When You Need 6 Tires!

Sometimes it can be hard growing up and moving away. Especially when it comes to finding your own replacements for the things you have grown accustomed to. Finding a new doctor, dentist, chiropractor, those kinds of things are hard to do, especially when you love the ones you have grown up with. Well I have officially accomplished all of the doctor related ones and I replaced church when I moved here because it came with the job.

The hardest one of these for me was replacing my car place. My family goes to Rakie's Oil Company in Arkansas City, KS. This is a full service gas station and tire store. It wasn't until I was in college that I even put gas in my car because I would pull up to Rakie's and they would just take care of it for me. I was (still am) a little spoiled. So when I moved it was really hard what was I supposed to do when something was wrong with my car?

Well there haven't been too many things I've had to take care of here, so most of the time I pushed it off until I could drive home and let Rakie's take care of it. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it but that is what I did. Even being married I preferred for Rakie's to take care of my car issues. I know that when I go there I will be taken care of, and not taken advantage of. That is not something I can guarantee anywhere else I go.

Well Sunday I went out to go to church and one of my back tires was flat. So I drove Adam's truck. I called around Monday morning to find somewhere that would do a patch cheaply and could fit me in that day, so that I didn't have to keep airing it up to get around. I found a place in Newton and they checked it all out and found a piece of wire wrapped around the tire....dang it no cheap patch. Well they didn't have any tires that would fit my car so they would have to order one. They also said I needed my other back tire replaced as well. They also don't do any financing options. Well this week money was particularly tight and there was no way we could buy a tire let alone two, and Adam's truck really needed a new set.

So I got back on the phone that afternoon to find someplace that could finance tires for me. I called Kansas Auto Repair in Newton. A nice lady answered the phone and she said to come in the next day and they would take care of us. So I did. I was incredibly nervous to into a car place hoping they wouldn't see a pregnant lady and try to take advantage. The lady at the front desk was incredibly nice and personable. She knew every single customer by name and genuinely cared about taking care of their car needs. It became obvious after a few minutes that this was a family owned business with her father and husband there as well. I was immediately put at ease.

She was incredibly busy but still took the time to start to get to know me, and our vehicle situation. We took care of the financing paperwork and ordered tires. I went back today and had my car taken care of, with an appointment for Adam's on Tuesday. I was there most of the morning and still had the same impression of this place, they knew everyone by name and they really cared about each person. I saw two different college age guys come in just to say hi before they went off to college, they wanted to stop in while they were in the area.

It's safe to say I have found my Rakie's away from Rakie's, minus the full service gas station. Rakie's will always be home for me, but I have a lot of comfort knowing my vehicles are being well taken care of because I don't have any intention of moving back to Ark City any time soon. We have made this our home and I know I have found the place that in 16 or 17 years I can send this little one in the womb with the car they are driving and they will be taken care of, because they will have been going there their entire life.

Here is the website for Kansas Auto Repair, in case you are in need of a "Rakie's" in this area. http://www.kansasautorepair.com/