Leading Muffler Chain Changes Name

Meineke Discount Mufflers has changed its name to Meineke Car Care Center to more accurately reflect its products and service offerings.
The announcement, made by Meineke President Ken Walker, includes a new tagline — Right Service. Right Price — that will accompany the new name. Meineke, one of the most recognized and trusted brands in America, has been a consumer friendly name since its establishment 31 years ago.
Founded by Sam Meineke, the business began with only one store and a single product line. It has now grown to approximately 900 stores in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, and the Caribbean offering a variety of auto maintenance services.
"The automotive business has changed dramatically over these 30-plus years, and so has Meineke," Walker said. "We have added a number of services. At Meineke our customers can have their brakes serviced, air conditioner recharged, wheels aligned, have factory-scheduled maintenance performed, and even do something as simple as get their oil changed.
"So to better define our expanded service, our company faced the need for a more accurate name qualifier. Even though exhaust today still represents more than 40 percent of our total sales, ‘Meineke Car Care Center’ is more reflective of our company’s comprehensive service offerings,” Walker concluded. The company began looking at a name change five years ago. However, in 1998 not many of the Meineke shops were performing extended services, but based on the number of shops providing a wide range of maintenance service today, the company thought the change would now be appropriate.
Walker said research showed the number of consumers going to Meineke for transmission flushes rose 44% from 2001 to 2002, air conditioning service increased 40% during the same timeframe, and cooling system business jumped 32%.