Laguna Woods Automotive

Drawing on half a century of automotive service, Midas helps drivers to prolong vehicle vigour with factory-recommended maintenance services. Mechanics pop car hoods to perform oil changes with standard and temperature-durable synthetic solutions, taking time to inspect belts, hoses, fluids, and the air conditioner's resident penguin. Armed with efficient catalytic converters built to U.S. EPA standards, the staff helps to shrink harmful emissions during muffler and exhaust-system checks. Trained technicians augment brake services with lifetime guarantees and curate healthy, evenly worn tires with rotations or replacements from Goodyear, Michelin, Firestone, and Bridgestone.

Automated car washes come with the risk of damaging a car’s finish or convincing the vehicle to run away to Henry Ford’s birthplace. Thus, the techs at Laguna Niguel Carwash do everything by hand—or, to be precise, by soft lamb’s wool mitts. The Meguiar’s-certified carwash tackles automotive blemishes with a huge battery of products, including rainbow triple wax, tire dressing, and air freshener. A full automotive haven, Laguna Niguel Carwash also features a gas station and convenience store so that both car and driver can fuel up before hitting the road.

Allstar Detail’s hardworking technicians impart cars, trucks, and SUVs with a luxurious shine and a protective finish following intensive detailing treatments. Each vehicle in the shop’s care bathes in gentle reverse-osmosis water, ensuring an exterior free from spots or semipermeable cell membranes. Pressurized water removes built-up dust and grime from wheel wells, while liberal applications of elbow grease cover up blemishes with biodegradable coats of Meguiar’s wax. In addition to bringing cars to their original factory-floor good looks through exterior and interior detailing, the techs at Allstar Detail outfit windows with UV-blocking tints, remove dents, and guard against scratches and chips with transparent clear bra films.

The keys to the open road reside within EagleRider, where a lineup of rentable Harley Davidson motorcycles wait to tear across asphalt on guided or self-piloted trips. These late-model hogs join Vespa scooters as a means for drivers to visit local haunts and terrify local cats on short trips or cover vast swathes of terrain on regional tours that can last up to two weeks and span more than 1,000 miles.

With participating locations nationwide, Auto Care Special lets customers reach out to their local garages for a grab bag of free and discounted maintenance services. Cards may be redeemed for multiple vehicles over the course of one year for services such as oil changes, safety inspections, and engine-light diagnoses. Those who move or create alter-egos over the course of the year can scan the locations page for participating garages in their new cities of residence to receive a complimentary maintenance bundle.

In Polar Bear Auto Care's warehouse-size shop, ASE-certified techs slip under hoods to fix or install air-conditioning and heating systems. Those systems are nearly identical to the factory units, as many of the systems they install are made by the same manufacturers. On their walls hang hundreds of parts, with more stored onsite, including new heater cores as well as compressor mounts for car models from the years 1965 to 1999. This lets them work on all kinds of vehicles, from brand-new cars and tractors to RVs and vintage UFOs. They back up their services with a two-year or 24,000-mile warranty, which extends to electrical repairs as well as the maintenance of steering, exhaust, and brake systems.