Daimee Rosales operates an auto repair shop with her dad in Toronto. On social media, she shares car tips while joking about mechanic culture. It’s not just gimmicky fun, but a way to educate a wider, younger audience about cars, especially women who often get a raw deal from mechanics. Rosales has been fine-tuning her work in the garage, including stripping several finicky transmissions down to parts and rebuilding them. Such skills are in high demand in the auto industry and can earn masterful mechanics a hefty income, but Rosales insists on charging customers fairly, especially her female clients. Her experience gives her a wealth of information about the most dependable cars in North America — and how much maintenance they'll require in the long term. She doesn’t mince words when asked what cars she would never recommend. Rosales says the least dependable brands are imported luxury vehicles, such as Jaguar, Audi, Mercedes, and Land Rover. Instead, Rosales spoke highly of longtime, well-regarded car companies like Toyota and Honda, pointing out that they’re super easy to work on. Above all, Rosales points out that no matter what you drive, you should always keep up with your oil changes. “A lot of people, especially women, don’t keep up with their oil changes, and over time it will cause major issues with the transmission or engine,” she explained. She advises drivers to keep to a standard 5,000-mile scheduled check-in. She also pointed out that drivers of sedans and SUVs should only pay between $70 and $90 for an oil change; a heftier bill might indicate the shop is overcharging. Truck owners, of course, should expect to pay around $120 for a V8-powered vehicle.
