Automotive in Carrboro

For Tom Tucker, a good car wash is all about the water. Rather than relying on the local supply, he's outfitted Carolina Car Wash with its own well and water-reclamation system, which feeds the wash's jets with purified H2O. This nearly self-sufficient system provides a constant source of water even during periods of drought without impacting Carrboro's supply, fueling Carolina’s five types of car wash, heading off rust and corrosion, and keeping drivers’ backseat waterbeds fluffed. Tom's conservation-minded approach to water use also drives his support of local charities, with whom he collaborates on eco-friendly car-wash fundraisers.

Sam Meineke opened his three-bay muffler shop in 1972 with a single product line, and through time, he and his successors have expanded the business into a complete automotive car-care center. Today, nearly 900 franchise owners operate their locations around the globe, still standing on the firm foundation of Sam's ideal of nursing vehicles back to health at fair prices. Meineke Car Care Center's mechanics perform an array of services, keeping rides running in showroom condition with tune-ups, 23-point inspections, tire rotations, and deep-tissue windshield massages.

Whether you take your automobile to Auto Pro or CarFix, your personal vehicle will be in the hands of a specially trained staff of engine experts ready to coat the battered insides of piston-powered car hearts with fresh oil. A new oil filter is fitted to strain engine grime and misplaced hors d’oeuvre toothpicks from the lubricating oil flow, while a brand new pair of wiper blades ensures that inclement weather runoff is quickly whisked away, and produce is efficiently cleared from windshields after you've driven through inconveniently placed fruit stands. Additionally, a state emissions inspection preps vehicles for their pollution check-ups, keeps Johnny Q. Law out of the picture, and assures owners they haven’t been pumping gas tanks full of home-brewed naphtha. Prepare for memorable road trips and glide down winding roads more smoothly than a buttered-up bobsled thanks to today’s Groupon.

The highly trained technicians at Jiffy Lube tend to about 24 million customers each year with services such as the Jiffy Lube Signature Service Oil-Change package, which helps promote 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 helps prevent moving parts from deteriorating. More than 20,000 technicians—all of which have completed an extensive training program certified by the National Institute Automotive Service Excellence (ASE)—service vehicles at Jiffy Lube. In addition to performing oil changes, technicians offer preventative services such as air-filtration and electrical-system maintenance, among others. Jiffy Lube’s quality pledge includes a commitment to transparency, which stipulates that they will inform car owners of any necessary services, complete a service only after it has been approved, and refuse to replace windshields with saran wrap.

Though they may be a long way from their country of origin, European- and Asian-made vehicles feel at home at Import Performance thanks to friendly technicians who service their nuanced systems and equip them with original parts. The team's 20 years of experience and specialization in foreign brands such as Audi, Subaru, and BMW becomes evident as they pop hoods and crawl beneath undercarriages to service brakes and engines and sing to transmissions in their native tongue. Although the company performs repairs, their number-one goal is to thwart problems before they occur through maintenance services that preempt mechanical failures and save drivers money on costly fixes.

ASE-certified Precision Tune Auto Care helps vehicles of all sorts run smoothly by performing top-of-the-line maintenance and repair services. The vehicular spa day begins with a full-service oil change, where a team of talented techs pours up to 5 quarts of 5W-20 or 5W-30 oil into thirsty autos while decking out happily oil-drunk engines with brand-new filters. Tires bask in equally tender treatment during a rotation, which promotes even wear and tear and gives easily bored circular sightseers a new vantage point. Upon completion, an alignment check finds out if anything is needed to keep cars rolling in a straight line. Precision Tune Auto Care's professional vehicle pamperers also stabilize tires' rubbery moods by treating them to lifetime balancing until they bounce off to the big wheelhouse in the sky. A visual brake inspection assesses the stoppers' surfaces for resistance capabilities, unusual noises, or grinding tendencies.