Buffalo Grove Automotive

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.

Since 1971, Car-X Auto Service has repaired, tuned, and rejuvenated auto-wagons with an array of alleviating automotive services. Pour your car a refreshing five-quart glass of oil change, revolve your ride's rubbers with a tire rotation, and switch blades with windshield-wiper replacements. The courteous and auto-savvy Car-X mechanics will also check to see if your car battery is charged and healthy. Finally they'll give a thorough safety inspection to ensure your brakes and seat belts are in tip-top condition and that there are no Latvian yodeling quartets living in your trunk.

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.

The trained and certified detail technicians of Lake Cook Auto Wash & Detail extract both exterior and interior grime by hand with à la carte and packaged car-cleaning services. Patrons can choose to lavish their rides with leather conditioning or Simoniz tire shines, or invest in a full-scale experience that targets sullied engines or worn paint. The staff welcomes grimy autos 365 days a year, ensuring customers don't have to deal with a salty undercarriage during winter or cavities in their cars' grilles after Halloween.

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.

At each of Fast Eddie’s three locations, technicians reward roughed-up autos with a spa-style cleansing that helped earn them the Northwest Herald's 2011 Best Car Wash/Detailing award. Performed entirely by hand, four types of car washes service the entire car, ranging from basic exterior jobs to all-encompassing packages that evict grime hidden in interior corners. Owners wait for newly primped rides in a dog-friendly waiting area that doubles as an iceless, bring-your-own-equipment hockey rink.