Screengrabs via @BCurb111 on TikTok

‘You don’t need a man, you need a mechanic’: Girl attempts independence by replacing wiper fluid single-handedly but almost destroys her car

'Girlfriend, you set us back 20 years.'

There are certain life skills that many of us feel like we never learned some pretty basic life skills and when we grow up we become too ashamed to admit that we’re still in the dark.

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This could be the case when it comes to cars, taxes, applying for jobs, or even what a credit score is. Young women, in particular, often feel like parents or teachers neglected to teach them traditionally masculine chores, like mowing a lawn or changing the oil in a car.

Now, many young women often like to figure things out on their own and prove to whoever doubts them that they don’t need a man or a husband to do things for them. This is usually an admirable mission, but if you’re going to showcase your new practical skills with confidence, you better make sure you’re doing everything right.

Unfortunately, that’s what Bailey Curbow on TikTok learned the hard way when she tried to replace the windshield wiper fluid in her car.

As she confidently poured the blue fluid into her oil tank, she proudly proclaimed “Who needs a man?” And while she may not have needed a man, she certainly needed a mechanic. Following the video of her DIY car fix was a video the mechanic took after she’d been having car troubles. He unscrewed the oil cap from the bottom of the car and let all that blue liquid out. No wonder her car had been acting funny.

People in the comments were quick to let her know just how panicked she had made them, one of them even pointing out that the caps are typically labeled in the hood of the car. Others encouraged them to just give it a Google next time, just to make sure she didn’t have to pay for multiple oil changes.

She followed up to let everyone know that she’d gotten super lucky and her mistake had not cost her her entire car, although it definitely could have. If you ever find yourself in Bailey’s position, take comfort in knowing there are many videos on YouTube showcasing how exactly to refill wiper fluid. Typically it is as easy as funneling the liquid into the well-labeled reserve, reaching the fill line, closing the cap, and calling it a day.

But if you’re even slightly hesitant, it’s probably better to pay way too much for a mechanic to do it for you than to lose your whole car.

Bailey got lucky and only spent a few hundred dollars on her repair, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, it could cost you a car.


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Jensen Bird
Jensen is a Freelance Writer at We Got This Covered. She specializes in TikTok and social media content. She is currently pursuing her M.S. in Journalism at Columbia University and has a degree in Foreign Language & Communications Media. Jensen spends way too much time scrolling on TikTok and is grateful for a position that lets her write about it.