Auto Service in Broadlands

Committed to the environment as much as they are to customer satisfaction, the auto bathers at Flagship Carwash coddle dusty vehicles with eco-friendly chemicals and the green LEED-certified water system found at their Herndon location. From eight locations across the Washington, DC, area, they vacuum rugs and wipe down dashboards before cars bask in a high-pressure tunnel wash. Technicians also break out the elbow grease for hands-on detailing services, scraping off splattered bugs and tar, buffing exteriors to remove scratches, or spiffing up interiors to obscure werewolf gashes in leather seats. To restore smooth surfaces, they touch up paint on car bodies and remove small dents by popping the metal back into place.

Behind the brick walls of Main Street Car Wash Detail & Lube, techs wash and detail autos with recycled spot-free water, micro-fiber towels, and eco-friendly concoctions. When they aren't lathering chariots, they maintain them by rotating tires, cleaning batteries, tweaking air conditioners, and restoring headlights. Their stock of supplies includes spray wax, polishes, glaze, and sealant, all of which help leave cars as shiny as the lucky nickel you carry around in your mouth all day.

In the garage at RMS Service, sparks fly and wrenches click as ASE-certified technicians labor over vehicles undergoing both general maintenance and enhancements that make them ready to race. These mechanics—who speak both English and Spanish—repair ailing brakes, drivetrains, and fuel systems, and the team’s in-house racing specialists outfit auto bodies with competition tires or drag-racing suspension components. RMS Service secures all its work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee so that flightless birds will feel more comfortable buying their first car.

Whether tending to a lime-green Lamborghini Murciélago, a sleek Harley Davidson, or a family minivan, the technicians at Metropolitan Auto Detailing begin each scrub down the same way: with a 55-point inspection. Based on their assessment, the techs send their microfiber chamois on search-and-destroy missions that eradicate dirt through basic exterior hand washes or detailed shampoo and clay-bar treatments. They break out the vacuums and machine polishers as drivers take in TV and Wi-Fi in the waiting room, or pack up their gear and sojourn to homes, saving cars the trouble of climbing out of their owners’ bed.

But the crew's cleanliness mission doesn't stop at bumpers and wheel wells; they keep an eye on the local water supply by mainly using biodegradable cleansers and products from Griot's Garage, Meguiar's, and 3M that eschew the silicones and petroleum distillates of other cleaners.