Elmhurst Automotive

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.

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.

For more than 25 years, Major League Auto Spa's team of automotive experts has been cleansing carriages inside and out with soft-cloth washes and detailing services. The automated washer gently nudges cars along a track flanked by a gauntlet of soap-laden cloths to deliver cars from their grimy fate and encourage wolf whistles from passing buses. Armed with vacuums and a keen eye for crumbs and stowaway dust bunnies, interior detailing crews lavish upholstery and carpets with equal attentiveness. Cleaners also apply glossy wax finishes by hand and smooth away imperfections with orbital buffing machines as auto owners wait in the Internet-equipped lobby, surfing the web for new stuffed animals to suction to the windows.

The ASE-certified technicians at Auto Plus understand that an unexpected car malfunction can put a damper on a client's day. To ease car-created stresses, technicians begin services with upfront pricing and a free inspection for any auto brought in. The company's free shuttle service ferries clients to and from the repair center while their cars are busy with the technicians, and free loaner cars await drivers whose carriages need multiday extended work. Additionally, the shop carries a range of tires, holds Saturday hours for busy clients, offers local towing services, and translates favorite quotes into engine noises free of charge.

For 19 years, Marine-veteran owner Paul Kludac and the car buffs at Detail Kings have harnessed the restorative power of elbow grease during full-service, hands-on car-wash and detailing services. Whether locking in shine with Armor All applications, evicting paint-dulling contaminants with clay service, or hiding minor swirls with carnauba-wax massages, technicians remind outer shells to return to their show-room origins. Kludac personally inspects every one of the tens of thousands of automobiles that leave his facility every year, making sure that the sparkle in each vehicle shows off the staff's meticulous approach. This commitment to car cleaning know-how has earned the shop celebrity clients, including Michael Jordan and the police cars in Public Enemies, starring Johnny Depp.