WICHITA, Kan., Dec. 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Universal Lubricants, America's only "closed-loop" provider of re-refined motor oils, announced today a hometown alliance with all four Meineke Car Care Centers and the only Econolube location in Wichita, Kansas, each of which now offers ECO ULTRA® recycled motor oil. Made in the U.S. at Universal Lubricants' Wichita-based re-refinery, ECO ULTRA® is an environmentally-friendly and American Petroleum Institute (API) licensed line of recycled engine oils and coolants that meets current vehicle manufacturers' specifications and Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) requirements.

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"We tested ECO ULTRA® soon after its release and found that it outperformed our quality demands and product expectations," said Steve Blasdel, proprietor of the four Meineke Centers located on North Nelson Drive, North Woodlawn Boulevard, South Seneca Street, and West 21st Street and the Econolube on North Woodlawn Boulevard. "As a family owned business with a clear sense of purpose, we stress the importance of responsibility not only to our customers, but to our industry. To Meineke, to our clients, and increasingly, to the automotive aftercare market at large, ECO ULTRA® is more than a motor oil; it's an environmental safeguard and tool of energy independence."

Each year, the U.S. produces approximately 1.3 billion gallons of used engine oils, only 10 percent of which is re-refined.  The rest is either improperly disposed of (damaging the environment) or burned as an industrial fuel, wasting limited petroleum reserves and perpetuating the need to import foreign oil.  Dedicated to reversing this trend, Universal Lubricants has differentiated itself as the only "closed-loop" domestic manufacturer of recycled oil. The company collects, re-refines, blends, packages and redistributes its own oil, the ECO ULTRA® line—without ever losing guardianship within the chain—in an infinitely repeatable, sustainable cycle.

Not only environmentally sound, but energy smart, ECO ULTRA® reduces the need to extract or import two barrels of crude oil with every average four-quart oil change. What's more, as used oil actually serves as a higher feedstock than crude, the process of re-refining spent oil requires up to 89% less energy and reduces the release of harmful air emissions by a margin of up to 65%.

"With so many wanting to be agents of positive change in nearby areas and beyond, ECO ULTRA® serves as a perfect example of a low cost, high impact decision that yields real results," said John Wesley, chief executive officer of Universal Lubricants. "By offering re-refined motor oils at its four service center locations, Meineke's initial decision to use ECO ULTRA® enables our neighbors to make an environmental difference for the community and an economic difference for the country."

For more information about Universal Lubricant's ECO ULTRA® products, visit www.ecoultraoil.com.

About Universal Lubricants

Since its founding in 1929, Universal Lubricants has balanced tradition with innovation to emerge over the past four decades as the American leader in used oil collection, new oil refining and distribution. Unlike other companies that simply bottle re-refined oil, Universal Lubricants collects, refines, blends and re-distributes its own engine oil—never losing guardianship within the chain—to ensure that every quart, every gallon is of the highest quality for optimal performance. The only "closed-loop" provider of recycled motor oil, Universal Lubricants boasts a national presence, supplying ECO ULTRA® throughout the country by operating 28 facilities in 14 states, including one of the world's most technologically advanced re-refineries in Wichita, Kansas. Altogether, the company employs 380 American workers and is a Pegasus Capital Advisors portfolio company.

A leader in R&D and in the marketplace, Universal Lubricants will continue to drive progress and drive performance in the motor oil industry. For more information, visit www.universallubes.com.

SOURCE Universal Lubricants