Partnership with Preventive Automotive Maintenance Association brings a new quick lube section to the show as market grows
Las Vegas—The Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo (AAPEX) and the Preventive Automotive Maintenance Association (PAMA) have announced a partnership that will bring quick lube operators from the International Fast Lube Expo (iFlex) to AAPEX in 2026. The quick lube section of the show will be branded “iFlex @ AAPEX.”
iFlex exhibitors have historically been part of The Car Wash Show, which caters to independent and franchise car wash owners. However, as the average age of the 291 million cars and light trucks in the U.S. has grown to 12.8 years, the quick lube market has seen a growth opportunity in offering additional preventative maintenance services.
Many of the suppliers the quick lube industry relies on are AAPEX exhibitors. For example, Mobil 1, Royal Dutch Shell plc, and Valvoline, Inc. are among the top suppliers at AAPEX every year. Such brands are familiar to consumers who frequent quick lube stations.
AAPEX also draws comprehensive participation from across the automotive supply chain. In a typical year, around 2,500 exhibitors, including manufacturers, distributors and suppliers, converge in Las Vegas every November to exhibit and network with potential business partners.
The quick lube market is buoyant
PAMA has 170 memberships that range from single shop owners/operators to quick lube chains and franchises with several thousand locations. Many see the market as a growth opportunity, and it has become buoyant with merger and acquisition activity. There were 48 recorded quick lube acquisitions from 2020-2024, according to Aftermarket Matters, an industry trade publication.
The pace of dealmaking continued in 2025. For example, Valvoline closed on a $625 million deal to acquire Breeze Autocare from Greenbriar Equity on Dec. 1. A market analysis by KPMG said the purchase price was 10.7 times EBITDA. National Oil & Lube News (NOLN) reported that the FTC ruled that 45 locations be divested before greenlighting the transaction.
“There’s a lot of private capital flowing into the automotive aftermarket,” said MEMA Aftermarket Suppliers Vice President of Events Liz Goad. “It’s widely seen as ‘recession resistant’ because vehicle repairs and maintenance are a necessity to keep vehicles operating safely – regardless of the economic outlook.”
Emerging aftermarket opportunity for quick lube
Many quick lube locations have increasingly offered their customers basic repair and maintenance services. According to the 2026 Auto Care Factbook, the quick lube industry provided 5.1% of the overall “collision and parts market,” based on data for the full year in 2024.
“It makes sense from a service perspective,” added Bochnowski. “If a quick lube station has a vehicle on a lift already, and can readily perform preventative maintenance services, that helps consumers keep the vehicles they own on the road longer and in better operating condition.”
Ready-made oil and lube section at AAPEX
AAPEX made several improvements to the exhibit show floor last year. Principal among them was the reorganization of the exhibit halls to segment supplier booths by market category. Quick lube operators attending AAPEX this year will find they are joining a healthy selection of buyers and suppliers in the “oil, lubrication, wax and chemicals” section of the show.
This segmentation benefited both buyers and exhibitors. For buyers, it made it easier to focus their energy on the suppliers they need to meet without having to trek across 550,000 square feet of space. Exhibitors also found that buyers spent more time perusing the exhibits in their section of the show and are to able meet more customers face to face.
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