Woman racially abused by car dealership gifted an EV so she never changes oil again

After a regrettable incident at her car dealership, Makayla Starks of Milwaukee will now be free of the burden of changing oil. She had taken her car for service at Kunes Buick GMC in Oak Creek when an employee left a discriminatory message on her oil change sticker.

Starks didn’t see the racial slur tacked to her windshield until later in the day. She was reasonably upset and shared her plight on social media.

The dealership apologized to Starks in person and on their Instagram account. The culprit also received the pink slip.

Meanwhile, Starks’ story struck a chord with members of the public, leading to a protest in front of the dealership. That was when Family Nissan in New York decided to step in to prevent Starks from ever needing an oil change by donating a Nissan Leaf.

Family Nissan owner Ramzey Rizk explained how his company arrived at the decision, “We watched people chanting in front of a place ... and we were very taken aback by that. And then the meeting kind of erupted into how can we help this person? How can we add more voices to her voice?

“And then you hear somebody say, ‘Let’s give her a free car.’ And then you hear somebody say, ‘Not just any car, an electric car.’ And then I ask, ‘Why an electric car?’ And they said, ‘Well, because she never has to get an oil change again.’”

Electric vehicles like the Nissan Leaf famously do not need oil changes, making them easier to maintain. They do not have traditional internal combustion engines (ICE), which must be oiled regularly to keep moving parts lubricated.