What Bar's Products makes

Bar's Products makes automotive repair and maintenance chemicals, the poured-in-the-bottle fixes sold on the shelf next to the motor oil. The company's core is the stop-leak category it helped create in 1947: cooling system sealants, radiator and coolant leak repair, block and head gasket sealants, and stop-leak formulas for engine oil, transmission, power steering, gear boxes, and hydraulics. Later additions moved beyond sealing into treatment and performance, including engine treatments, fuel system cleaners, octane boosters, and diesel exhaust fluid and emissions-system products.

The catalog is organized under three brands. Bar's Leaks, the founding line, is the stop-leak and repair brand. Rislone, acquired in 2006, is an engine and fuel treatment line the company describes as a best-selling engine treatment brand for more than 90 years. Hy-per Lube, acquired in 2017, is a performance-additive line aimed at commercial and enthusiast technicians, with products such as extreme-pressure oil supplements, zinc replacement additive, and super coolant. The products serve everyday drivers as well as agriculture, heavy-duty trucking, marine, classic-car, and recreational-vehicle users. All products are made in the United States.

The company frames its business around a single milestone it repeats often: across more than 75 years, it says its products have sealed more than 400 million vehicle-fluid leaks. That positioning, a low-cost chemical repair as an alternative to a shop bill, is what distinguishes an aftermarket additive maker from a mechanical parts supplier selling to OEMs.

Ownership and history

Fred Barton invented the original Bar's Leaks radiator stop leak in 1947. The first customers were US automakers; the company entered the traditional automotive aftermarket, including repair garages, in 1950, and expanded into the retail automotive aftermarket in 1965. Bar's Products remains a private, family-owned company. Bob Mermuys is its President, and members of the Mermuys family have held senior operating roles across the business.

The modern company is a small roll-up of heritage brands built through two acquisitions. In 2006 Bar's Products bought The Shaler Company and its Rislone brand, uniting two long-standing names in engine chemicals. In 2017 it acquired Hy-per Lube Corp., a performance-additive maker founded in the 1950s, adding a third brand to the portfolio. The company's headquarters and manufacturing sit at 10386 N Holly Road, a site in Grand Blanc Township with a Holly, Michigan mailing address, which it moved into in 2010 after operating at its prior Holly location since 1952.

Certifications and quality

Bar's Products describes itself as ISO 9001 certified for its chemical manufacturing operations. An older public reference cites ISO 9001:2008; the current certificate date is not confirmed in public sources, so the certification is reported here as a company claim rather than a verified current-cycle registration. The company emphasizes US manufacturing and formulation control across all three brands.

Known customers

Bar's Products sells through retail, commercial, and international channels rather than through named OEM programs, so its customer list is not individually documented the way a parts supplier's would be.

Today the products reach end users through automotive retailers, commercial and heavy-duty distribution, and export partners across Europe, the Middle East, and the Americas, per the company's own descriptions. No specific current OEM or retailer program is documented in public sources, so this profile does not name one.

Sourcing evidence

Bar's Products is a domestic formulator and packager, and its US import footprint reflects that. Public bill-of-lading records for the Bar's Products entity at its Holly, Michigan address show only a single US ocean import shipment on record (October 2019). That is consistent with a company that sources most of its chemical inputs and packaging domestically and manufactures in Michigan rather than importing finished goods. Because a single shipment is not a meaningful trade signal, this profile does not publish a customs activity panel. A separately named "Bar S Products International" entity in Pasadena, Texas is unrelated and is not attributed here.

Coverage caveats: these are US ocean-freight records only. Domestic sourcing, truck and rail movements, and bulk chemical inputs do not appear in import manifests, and absence of a record is not evidence of absence.

Frequently asked questions

What does Bar's Products make?

Bar's Products makes automotive repair, maintenance, and performance chemicals under three brands: Bar's Leaks (stop-leak and cooling, gasket, and system sealants, since 1947), Rislone (engine and fuel treatments), and Hy-per Lube (performance oil and coolant additives). The products are sold to consumers and to commercial, heavy-duty, agricultural, and marine users, and are made in the United States.

Who owns Bar's Products?

Bar's Products is a private, family-owned company based in Holly, Michigan, with Bob Mermuys as President. It is not publicly traded. The company grew through two acquisitions: The Shaler Company and its Rislone brand in 2006, and Hy-per Lube Corp. in 2017.

When was Bar's Products founded?

Fred Barton invented the original Bar's Leaks radiator stop leak in 1947, which is the founding date of the company's flagship brand. Its Rislone brand is older still, dating to the 1920s, and joined the company through the 2006 Shaler acquisition. Bar's Leaks celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2022.

Where is Bar's Products located?

Bar's Products' headquarters and manufacturing are at 10386 N Holly Road, a Grand Blanc Township site with a Holly, Michigan 48442 mailing address. The company moved to this location in 2010 after operating at an earlier Holly site since 1952.

What certifications does Bar's Products hold?

Bar's Products describes its chemical manufacturing as ISO 9001 certified. An older public reference cites ISO 9001:2008; the current certificate date is not confirmed in public sources, so the certification is reported as a company claim. The company also emphasizes that its products are made in the USA.

Who are Bar's Products' customers?

Bar's Products sells through retail, commercial, and international distribution rather than through named OEM programs. The brand's history states its original 1947 customers were US automakers before it moved into the automotive aftermarket in 1950 and the retail aftermarket in 1965. No specific current customer program is documented in public sources.

Last verified September 27, 2026. Is this your company? Request a correction.