Bellevue Automotive

GP Customs decks out automobiles with nonreflective and high-performance window tinting. The sleek solar films are available in a variety of colors and shades, working to improve energy costs by keeping cars' interiors cooler. And by blocking up to 98% of UV rays, the films can protect unnecessary wear to car upholstery, carpeting, and dashboard oil paintings of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. GP Customs also snazzes up cars with CD players and televisions by popular brands such as Clarion, Pioneer, and Panasonic.

The ASE-certified technicians at Magic Motors Auto prep cars for the wear of the road, whether on daily commutes or road trips to the lost drive-thrus of Atlantis. They thoughtfully inspect vehicles by peeking under hoods and inside ventilation systems, then repair ailing parts with seasoned know-how. Once they're finished reanimating customers' cars, the staffers invest the same care in the fleet of preowned and vintage autos for purchase at their facility.

Head mechanic Dean leads 6 to 6 Auto Service's ASE–certified technicians, who welcome foreign and domestic cars under their full-service shop's umbrella. Since his facility is a NAPA AutoCare Center, Dean can promise roadsters the luxury of NAPA parts while performing basic checkups or digging deep into engines and transmissions. Dean and company can also accommodate specialty vehicles such as diesels or hybrids, provided they promise to play nice and not mock the other cars' commonplace VIN numbers.

In 1979, at the age of 19, Peter Fink opened the first Certified Transmission in an abandoned gas station. He envisioned a business that would remanufacture, rather than rebuild, transmissions and Barbie Corvettes. Today, the company has grown to include 15 retail stores in four states and more than 400 employees. ASE-certified technicians, who must complete a 13-week training program before they can work by themselves, hand-disassemble transmissions and check each part, re-machining or replacing any parts not up to factory-new standards. Ongoing education keeps technicians’ skills up-to-date and sharper than Henry Ford's stainless-steel tongue. In a 2011 article in Manufacturing Today, Fink attributed his success to high quality standards and good business practices. These standards have not gone unnoticed; in 2005, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce presented Certified Transmission with an Excellence in Business award. Certified Transmission backs their work with an extensive warrantee.

Inside the 5,500-square-foot garage at Homan's Auto, ASE-certified technicians fiddle with engines and batteries while meticulous detailing crews scrub away dirt and grime from cars, boats, and RVs. Using diagnostic equipment, the skilled team sleuths out and repairs vehicular issues, from transmission troubles to chocolate syrup seeping into the engine. While the teams work, customers relax in the waiting area amid free WiFi and frothy cappuccinos, or they can hitch a ride to work or home aboard the free shuttle.