Woman Takes Kia to Dealership After She Hears ‘Banging' Noise. She's Told to Turn Up Music, A/C to ‘Drown' It Out
Zoe (
@itsthatzshi
), who lives in Florida, says she originally took her car in for an oil change. While she was there, she says she also flagged a mysterious 'banging' noise that would come and go while she drove. She says she expected the dealership to take it seriously. According to her, it didn't.
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Though the issue eventually got resolved, Zoe expressed frustration that it took multiple trips and serious persistence to be heard. Her video detailing the ordeal racked up more than 144,200 views.
What Happened at the Kia Dealership?
Zoe says her car wasn't making the noise during her initial visit, but she came prepared. She explains that she took a video of the sound to show a technician.
After waiting three hours, she notes that she left thinking the problem was solved. However, while running errands later that day, she says the banging noise came roaring back.
When she returned to the dealership, a second technician gave her... less-than-helpful advice. She says they told her to just blast some music or crank the A/C to drown it out.
'I'm sorry, you're telling me as a customer—I spent my personal money that I worked hard for my car—you're telling me to just cover up the noise? And that's all the fix is?' she questions.
'That is not acceptable,' Zoe adds, clearly fed up.
She left again—only for the noise to come back louder. That's when Zoe says she decided she wasn't leaving until the problem got fixed.
'I'm tired of men … taking advantage of women or not listening to us,' she says. 'I knew there was something wrong with my car. I drive it every day.'
So, she says she returned for a third time, demanded to speak with a manager, and stood her ground. Finally, the head mechanic agreed to take a look, and that's when things changed.
What Was Actually Wrong With Her Car?
According to Zoe, the mechanic had to 'literally go in my car and take it fully apart and stick a camera through.'
And sure enough, the noise wasn't just in her head. 'There was a problem the whole time,' she says.
Though she didn't get into every detail, Zoe explained that a piece of plastic tape or rubber was wedged inside her car. When Florida's heat melted it, the material softened and stuck. But once she turned on her air conditioning, the plastic hardened and started moving again, creating the mysterious 'thumping' noise she kept hearing.
'That's why the noise was there,' she explains.
While it's unclear how the material got there in the first place, Zoe's just relieved it's gone and proud she pushed to make it happen.
'This little piece of rubber glue, ladies,' she says at the end of her video, 'is why you advocate for yourself.'
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Do Car Dealerships Take Advantage of Women?
There may not be ironclad proof that women get scammed more often at auto shops, but
plenty of stories
and a growing body of research say it's more than just a hunch. In one viral 2022 thread on the
AskMechanics subreddit
, a user claimed they quit two jobs because co-workers bragged about ripping off women.
Other studies suggest women routinely get quoted higher prices for the same repairs, especially if they don't appear mechanically savvy. One report, cited in
The Atlantic
, called it 'statistical discrimination.' Translation: It's not necessarily personal—it's strategic. If you seem like you don't know your stuff, some shops are more likely to pad the bill.
Common tricks include upselling unnecessary repairs, inflating service prices, or falsely claiming it's time for routine maintenance. But here's a silver lining: When women do push back and ask for a discount, they're statistically more likely to get one than men.
Viewers Cheer On the Frustrated Customer
TikTok viewers rallied behind Zoe, praising her for refusing to back down and pushing the dealership to actually fix the issue. Many said her experience was all too familiar, especially for women.
'Car dealerships take advantage of young people, ESPECIALLY young women,' one commenter wrote. 'Always advocate for yourself.'
'I am so sick of mechanics taking advantage of us women,' another added.
'[The] auto industry is one of the biggest scams there is,' a third chimed in.
Some offered practical advice, encouraging Zoe to ditch the dealership altogether and try a trusted local mechanic instead.
'I've been [to] a lot of places, and none feel more shady than Kia dealerships,' one viewer said.
'First problem was you went to the dealership,' another joked.
'Stop taking it to the dealership,' a third warned. 'Those people care the absolute least and do NOT want to help you.'
Motor1
has reached out to Zoe for comment via TikTok. We'll be sure to update this if she responds.
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