On 1 October 2024 the Don Kyatt Group of Companies launched its largest overseas branch, opening its doors in Stockton, California

The California branch is the 19th company-owned branch for the Don Kyatt Group of Companies, and its ninth outside of Australia, allowing it to expand its operations while effectively creating a large home base for the Terrain Tamer and Flashlube brands in North America.
While Flashlube has been shipped into the US for over 25 years to various customers and smaller distributors, the brand has never had its own warehouse to help establish the brand, and truly take its fuel solutions and product offerings into the large American automotive market.
Flashlube’s journey has been one of continuous growth, since the brand’s first product, Valve Saver Fluid, was developed in 1986 by German CSIRO Scientist Wolfgang Kluenner, working from Melbourne’s Monash University.
He recognised the problem of Valve Seat Recession in his own Gas converted vehicle and knew it couldn’t be just his engine that was suffering, so he devoted his time to researching and inventing a solution.
LPG and CNG are dry burning fuels that combust at a higher temperature than petrol and the damage they cause to engine valves can lead to valve burning, lack of performance, loss of compression and premature engine failure.
Wolfgang’s Valve Saver Fluid was created to form a protective coating, separating the two metals by a film of lubricant preventing contact and stopping Valve Seat Recession.
The accompanying Flashlube Valve Saver Kit was created to inject the fluid directly into the vehicle’s fuel system.
The formulation was also developed to give a more complete burn in the combustion chamber, reducing emissions and fuel consumption, and improving power, as well as utilising concentrated cleaning agents to allow deposits to blend with the gases burned in the combustion chamber, maintaining efficiency without causing harm to catalytic converters or oxygen sensors.
Flashlube Pty Ltd was formed by the Don Kyatt Group in 1995 to take Wolfgang’s technology to the world.
Five years later the Australian Government announced it was removing all leaded petrol from the market and local demand for Valve Saver Fluid exploded, as the formulation provided a solution for vehicle owners needing a product which would minimise the damage in older model engines, unprepared for unleaded fuel. The product remains popular with vintage car clubs and owners, even today.
As a few years passed and more vehicles were to run on unleaded fuel, there was less need for a lead replacement solution in the local market and demand tapered off, however the popularity of Flashlube’s international growth was about to get its first real boost.
After having been exported in minimal amounts to around 20 European countries via a stockist in the Netherlands, which earned the brand a AAAA Gold Award in Export, Flashlube’s international distribution got a lucky break when the German Government passed a law in 2008 stating that mechanics would need to guarantee any work done in fitting an LPG system to a vehicle for 12 months.

Faulty work would cost them thousands in warranties, and Flashlube explains that its Valve Saver Kit was “the only solution available that could perform and last beyond the guarantee period, so it became a must-have item and, very quickly, the world leader in its field.”
After an exhausting year of Flashlube’s Melbourne Head Office team working basically around the clock to ensure European orders were met, filling containers full of Valve Saver Kits that were essentially already sold before they even left the docks, the Don Kyatt Group had the opportunity to open a warehouse in Aix-en-Provence, in the South of France.
In a whirlwind fortnight, the company’s upper management travelled to France to sign paperwork and organise all that was needed to get the French warehouse up and running, allowing for local Flashlube stock on the ground and faster fulfillment of orders into the region, and skyrocketing sales. During this time, Flashlube says its Valve Saver Fluid also became the only product in the world to be granted TUV approval in a road test for valve seat protection.
When the fuel industry began to modify the availability of Diesel Fuel and supply only Low Sulphur Diesel Fuel, and Flashlube says it was once again at the forefront.
Although environmentally beneficial, the new fuel standard caused concern for those running older Diesel vehicles and engines, and a solution was sought after.
With thorough and lengthy research behind it, Flashlube Diesel Conditioner was introduced into the market, offering a sulphur free formulation that lubricates just as well as original diesel fuel.
This period of product development also included the addition of other additives and lubricants, such as Oil Stabiliser, Injector Cleaner and Winter Fuel Formula – a cold diesel fuel flow improver developed to combat gelling in diesel fuel, which can occur in cold temperatures and results in the plugging of fuel lines and filters causing the engine to run rough, hard starting, and complete shutdown.
But Flashlube says it was the Diesel Conditioner, along with the introduction of accompanying preventative maintenance hardware in the form of a Diesel Pre-Filter and Catch Can, as well as Design Protected, vehicle specific fitting kits, that made the biggest impact and were launched as Flashlube’s “next generation” of products.
Addressing the issues of dirty diesel fuel and the dangerous and costly damage it can cause, these products received large amounts of media attention as well as awards for innovation and quickly became essential tools for 4WD operators running a common-rail engine.
These diesel products also helped Flashlube to further expand globally as the Don Kyatt Group opened branches in locations such as South America and Africa, where the 4WD car parc and the required engine solutions are extremely similar to that of Australia.

Flashlube Oil Stabiliser has been a welcomed edition to the various African countries, allowing more longevity out of their vehicles. It combines with the 1HZ engines popular in this market to reduce wear, reduce oil leaks, and also smoke.
These environments are also the ultimate testing ground for the quality of greases. Here, with many mining customers driving their vehicles in and out of water holes, the Flashlube High Temperature Grease has a proven track record with wheel bearings and Flashlube says its Moly Grease has become a staple with every CV change.
This continued product development and consistent growth across the almost 40 years since Wolfgang’s Valve Saver Fluid was first taken to market has seen Flashlube grow into a truly global brand today, sold into more than 80 countries around the world, including as far away and exotic as Peru, Iceland, Poland, and Thailand.
Now, with a dedicated base for distribution into the United States, it is set to continue reaching even more vehicle owners, each with their own unique set of needs for their vehicle’s engine.
The geographical growth of Flashlube is also complemented by the expansion of the brand’s product range, with the recent addition of products such as both Concentrate and Pre-Mix Radiator Coolant, Dot 3 and Dot 4 Brake Fluid, Silicone Oil, and AdBlue.
Along with a relaunch of the brand’s High Temperature and Moly greases, and further projects nearing the end of the research and development stages, Flashlube’s range is no longer the single product that Wolfgang developed all those years ago, but is able to be used in applications across most motor vehicle, farming, industrial, transport and motorbike markets across the world.
Flashlube explains that today’s Diesel vehicles come with a host of environmental protections placed upon them which can be limiting to the vehicle’s performance if not addressed.
For example, the DPF (Diesel Particular Filter) found in many modern diesel vehicles, can block prematurely if the vehicle is only driven on metro roads without the ability to regenerate on a freeway and burn excess carbon.
It says Flashlube’s Diesel Conditioner addresses this need in many ways by ensuring a complete burn in the combustion chamber, keeping the fuel system clean of carbon build up and greatly reducing the DPF blocking tendency.
A blocked DPF is not only expensive to clean but can be a substantial cost to be replaced. By addressing this large diesel problem, Flashlube says its Diesel Conditioner has become a “must have” product in the market and one that is sought after by diesel drivers all over the world.
“The customer who has mechanical sympathy for his vehicle, knows the challenges and the benefits of applying preventative maintenance,” Flashlube Product Manager, Sam Maio, said.
“The beauty of the product is that it not only prevents costly repairs, but also allows the vehicle to reach its full potential in power, fuel economy and longevity by cleaning the system and lubricating the fuel system’s seals and pump.”

A new generation of Flashlube users, who can remember their parents requiring the use of Flashlube’s earliest products, now have vehicles of their own – often more modern vehicles with dramatically different needs to those of 30 or 40 years ago.
Today, each of Flashlube’s products is carefully researched, designed, and formulated to carry on that legacy and give the same everyday advantage to mechanics and vehicle owners alike, equipping them with the reliability and expertise that has been of the utmost importance, ever since Wolfgang created his Valve Saver Fluid.
“The Flashlube story has been an amazing journey. It has found demand right across the globe,” Don Kyatt Group General Manager, Brent Hutchinson, said.
“I remember when we were resetting up our distribution in Europe, at Automechanika Frankfurt. 
“We had a small stand and for five days, distributors were lined up five wide and five deep wanting to sign on, in different markets.
“Today you can find Flashlube bottles sold in filling stations all over Germany, France and Poland. It has become a staple in European workshops, as it has evolved with the market and the changing fuel environment
“Who would have thought a humble inventor in regional Victoria would invent something that would be assisting vehicles all over the world to reach their potential.”
Wolfgang has been noted to be proud that his invention has not only been trusted, but also appreciated by the international automotive market, and that his dedication to finding a solution to Valve Seat Recession, and the fuel solutions that have followed, have been able to assist so many vehicle owners around the world.

For more information, visit www.flashlube.com