AUTO
We probably spend more time than we’d like in our cars. So why not celebrate the things that make it all less painful?
By Vanessa LaFaso Stolarski

Auto Detailing
PRO 1 MOBILE DETAILING
43541 Clivedon Court, Ashburn; 703-362-2649; www.pro1detail.com

At Pro 1, it’s all about quality over quantity. “I spend a lengthy time on the vehicle. Anywhere from four to eight hours,” owner Eric Nyhuis says of the fully mobile service. Nyhuis says he brings the power and the water to the customer at work or at home.

Oil Change
PARK CENTER AUTOMOTIVE
8453 Park Center Court, Manassas Park; 703-335-1058

Car Wash
MR. WASH
Various locations; www.mrwash.com

Short Cut
ROUTE 123 TO GEORGE WASHINGTON PARKWAY

According to our readers, Route 123 toward the George Washington Parkway lends itself to the most efficient way of traveling into or out of D.C. to avoid the Beltway knots that best characterize our region. This is particularly true, says one reader, if you are traveling from Chantilly, Lorton, Burke or Centreville. You can thank these readers next time you make it home in time for a dinner that’s still warm.

Mechanic
J & J AUTOMOTIVE SERVICES
10404 Central Park Drive, Manassas; 703-368-3600; www.jjautoservices.com

The recipe to success, J & J owner Barb Main surmises, is three-part: Education, education, education. “Because we base our diagnostics on educating the consumer, we really focus on safety first, [and] we do host seminars for women.” And since a car is the second most expensive purchase most buyers will ever make, “Our mission is to make them practice preventive maintenance, and also to help women feel empowered as oppose to them feeling taken advantage of.”

Place to Get Stuck in Traffic
ROUTE 9 WEST

Sure it’s a one-lane highway that gets backed up for miles at a time, but gazing out the window at sunning horses, open pasture, sprawling vineyards and grazing cattle is a far, far better scene than the one of your neighbor in the next lane over picking his nose behind the wheel.