echoes this sentiment with data that many shop owners can relate to on this topic. Most of the oil changes being performed were synthetic and blend, but the data shows solid representation in several other categories as well.

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Making Time Travel Work

Massachusetts To Enforce Right To Repair Law

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has decided the state will enforce the Right to Repair law passed by voters more than two years ago, CBS News reports.

A Notice of Intent to Terminate Non-Enforcement Stipulation was filed by Campbell on March 7, which stated that she has a duty to enforce the law that was passed.

75% of voters voted in favor of the law in 2020, but it was challenged by the Alliance for Automotive Innovation when they filed a suit on November 20, 2020 in an effort to stop it from taking effect.

Since then, enforcement of the law has been delayed. Kia and Subaru have been manufacturing “vehicles without wireless technology” to avoid potentially breaking any future Right to Repair laws.

The Massachusetts Right to Repair Coalition released a statement thanking Campbell for the decision to enforce the law.

“On behalf of all Massachusetts independent repair shops and 4,000 members statewide, we thank Attorney General Campbell for standing with the voters and their right to get their car fixed wherever they choose as automakers increasingly try to create a monopoly in the car repair market,” the organization said in a press release.

Mpc Acquires 13 Big O Tire Locations

MFA Petroleum Company (MPC), a Big O Tires franchisee, has acquired 13 of the brand’s locations in the Kansas City area, according to a press release.

The stores were purchased from TBC Corporation, a company that owns over 730 auto centers of varying brands.

The stores purchased include five in Kansas–MPC’s first in the state–and eight in Missouri. Prior to the acquisition, MPC operated 22 stores across Missouri and Arkansas.

With the addition of the Kansas City area stores, they now operate 35 locations out of Big O Tire’s total of 460, making them the biggest franchisee of the brand.

MPC’s senior director of Big O Tires, Charlie Alexander, stated this is “a major expansion for our company” and helps to

“build the Big O Tires brand throughout the Kansas City area.”

Reladyne Acquires Grupo Lucalza

RelaDyne has announced the acquisition of Grupo Lucalza, a fuel distributor in Latin America, according to a press release.

Grupo Lucalza was founded in 1982 and has over 40 years of experience in offering “lubricants, fuels, filters, batteries, and tire distribution services” in Latin America. The company operates in countries such as “Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Dominican Republic, and Guatemala” and employs over 750 people.

Also gained in the acquisition were Lucalza’s subsidiaries, Imporfil and Texpetrol. Imporfil is located in Mexico and offers “lubricants, greases, antifreeze, and filters,” with Texpetrol in Guatemala distributing “bulk fuels for aviation, retail, and industrial sectors.”

Grupo Lucalza CEO Guillermo Méndez said he is thrilled about the acquisition and that it will be “a platform for future growth for our associates, customers, and strategic supply partners.”

“Grupo Lucalza’s dominant market position, expansive geographic coverage with a highly efficient distribution network, and strong commitment towards customer service will be leveraged by our RelaDyne Reliability Services industrial team throughout Latin America,” said David Schumacher, chief strategy and operating officer of RelaDyne.

Maine Certifies Right To Repair Ballot Initiative

Maine’s Secretary of State has certified the signatures of Maine’s Right to Repair coalition to put an initiative on the ballot this November, according to a press release.

The initiative aims to provide independent repair shops with access to repair and diagnostic information instead of it only being shared with dealerships, allowing them to understand what to do to service newer vehicles.

Tim Winkeler is president and CEO of VIP Tires & Service, a shop in Auburn, Maine. He signed his name to the initiative because he’s had customers who have come to his store for decades that he doesn’t want to have to see forced somewhere else.

“Automakers are increasingly using technology to try to shut out local independent car repair shops and automotive technicians from repairing the newest models of cars and trucks,” Winkeler stated.

Though a national agreement passed in 2013 made it so that automakers must “provide access to repair and diagnostic codes and information,” the agreement does not cover “the rapidly expanding wireless technologies now installed in virtually all new vehicles.”

Massachusetts, too, has passed a ballot initiative similar to this; until recently, it was on hold due to challenges from auto manufacturers, who spent “more than $25 million” in an effort to stop the initiative from gaining enough support.

GREASE MONKEY PROPERTY SOLD FOR $3M

A single-tenant property that was being leased to Grease Monkey in Monument, Colorado was sold by its original owner to a private real estate investment firm, according to a press release.

The building is located in a busy spot, “at the hard corner, signalized intersection of Colorado State Highway 105 and 2nd Street at 213 W. Highway 105 … just off Interstate 25’s 2nd Street exit, with 73,000 cars per day on Interstate

25.” The facility is also surrounded by other businesses such as 7-Eleven, Starbucks, McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and several others.

For this reason, the building was in high demand. It sold for $3,062,555, which is the highest reported purchase price for a Grease Monkey in the past three years.

The original owner of the building previously operated his own oil change and car wash business out of the 5,309-square-foot building but sold the business to Grease Monkey a few years ago. He retained the real estate and signed a lease with Grease Monkey but decided it was time to sell the property.

The seller reportedly received multiple offers within the first few weeks of putting the property up for sale. Representatives of the seller said that the site had “strong real estate” as well as the benefit of having a car wash attached to an oil change center.

Monro Acquires 5 Locations In Quad Cities

Monro has announced the acquisition of five new locations across Illinois and Iowa, as reported by Our Quad Cities.

The acquisition includes QC Auto Service, which has four locations: two in Bettendorf, Iowa; one in Davenport, Iowa; and one in Moline, Illinois. The fifth location acquired was one Muscatine Tire and Auto Center in Muscatine, Iowa.

All five of the stores will now be “dual-branded,” brandishing the Car-X Tire & Auto brand alongside theirs. Thirty new employees will also be joining Monro as a result of the acquisition.

Monro currently owns over 1,300 tire dealers and repair shops in 32 states across the country. Company President and CEO Mike Broderick believes that the addition of these stores “strengthens our current Car-X Tire and Auto presence in the Quad Cities and the surrounding area.”

Dan Elias was the owner and manager of the five locations that have been serving their communities for over 40 years.

“It wasn’t an easy decision for our family to sell our business, but it was the right time,” Elias said.

DRIVE & SHINE TO OPEN IN FORMER RESTAURANT BUILDING

A new Drive & Shine Car Wash and Oil Change will be opening a new location in a “long-vacant building” in Stevensville, Michigan, 94.9 WSJM reports.

The building along I-94 at 5000 Red Arrow Highway was previously where a “Former 5 O’Clock Sports Bar and Restaurant” was operated. The restaurant was also called “Win Schuler’s” in prior years.

Drive & Shine is based in Granger, Indiana, and has “about a dozen” locations across northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan. The closest one to their new Stevensville location would be in Niles, Michigan, which Drive & Shine VP of Marketing Sherry Tehrani said the new facility will be modeled after.

Construction on the Stevensville location does not currently have a clear timetable, with Tehrani saying permits for construction are “pending approval,” but hopes to receive the OK “sometime this year.” The existing structure is “overgrown and derelict” and will be demolished to create a new one.

Pfeifer said that the township has not received any plans and that the facility will need a “special use permit.” Pfeifer added he did not expect any problems once the plans are reviewed, however.

Performance Plus Acquires Sparkle Car Care Centers

Calder Capital has assisted Performance Plus Quick Oil Change & Car Wash in acquiring Sparkle Car Care Centers in Benton Harbor, Michigan, according to Grand Rapids Business Journal.

Performance Plus was founded in Holland by brothers Kyle and Justin Klingenberg and has its headquarters in Wyoming. The company has close to 50 locations across Michigan.

Performance Plus reached out to

Grand Rapids-based Calder Capital for assistance in “expanding its services in new communities,” according to Calder. With the completion of this deal, the two companies have worked on three total acquisitions.

“There are strong synergies between the two companies, Kyle Klingenberg said, “which provide new markets for Performance Plus.”

The recently-purchased Sparkle Car Care was founded in 1981 and has three locations in Michigan. Two of the three owners, Bill and Chad Stockwell, are looking into “pursuing other business opportunities.” Their father, and third owner, Carlos Stockwell, will be retiring.