The First Car Mechanic - Who Fixed the First Car?

Luke Shaff

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Most people know Karl Benz as the inventor of the first practical automobile in 1885, but do you know who performed the first car repair? The honor doesn’t go to a trained mechanic—it goes to Bertha Benz, Karl’s wife and unsung automotive pioneer. Her story is one for the books, and it just might surprise you how much car maintenance has changed since that first historic road trip.

The First Road Trip....Roadside Repair
In 1888, without telling her husband, Bertha Benz took her sons and drove 65 miles from Mannheim to Pforzheim in Germany. She did it to prove that her husband’s invention was more than just a novelty—it was something the public could use every day.

Along the way, she became the first person to perform a roadside repair on a motorcar. This wasn’t a quick tire patch—Bertha had to get creative.

What Went Wrong....and How She Fixed It
Here’s a list of real problems she encountered, and how she MacGyvered her way through them:

• Clogged fuel line?
  She used a hat pin to clear it out.
  
  
• Electrical problem with the ignition system?
  She used one of her hairpins to reconnect a wire.
  
  
• Worn-out brake lining?
  She stopped at a local shoemaker to have him replace the leather on the brake pads.
  
  
• Out of fuel?
  At the time, the car ran on ligroin, a petroleum-based solvent. She bought it from a pharmacy—the first “gas station” stop in history.

Bertha Benz: The First Auto Mechanic?
Bertha didn’t just support Karl’s vision—she was critical to proving that the car was usable. Her ability to diagnose and fix mechanical issues on the fly is exactly what modern mechanics do every day.

Think about it: she diagnosed a clogged fuel line, rewired a spark system, solved a brake issue, and sourced fuel—all without a shop manual or even a cell phone!

She didn’t just take the first road trip; she took the first step into auto diagnostics and field repair.

From Bertha to the Bay
The tools may have changed—from hat pins and shoe leather to OBD-II scanners and torque wrenches—but the spirit of mechanical problem-solving is still alive in every garage today. Whether you’re working under the hood or roadside with a wrench in hand, your part of a tradition that started with a bold, brilliant woman and a 3-wheeled car over 135 years ago.

Takeaway for Today’s Drivers
Automotive repair has come a long way—but it all started with someone willing to get their hands dirty.