I don't want to sound all dramatic or anything, but I crossed the threshold into Manland and returned to tell the tale.
Such was my perception of that manly terrain that is an Auto Repairer / Vehicle Mechanic / grease encrusted day spa for cars.
Such was my perception of that manly terrain that is an Auto Repairer / Vehicle Mechanic / grease encrusted day spa for cars.
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| Not Manland hell as I'd expected |
Turns out, Kmart Tyre & Auto Service outlets are cleaner than as clean and grease-free as my house. In fact, they even had a sofa sans suspicious toddler stains, and magazines that hadn’t been chewed around the edges and drawn on. And I'm not talking dodgy old faded Auto Trader magazines circa 2003.
Add a coffee machine, mini bar and a Snuggie and I'll take up residence.
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| Magazines? Comfy lounge? Time for a siesta! |
Add a coffee machine, mini bar and a Snuggie and I'll take up residence.
The best part about KTAS outlets, aside from the catchy acronym?
They are attached to a Kmart. Hello shopping!
Not much.
For the first time in my life, I uttered a sentence I never ever thought I’d say to a service provider of any sort, much less a vehicle repairer….
They are attached to a Kmart. Hello shopping!
Thanks to Edelman and Kmart Tyre & Auto Service, my wheels - AKA Not a Mini Van - and I were given the opportunity to covertly shop while #1Hubby assumed I was stuck in a vehicle service centre waiting room test drive their car servicing.
What can I tell you?
For the first time in my life, I uttered a sentence I never ever thought I’d say to a service provider of any sort, much less a vehicle repairer….
No rush…take your time!
as I hightailed it next door to the shopping centre (complete with Gospel choir singing Hallelujah in my head as the doors opened).
I received a phone call within 30 minutes of exiting the building, advising me of their initial inspection and recommendations.
Then I received another phone call around an hour later, to say the work was almost done.
Seriously…that's not a typo…just under an hour and a half later, and Not a Mini Van’s brakes were as good as new.
So it was with some disappointment that I bid adieu to the shopping centre that I hadn’t even made a dent in, and reluctantly dragged myself back next door to KTAS. There, waiting for me, was Not a Mini Van, all re-braked (yep, I’m going with that terminology), refreshed and revitalised in all the ways you'd expect of the car equivalent of a Day Spa.
So it was with some disappointment that I bid adieu to the shopping centre that I hadn’t even made a dent in, and reluctantly dragged myself back next door to KTAS. There, waiting for me, was Not a Mini Van, all re-braked (yep, I’m going with that terminology), refreshed and revitalised in all the ways you'd expect of the car equivalent of a Day Spa.
Apprehension set in while I waited for the bill (which normally sees me totalling up exactly how long I'm going to be relegated to cask wine in order to afford it). But I needed not fear. While I was settling my oh so reasonable, non-heart-attack-inducing, anti-cask-wine-consumption-relegating invoice, Steve the Store Manager gave me the stats. Around 50% of his customers are women. Clearly I'm not the only one to cotton on to the shopping aspect of having your car serviced by KTAS.
Then Steve impressed me with his powers of deduction, when another lady customer walked in and he knew who she was before she even spoke, and exactly what she wanted. How cool is that? He’s a total mind reader!
I could bang on and on about the lovely sofa, the shiny tiled floors, the minimalist interior in general – because that is the extent of my experience with KTAS. It was quick, it was easy.
What it wasn’t is stereotypical greasy, loud, dirty, delayed, or reminiscent of a man cave – no Miss December smiling seductively at me from a girly calendar on the wall.
To be fair, I have run into some horror service centres in the past, so perhaps my expectations as a female walking into an auto repair centre AKA Manland were low. All I can tell you is that I felt no dread. It wasn’t difficult. I didn’t have to suffer through crap jokes, technical car words that made my head hurty, or put on an Oscar worthy performance of nodding at the right time, and inserting correctly placed hmm…ahuh, yes, of course responses, in an attempt to make it sound like I had even the slightest clue what they were talking about.
They were friendly, they were welcoming. They had magazines I wouldn’t mind reading, if it wasn’t for the shopping centre next door calling my name.
My only criticism? Next time could you please take a bit longer, so I can make it around the shopping centre once, and fit in a flat white?
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| They even gave Not A Mini Van something to aspire to...because I totally see myself as more of a cool SUV type than an ageing Station wagon type |
Now to the best part of all….
Thanks to Kmart Tyre & Auto Service centres, I have vouchers so you too have a legitimate excuse to go shopping for you to test drive their vehicle servicing too!
2 x $100 gift vouchers
4 x $50 gift vouchers
Valid for vehicle servicing at any Kmart Tyre & Auto Service store in Australia.
For your chance to win, behold, the great and powerful Rafflecopter :
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Those of you not familiar with Rafflecopter, you sign in (with your email address or Facebook) and then the entry options come up. The great and powerful Rafflecopter peeps chose today to change their formatting, so you won't see the entry options or be able to check them off until you've signed in.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Those of you not familiar with Rafflecopter, you sign in (with your email address or Facebook) and then the entry options come up. The great and powerful Rafflecopter peeps chose today to change their formatting, so you won't see the entry options or be able to check them off until you've signed in.
I have no nickname for my car i need too find a good
ReplyDeleteMy car is simply Old Reliable. It gets me from A to B and that's all I need.
ReplyDeleteMy pet hate is extra work that gets done but isn't run past me, so when I go to pay for what I thought was a routine service, its a lot more pricey than I was expecting.
Killer Tunes Are Sick - it's not a Kmart thing, but it's a car thing in my car
My poor car just gets called boring old car (well its not actually that old), but I'm still holding against it the fact that it replaced my much more fun car to drive. I now have sensible family sedan with a BIG BOOT - lots of room to fit Kmart goodies in after a car service - that's a plus huh??
ReplyDeleteIts nicknamed FANG, because its fast lol:)
ReplyDeleteI hate how when my car is serviced, because I am a woman the price seems get dearer!!!
ReplyDeleteKTAS
ReplyDeleteKICK ASS TYRES AND SMILING!
I don't need to name my car because I ride a Harley...
ReplyDeleteKTAS... Easy for an ex military hanger on knots true air speed but if you want a fun one then Kwinana Tarts Are Slappers
Blue Belle (Awesome blue i30)
ReplyDeleteI hate standing in Manland shops and not being served or acknowledged.
ReplyDeleteMy current car doesn't have a name but my first one was called Olive because she was olive green in colour & was about the size of an olive! My current car is about 20,000kn overdue a service, so to win this prize would be fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI call our car Saffy but my husband calls her Suzi. It's a Suzuki Swift, hence Suzi.
ReplyDeletePet hate is when the service manager talks to me as if I don't have a clue. One tried telling me the car needed new plugs and points....until I told him that because my car had electronic ignition it didn't have points. Put him back in his place.
ReplyDeleteMy cars pet name is Mafia Maria - don't mess with her! LOL
ReplyDelete'The Taxi' because that seems to be it's lot in life.
ReplyDeleteMine is called Casper as its anything but a small white car - its a big black one. I jokingly nicknamed it Casper the Captiva and its stuck
ReplyDeleteBahahahahaha!
ReplyDeleteOurs has sort of been nicknamed Not Again. She hasn't been kind to us lately!
ReplyDeleteBarry - he's a Barina...........not exceptionally original but it just kinda happened and then stuck
ReplyDelete"Mummy Daddy Dar"... or so my son calls it.
ReplyDeletePooey nappies. Need I say more?
ReplyDeleteSTAK??
ReplyDeleteBAHAHA! Multitask fail. Ironically it works great for your Pet Hate comment, although not related to cars.
ReplyDeleteOoops, should read criteria properly... Kiss The Auto Spunks.
ReplyDeleteOur kids have names the cars, mine is Princess and Dad's is the King car - did I get ripped off?
ReplyDeleteWe have 2 cars.... The Beast/Rig/Truck is the family 4wd which fits all 6 of us in it and then we have the frog (a little green Hyundai)
ReplyDeleteI hate having to wait for the car to be finished, my current mechanic has his vehicles dropped off in the morning and works through the list, very rare to get a set time for pick up, although he always makes sure i have drop off around school start and pick up by school finish.
ReplyDeleteKickass Tyres And Servicing KTAS
ReplyDeleteKeep The (fucking) Automibile Serviced. HB says this ALL the time. Great giveaway PP!
ReplyDeletePet name is 'Edward' because it's a Volvo and I like to pretend Edward from Twilight is driving me places. Pet hate is that Edward doesn't exist.
ReplyDeleteMy cars pet name is Bluebell
ReplyDeleteKTAS - Kind to all shielas!
ReplyDeletePet hate is me asking my brother something about my car and have him laugh hysterically at me (ok.....so I grew up in a house with a dad mechanic.....I never paid attention!! hehe)
ReplyDeleteKTAS = Keeping Tyres Auto Safe
ReplyDeleteMy cars pet name is Black Betty because she's black and cars have to be girls because girls have more drive than guys.
ReplyDeleteCars pet name Ladybug
ReplyDeleteKTAS - Keep True Australia Strong
ReplyDeleteHarrison my Ford, we have also had Willam the Holden, Lola the Corolla and Cockney Accent (the Hyundai Accent!) Much love for an awesome prize- Amanda (Gorham) from Amanda's Mummy Jeans following you xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteQueen Latifah!
ReplyDeleteCar name - Veronica
ReplyDeletePet hate - people using mobile phones while driving (especially with a "Baby on Board" sign)
KTAS - Kinky Tyres Are Standard ;)
My car's Pet Name is Soxy.
ReplyDeleteMy pet hate is littering.
KTAS = Karma Turning Automobiles Safely
I refer to my car as 'come onnn'
ReplyDeleteMy pet hate is the kids moving my rear view mirror
K- Kmart T- tune ups A-always S-superb
'The Rocket Car' it's got more power than i am used to, and I keep getting speeding fines! (3kms over limit ans 4kms over limit! It's not my fault it picks up speed downhill!) :)
ReplyDeletePet hate, people who expect service station attendants to do everything for them, come on, it's not that difficult to refill your own car.
KTAS - Kwick, truthful, assured, service!
I really agree with your blog.I hate how when my car is serviced, because I am a woman the price seems get dearer.Great services..Thanks!
ReplyDeleteService My Car
Hi there, i want to hire personal auto mechanic but i am here looking for auto repair reviews about mechanics. Please update me.
ReplyDeleteauto repair reviews
id rather kill myself then take this to these monkeys. its a wonder you havnt died yet from them working on you're car...or have you?
ReplyDeletealso , the above comments and the whole story itself was quite sickening.
anyone that knows anything about cars knows to stay far far away from KTAS
I am very happy to read out your blog information. This is very interesting blog for tour and travel.Quick book on online: All Points Airport Serviceand get large discount.
ReplyDeletethank you so much