez started showing the group how to change a tire.

“You want to put your carjack underneath," she explained. "This car has little indention marks right here, see? They’re on all four sides.”

The women knelt, approaching the car individually to see the dents.

With a smile from cheek-to-cheek, first-time attendee Brandy Chico approached the car; she was the first of the group to attempt to twist off a lug nut. Doing precisely what Hernandez told her, she stepped on the lug wrench to loosen up the nut before manually taking it off.

“I did it!” she exclaimed, raising the lug nut in the air. The group cheered her on, equally as excited and ready for their turn.

Like Doverspike, Chico was also fed up with dealing with harassment and intimidation when visiting mechanics. She decided to educate herself more and found Hernandez on her “for you page” on TikTok by accident.

“It was funny, because before finding Angie, I had already texted my friends saying that we should get together to try and learn at least basic mechanics,” she laughed. “And boom, that same day, Angie’s video popped up. It was the only time I didn’t mind being listened to by my phone.”

And would she recommend Angie's class?

“A thousand percent," she said. "I was here the whole time thinking about my friends and wanting to bring them so they could also learn. I’m coming back for sure.”

For self-proclaimed "passenger princess" Alexa Barajas, who also attended the event, learning to keep up with her car’s maintenance from Hernandez has boosted her confidence.

“She does such an awesome job at pointing out what things should look like; if you see white residue, it’s this," she said. "And it’s just overall so much knowledge that she's sharing, and she’s empowering us.”

Before learning about the workshops, she said she would always rely on her dad or boyfriend to help her fix anything wrong with her car. But after a couple of times experiencing on-the-road troubles and having to deal them by going into a shop by herself, she was done with being on the outs.

“The men in my life aren't always going to be there," Barajas said. "So I told myself I needed to learn how to do it myself.”

The following lesson for the group was one Hernandez said most people are always nervous about. Changing your battery and jump-starting your car.

“Everyone freaks out with the batteries, but it’s not that scary once you know what you're doing,” Hernandez told L.A. TACO. “My goal is to remove that veil of fear when working on their cars because knowing these things can save them so much money.”

With nervous looks surrounding them, Hernandez and Cooper showed the women how to use jumper cables properly.

“Who wants to go first?” she asked.

Sporting her bright pink shorts, Doverspike took the plunge and grabbed the jumper cables. Gripping the clamps tight, she clamped them confidently onto the battery.

Another “I did it!” rang out in the parking lot. Something about seeing another woman do it motivated the others to try it.

As Hernandez explained, her workshops vary in size but are always hands-on. If any attendees have a specific question about their car or want to try something they learned on their vehicle, Hernandez gladly shows them. She says it helps them grasp the information better because they are learning to do all this with their own cars, not someone else's.

While she wishes she could lead her workshops more often, Hernandez currently hosts them just once or twice every other month. The best way to stay on top of her next workshop is to follow her Instagram account.

Being able to offer these workshops for free has been very fulfilling for Hernandez. She can’t believe how well her lessons have been received.

“I think it's amazing that women are interested in it," she said. "I want to see more women in this industry. I want women to know that fixing their cars is not hard."

"To be a woman in this field is so special to me because not only do people trust me, but it’s just good to make women feel comfortable and confident.”

Soco Smog Test ~ 3013 Enterprise St. Ste. B Costa Mesa, CA 92626