Lawrenceville Automotive

Inside Larry Johnson's Buckhead Auto Center, vehicles lounge in service bays while ASE-certified and specialty technicians work to foster trouble-free driving. Husband-and-wife team Larry and Bernadette Johnson oversee the staff, which includes Chrysler and luxury-import specialists, as they welcome all makes and models with sturdy wrenches, bottles of motor oil, and a promise that nearby tow trucks will be on their best behavior. The technicians perform oil changes, engine work, and transmission services as well as windshield and dent repair; further cosmetic upgrades may be found in the detail shop, where cars can visit when they need to shake off road filth and slip into a glossy coat of Meguiar's detailing products.

As Sky Express Car Wash’s technicians use recycled water to perform car-wash and detail services, drivers benefit from a 2,000-square-foot lounge filled with entertainment and snacks. Leather chairs and couches provide ample room for relaxation amid a space flanked with a flat-screen TV and free WiFi that pumps through Apple computers at complimentary workstations. While car owners await metal steeds in need of a bath or extensive interior cleaning, they can treat themselves to a self-serve frozen-yogurt bar with more than 50 toppings, as well as a selection of fresh sandwiches and baked goods. In addition to one-time services, Sky Express Car Wash offers monthly and unlimited wash subscriptions to ensure that autos sparkle and drivers stay caffeinated with free barista-brewed Starbucks coffee.

Most great things have humble beginnings, and Express Oil Change & Tune-Up Clinic is no exception. In its 31-year history it grew to more than 170 locations across 10 states. Within these auto havens, ASE-certified vehicle-maintenance professionals slake engine thirsts with their signature 10-minute express full-service oil change and a menu of other automotive procedures. Techs swap out old oil for shiny, new oil and a new filter, followed by a thorough inspection of the engine and inner workings that ensures cars can run for miles and won’t fail during drag races through mall parking lots. Their service centers also perform general maintenance such as brake and AC service, and more advanced services such as radiator maintenance and computer diagnostics.

Mr. Mobile's soapsperienced staff prides itself on tireless dedication to sparkliness, including ticklish and easy-to-forget spots such as tires and lug nuts. Technicians pick off crusted-on tar, tree sap, and mustard as they expel every mote of dirt from your machine's exterior, rims, wheel wells, windows, and mirrors, then treat vehicle carapaces to a swirl-free polishing finished with a hand dry and slow waxing. The belly of your steel beast receives an equal apportionment of love: its shaggy carpets will be vacuumed, shampooed, and deodorized, its leather lotioned and conditioned, and its dashboard caressed with a radiance-bestowing squeegee.

At Luxury Wash, the first thing cars will catch in their headlamps is a hand outstretched and ready as the detailer waits, prepared to lather cars up with gobs of soap. Proudly sporting a letter of commendation from President Obama, Bentley Brandon used to be one of those detailers when he started working at the wash at age 12, sudsing up cars himself until he climbed through the ranks of management to become the current owner. Today, most of the wash’s cleaning, waxing, and detailing services are still done by hand. With painstaking precision, the staff of detailers performs interior and exterior deep cleans—protecting paints with stage-one and stage-two protective waxes, flushing out upholstery stains with shampoo, and cleaning engines with painstaking meticulousness. The company also dispatches its technicians and cleaning products to clean cars on location, whether vehicles are resting in their driveway or marching in a picket line in protest of dwindling parking-space dimensions.

Hometown Luxury Wash & Detail Spa helps vivify vehicles with a repertoire of aesthetic, repair, and maintenance services. The skilled staff flaunts auto expertise during interior and exterior detailing, hand car washes, and headlight restorations. Steam extractions help shorten drying time after shampoo sessions and Mist treatments help evict bacteria and backseat-driver particles from interior air.