South Portland Automotive

With 30 years of car-cleansing experience, Dave's Auto Care’s meticulous cleaners revamp and enhance even the dirtiest rides with agile hands and high-gloss products. During thorough hand washes, cars forfeit their dirt as human digits scrub and massage their exteriors, dab them dry, and remove telltale lawn flamingos from their tires. Technicians also extend hand treatments into three-hour cosmetic makeovers with several exterior-only options, or grab hold of paint or oversize crayons to permanently affix lettering to boats, trucks, and cars for custom graphic designs.

Hydraulic lifts puff and sigh as they slowly lift cars above Duval Service Center’s shop floor, revealing each auto underbelly to Mark Duval and his team of ASE-certified mechanics. After pinpointing common breakdown culprits, such as overheating and always being picked last for dodge ball, techs get busy re-padding brakes, clearing out exhaust systems, and performing other services that keep vehicles running smoothly. While their cars get pampered, drivers can kick back in the red cushioned chairs of the waiting area to read a magazine, or wander Duval’s Service Center’s lot of foreign and domestic used cars.

At Commercial Street Auto Care, automotive experts tackle any and every job—from window washing to lumberjacking—with such precision and attention that the company has begun calling itself “obsessive.” Using professional products by Pro and Malco, the shop’s detailing crew diligently tackles all vehicular dirt and grime with basic exterior washes and full-service professional detailing, complete with hand waxes, tire dressing, and interior conditioning. Aside from restoring shine to sullied rides, Commercial Street’s technicians peek under the hood and slide beneath the underbody to maintain and repair all systems, from swapping tires to servicing transmissions. They also vend and install professional window tints by Solar Guard, Suntech, and Madico to block UV rays from damaging the interior and thwart excessive heat from boiling Big Gulps.

Specializing in European cars, Merlin Motors’s lot glistens with Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW vehicles. Though they mainly focus on those manufacturers, the techs at Merlin Motors broaden their automotive spectrum with Toyotas, Fords, Jeeps, and stalled alien spacecraft. Inside their two-car, full-service garage, they crawl under the hood of most makes and models for oil changes and check-ups.