Automotive in Ottumwa

Hot Shot Detail goes beyond traditional auto services with their complimentary pickup and delivery service for clients within 20 miles of Washington, taking grungy, scrub-starved vehicles off customers’ hands and returning them clean, waxed, and aesthetically renewed. Four-wheeled makeovers begin with a wash and dry including the removal of tar gnats and their passenger-door graffiti murals. Wheel wells, rims, and tires are freed of accumulated chocolate pudding, and trained squeegees return transparency to windows. A hand wax protects paint coats from the elements, and all chrome is thoroughly polished. Upholstery and leather receive a gentle cleansing, and dust and graham cracker crumbs are banished from the dash and consoles. After being vacuumed and lectured on hygiene, shiny horseless carriages receive their promised homecoming and subsequent joyride through a small parking lot.

The technicians at A+ Automotive correct misaligned tires and conduct thorough automotive inspections to ensure vehicles remain in pristine shape. During the approximately one-hour alignment and inspection, the shop's auto experts adjust the camber, caster, and toe of all four wheels, improving the perambulator's steering and ballroom-dancing abilities. After putting ball joints back on the straight and narrow, a 27-point inspection determines whether other maladies lurk within the car's crannies, safeguarding vehicles from unforeseen muffler mishaps or bouts of mechanical meningitis. Click here to check the shop's hours and a list of makes serviced for the smoothest, speediest experience.

The Depot Express delights hungering tongue buds with a smorgasbord of specialty pies, as well as a slew of toppings for persnickety pizza patrons to create their own. The menu boasts belly-please combinations, such as the omelette breakfast pizza, adorned with egg, green pepper, onion, mushroom, canadian bacon, and the lactic duo of cheddar and mozzarella cheeses (12" for $12.99), and the supreme pizza, blanketed with beef, sausage, pepperoni, onion, mushroom, black olive, and green pepper (14" for $14.99). The barbecue-sauce-slathered cowboy ranch variety loads on the meat ($16" for $16.99), while the taco pie dons a disguise of refried beans, ground beef, and piñata-shaped tortilla chips to hide from pizza-centric crime syndicates (12" for $12.99). Dough-based artists can create a meal masterpiece with traditional toppers, as well as more exotic trappings, such as fajita chicken, pickles, and sauerkraut ($10.99+). Individual pizza slices are perfect for light snacking before deep-space diving expeditions ($1.98).

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.

The highly trained technicians at Jiffy Lube tend to about 24 million customers each year with services such as the Signature Service Oil Change package, which promotes the longevity of each vehicle. Staffers acknowledge that oil plays a crucial role in maximizing the lifespan of each car?it cools the motor and prevents moving parts from deteriorating. More than 20,000 technicians who have completed an extensive training program certified by the National Institute Automotive Service Excellence (ASE) nurse vehicles at Jiffy Lube. In addition to performing oil changes, Jiffy Lube's savants perform air-filtration, electricity, and windshield services, among others. The technicians' quality pledge includes a commitment to transparency, which stipulates that they will inform car owners of any necessary services, only complete a service after it has been approved, and refuse to replace windshields with saran wrap.

O’Brien’s Auto Repair The ASE-certified technicians at O'Brien's Auto Repair—a Napa AutoCare Center⎯facilitate maximum mileage with vital maintenance services in its Des Moines and Urbandale locations. Mechanics initiate 41-point inspections, scoping out key components to ensure all systems are running safely and smoothly, and perform preventive and regular maintenance such as brake-pad replacement and radiator flushes. Fresh oils such as 5W-30 and 5W-20 replace their worn-out predecessors during oil changes, as techs screw on new filters to stand in for old, crusty filters or clogged cheesecloths. Cozy, sunny waiting areas invite drivers to relax with cups of coffee as their cars cavort with mechanics.