Iowa Automotive

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.

Cars of all makes and models roll into the wash corridors at Fleur Carwash, where they receive an enthusiastic greeting courtesy of high-pressure blasts and double presoaks. Car washes at four levels—from the no-frills Silver rinse to the Complete wash with a triple-color protectant and conditioning treatment—absolve exteriors of soot, grime, and unpaid parking tickets. Touch-free dryers evaporate the remaining water for a spotless shine with nary a scratch on the paint.

In 1979, at the age of 19, Peter Fink opened the first Certified Transmission in an abandoned gas station. He envisioned a business that would remanufacture, rather than rebuild, transmissions and Barbie Corvettes. Today, the company has grown to include 15 retail stores in four states and more than 400 employees. ASE-certified technicians, who must complete a 13-week training program before they can work by themselves, hand-disassemble transmissions and check each part, re-machining or replacing any parts not up to factory-new standards. Ongoing education keeps technicians’ skills up-to-date and sharper than Henry Ford's stainless-steel tongue. In a 2011 article in Manufacturing Today, Fink attributed his success to high quality standards and good business practices. These standards have not gone unnoticed; in 2005, the Omaha Chamber of Commerce presented Certified Transmission with an Excellence in Business award. Certified Transmission backs their work with an extensive warrantee.

Since 1988, Auto Care Super Saver has been helping car owners save cash with maintenance punch cards redeemable at local auto shops throughout the course of a full year. These cards come loaded with all kinds of prepaid services, including at least three full-service oil changes with up to 5 quarts of oil, lube, and a new filter. Depending on the location, punch cards may also feature tire rotations, brake inspections, engine-light readings, air-conditioning performance tests, and other repairs and inspections essential to a car's well-being. Customers can transfer the punch card's benefits to any ride, ranging from station wagons to sports cars to feral merry-go-round mounts.

The small team of expert technicians at Johnny Boy's Car Wash beautifies automobiles inside and out with express washes and meticulous detailing. Standard full-service washes combine exterior suds and hand drying with visits from vacuums, window washing, litter clean up, and other interior sprucing. Opulent add-ons, tiered in wash packages from Super to Primo, lavish cars with waxes, tire shines, air fresheners, and underbody flushes to expunge lingering grime and hitchhiking stalactites. Express packages stick to exteriors and add rust inhibitors and tire shines as cars zip back onto the street.

At Tuffy Auto Service Center, manager Chris Reynolds and his seasoned, ASE-certified technicians squeeze peak performance out of weary roadsters with an array of comprehensive services. With more than 30 years of tradition in the auto-repair industry, Tuffy franchises are hotbeds of technical wisdom and ancient car lore. Each shop's mechanics are entrusted with the task of passing along this cumulative knowledge to their customers, as well as to the future mechanics that the staff grows in pools of synthetic oil.