Our History of EcoQuality

In 1974, when my father opened Auto Lube Care, the world had just begun to discover how important the environment truly was.

He wasn't a tree hugger by any means, but he was adamant about doing what he could. In fact, he started one of the first oil recycling programs in the region -- taking used oil and oil filters from the do-it-yourselfers at home; keeping those toxins out of the landfills and storm drains.

After a stint in the army as a medic, I came home in 1975 and joined my dad at the shop. For a long time, we worked side by side, building the business and taking extra special care of our customers and their cars.

As one of the oldest quick lubes in the nation (non-franchised), we've consistently led the industry in developing new ways to take care of the environment. One of those ways involved developing a unique press to crush used oil filters so we could get remove that oil before disposal.

At that time, we were required by law to haul away our used filters in a 55 gallon drum. But with our process, we could fit 3 times as many in a can. It quickly caught on, so we worked with an engineer to develop and manufacture a version we could sell nationwide, called "The Impactor". We then worked as part of a national coalition to convince the EPA that if an oil filter had all free flowing oil removed and it was destined for proper disposal (steel yard) that it need not be classified as a hazardous waste.

Later, we worked with a steel company to take these used filters and recycle them into rebar. We received several honors and awards for those innovations, including: 'Operator of The Year' from the National Oil and Lube News (1991) and the 'Environmental Award' from the Convenient Automotive
Services Institute (1992).