Daly City Automotive

At Alex Auto Repair, highly trained technicians—including the owner himself—wage war on check-engine lights with a full slate of automotive maintenance and repair services. They help boost vehicular performance by swapping out old motor oil, repairing screeching brakes, and installing fresh batteries that are surgically removed from the Energizer Bunny's back. Nighttime drop-off services and online appointment scheduling represent their commitment to customer convenience alongside automotive efficiency.

For more than 30 years, Paul Dickerson has done his part to beautify the Bay Area's hilly streets. A fully insured car detailer, he cleans, polishes, and restores coaches out of an auto shop stocked with deluxe tools. An eco-friendly LaserWash cleanses cars without any contact from disgusting human fingers. Steam machines scour engines, restoring a like-new shine to pistons. Wet sand smoothes and polishes paint, and clay bars bounce dirt and grime hanging out in the tiny pores of car paint. These tools fit neatly into the back of Dickerson's cargo van, which he uses for mobile details. When he's not caring for cars, Paul devotes himself to giving back to the community through Fuel for Change, a program that transforms auto and gas profits into resources for humanitarian projects.

Welcoming all manner of automobile, the ASE-certified technicians at Planet AutoWerks are especially adept at all things Saab and Subaru. The shop boasts factory-certified experts fluent in the mechanics of the Swedish- and Japanese-made roadsters, and can administer factory-recommended checkups or major repairs. When it comes to environmental stewardship, however, they set their sights on protecting the health of the entire planet, recycling everything from old metal components and waste oil to the cardboard boxes that make up the office fort.

The technicians at European Auto Corporation draw on more than 20 years of car expertise to keep engines purring and wheels rolling smoothly. They use computer diagnostics to help assess looming threats, from transmission trouble to asthmatic tailpipes, and replenish parched engines with both conventional and synthetic fluids. Beyond surface inspections, the team repairs brakes and competently fiddles with engines.

The staff at California Collision and Repair has both the knowledge and the technology to keep cars running and looking great. For decades, the experienced technicians and estimators have been working with insurance companies to perform major and minor bodywork on all makes and models. The 8,000-square-foot facility houses two Genesis Easy Liner machines with a computerized laser measuring system for vehicle restoration, and the eco-friendly, low-VOC Glasurit Waterborne paint system for smoothing over dings or redecorating exteriors with specialty paint jobs.

In the interest of customer convenience, the crew sends their own in-house flatbed tow truck to quickly respond to emergencies, then keeps guests cozy in a clean waiting area and three conference rooms. The friendly staff can also board automobiles and drop patrons off at San Francisco International Airport, making sure their car goes to bed before 11 each night they are out of town.

Carlos Quijada is living proof that the American dream is alive and well. Determined to give his family a better life, he arrived in the country alone and spent his first year moving from job to job, determined to find something that would give him the means to bring his loved ones over. When fate led him to his first detailing job, he knew he had finally found a line of work that could make his hopes a reality. Soon, he and his family were building their own thriving business from soft towels, buffers, and car wax, working all day, everyday to ensure its success.

The hard work paid off. Today, First Class Auto Detailing boasts two locations. Carlos and his team bring foreign and domestic cars, SUVs, and motorcycles to a spotless sheen through a slate of thorough detailing packages. Technicians coax out vehicles' showroom shines with regimens of polish and hand waxes, steam clean engines, and reach for stain-defying shampoos to treat carpets and the hair of dashboard hula dancers. In addition to car-cleaning packages, the team also offers window tinting and mobile sound-system services, and will gladly provide free estimates for all work.