GREENSBORO, N.C. — Oil changes, fixing tires, and inspecting cars-- she does it all! It's not every day that you find women under the hood, but Bethany Hyatt takes pride in breaking the mold.
"I always get a lot of customers that are like 'Oh, I love you,'" Hyatt said. "'This is amazing. I've never seen a female! This is great.'"
Hyatt loves getting her hands dirty in the shop.
"I do the state inspections on cars," Hyatt said. "I do the oil changes and coolant changes. I love doing brakes. Those are my favorite things. I do car alignments, mount, and balance tires."
Cars are a part of Hyatt's DNA.
"My brother always worked on cars," Hyatt said. "My dad worked on cars, but it was more so my brother. We were eventually going to have our own shop one day, but he had passed away."
Losing her older brother Chris was tough for Hyatt and came early in her career.
"When my brother first passed away, it was like my first or second week of being in an actual shop," Hyatt said.
She misses him dearly, but never works on a job without Chris close by.
"On the side of my toolbox, I have a necklace urn with his ashes in it, so I have him here with me every day," Hyatt said.
Knowing he's close is helpful on days when her skills get questioned.
"Every now and then I run into that one guy that's just like 'I don't want you working on my car,'" said Hyatt.
On the other hand, Hyatt says women usually call on her to decode the car repair lingo.
" A lot of times it is a lot easier for the females to actually understand what I'm saying because I can relate to them and break it down to them a little bit better," Hyatt said.
Hyatt says she hopes to make her brother proud soon because now she's on track to become a master technician.
“I love doing what I do," Hyatt said. "I am happiest here.”