Blue Island Automotive

A native Chicagoan, Jeff Veal passed his boyhood days in Chatham and Beverly. After that, wanderlust took over, leading him to Houston and a degree in communications from Texas Southern University. Jeff returned to his hometown after graduation and now oversees Imperial Mobile Car Wash Inc.’s team of professional mobile detailers. Filled with the same traveling spirit as their boss, his professional technicians haul their own water, electricity, and cleaning supplies to homes and offices to scour sullied vehicles with an array of detailing services. The team also maintains a brick-and-mortar location, welcoming drivers with a waiting room where they can watch TV or chat with an on-staff Jim Croce impersonator while their cars shed dirt.

With more than 175 locations nationwide and more than 35 years in the business, Car-X Auto Service has earned a prime spot in the parking garage of quality car care and customer service. Started in 1971 by a team of seasoned muffler-shop owners, the service centers have blossomed from their beginnings as specialty exhaust shops to providers of nearly any repair or maintenance service imaginable, from installing performance-enhancing accessories to treating cars to therapeutic trust falls. In addition to promoting safety and long, healthy engine life with brake services and speedy oil changes, Car-X Auto Service reaches out to the surrounding community with regular philanthropic activities, such as recycling drives and participation in the American Heart Association’s Heart Walk.

Almost a century ago, it was 1914 and William J. Cassidy was gazing out from his livery stable to watch the newfangled automobiles rumble past on Roosevelt Road. He knew then that he’d been right to expand from shoeing horses to also servicing tires. Never having children, Will took his 16-year-old nephew, Hugh, under his wing in the venture. When Will retired, Hugh took over and kept the company afloat even during the bleakest days of the Depression and WWII. Hugh’s six sons all followed in the family footsteps, opening additional locations in the suburbs, and then their children opened even more.

Today, those descendants operate 15 Cassidy Tire & Service locations throughout the city and suburbs. The Cassidy experts keep vehicles running smoothly as they grow old by practicing a full range of other auto services, from rotating tires to changing oil and flushing transmissions.

Delta Sonic Car Wash‎ renews tarnished transportation with an innovative touchless car-wash system that automatically guides vehicles through a tunnel of high-pressure sprays and overhead buffing cloths. The hands-free wash massages mild lotions into paint jobs, leaving vehicles with sparkling, fingerprint-free finishes that are backed by a five-day guarantee. Detailing technicians do get their hands dirty as they make use of more than 100 hours of training to dote on vehicle interiors and exteriors with products from ValuGard, Aquapel, and Blue Coral. The team wields AOCA certification know-how when injecting engines with oil and devising rustproofing treatments that avoid drilling holes or covering corrosion in zit cream.

Colorado’s cluster of Midas Auto Service Experts shops have operated under the same local ownership for 30 years. At each location, ASE-certified service technicians care for vehicles in all kinds of capacities, from factory scheduled maintenance measures to extensive repairs on brake systems and engines. With each service, the team exerts the same advanced expertise that has made Midas a recognized industry name since the company’s inception more than 50 years ago at the dawn of time. The community-oriented Colorado service stations also support local philanthropic organizations including the YMCA and the grassroots road-safety campaign, Drive Smart.

Drawing on half a century of automotive service, the family owned and operated Midas helps drivers to prolong vehicle vigor with factory-recommended maintenance services. Mechanics pop car hoods to perform oil changes with standard and temperature-durable synthetic solutions, taking time to inspect belts, hoses, fluids, and the air conditioner's resident penguin. Armed with efficient catalytic converters built to US EPA standards, the staff helps to shrink harmful emissions during muffler and exhaust-system checks. Trained technicians augment brake services with lifetime guarantees and curate healthy, evenly worn tires with rotations or replacements from Goodyear, Michelin, Firestone, and Bridgestone.