Two Protyre Autocare garage managers in Sheffield are using International Women’s Day (8 March) to spotlight efforts to reduce “Garage Anxiety”, the fear of being misled or oversold repairs. For tyre retailers and service centres, the message is commercial as well as cultural: trust, transparency and an inclusive front-of-house can directly influence repeat custom and long-term centre performance.
Mandy Mosley (centre manager at Protyre Autocare Chapeltown) and Ellie Holmes (assistant manager at Protyre Autocare Sharrow Vale) say some customers (particularly women) arrive anxious about asking questions in a traditionally male-dominated environment.
Holmes, says small signals matter at the service desk. “A lot come in looking nervous about asking questions and when they see a female face they relax,” she said. As an assistant manager who moved up from an admin role, she adds that learning the mechanical side helps her explain jobs more clearly, which in turn reduces suspicion and confusion.
In practice, this is less about “pink-washing” and more about service design: clear explanations, visible evidence, and a calmer customer journey from booking through to handover.
Mosley, has managed the Chapeltown site for seven years and has spent 20 years with the business, including roles in accounts and mobile retail when the branch operated under the Hawleys Tyres name before joining the Protyre Autocare network in 2015.
She says repeat custom is the strongest indicator that the approach works, pointing to transparency as a routine discipline rather than a campaign message. “It’s all about ‘show and tell’ and just advising customers on what they need, rather than trying to oversell,” Mosley said, adding that her team includes women technicians as well.
For tyre centres, this aligns with a familiar operational truth: the fastest way to lose margin is to lose trust. A customer who believes they were sold unnecessary work is less likely to return for tyres, alignment, puncture repair, or seasonal checks — and more likely to leave a negative review that damages local demand.
“Garage Anxiety” is not just a workshop issue; it’s a tyre retail issue. Tyres are often the highest-value line item many drivers buy in a service centre, and they are commonly sold alongside advisory items like alignment, valves, TPMS service and braking work.
This builds on wider sector moves aimed at raising customer confidence and standardising better communication. For example, Tyre News has previously covered the launch of the Tyre Lady Approved auto centre scheme to combat garage anxiety, which centres on clear explanations and fair treatment. It also echoes broader inclusion discussions highlighted in Pirelli’s International Women’s Day event featuring Sophie Lyden, where the industry focus was on representation and progression.
Both managers also pointed to the persistence of outdated assumptions. Mosley described occasions when customers asked to speak to a man, only to realise she could answer the technical question herself. That moment matters internally too: it signals to younger staff that competence and authority at the counter are learned behaviours, not gendered traits.
Holmes said she would like to become a centre manager in future, and credits team support for helping her develop the technical confidence to communicate repairs simply and accurately.
For multi-site tyre retailers, the staffing angle is direct: customer trust, retention and workshop productivity all depend on recruiting and keeping capable people. Broadening the talent pool (and making the front-of-house feel accessible) is not a “nice to have”.
Tagged with: garage anxiety, women in tyre retail, Protyre Autocare, customer trust, service transparency, tyre centre management, workshop culture, repeat customers, Sheffield garages, inclusive automotive, upselling concerns, staff progression
Disclaimer: This content may include forward-looking statements. Views expressed are not verified or endorsed by Tyre News Media.
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