O.C. BUSINESS PLUS : Prolong Agrees to Change Its Ads : Settlement: Irvine firm ends dispute with FTC over allegedly unsubstantiated claims for motor oil additive.

Irvine-based Prolong Super Lubricants Inc. agreed Thursday to change its advertising, settling Federal Trade Commission allegations that the company made unsubstantiated claims about its anti-friction engine treatments.

In infomercials and brochures, Prolong promised that its motor oil additive, Prolong Engine Treatment, could reduce engine wear, prevent breakdowns and extend engines’ life, federal regulators said.

The FTC stopped short of labeling the claims false, but said Prolong’s testing data did not back them up conclusively.

“Companies that make claims like this must have adequate prior substantiation for them,” FTC attorney Gerald Wright said. “In this case, we felt they weren’t substantiated.”

Executives at Prolong Super Lubricants, a subsidiary of Prolong International, said they stopped running the ads last year, substituting an infomercial carrying disclaimers that the additive’s effect could differ from car to car.

“We as a company do not agree that our original claims lacked substantiation,” said Robert Abdellah, the company’s vice president of corporate communications. “But we’ve been educated through this about being FTC-compliant. And now that we understand, why wouldn’t we want to do it that way?”

Prolong introduced its anti-friction treatment in 1996. It sells for about $19.95 per bottle and is the central item in Prolong’s product line, which generated more than $30 million in sales last year.

The FTC has struck agreements similar to the Prolong pact with marketers of Valvoline, Slick 50 and STP to revise ads the agency called deceptive. This spring, the FTC accused Dura Lube of making false claims about engine treatments and sued Motor Up Corp. over ads for a motor oil additive.

Car experts and consumer groups have questioned the need for additives for years. In 1996, Consumer Reports tested motor oil and additives in 75 New York City taxis, concluding that additives did not significantly reduce friction or engine wear.

Abdellah said Prolong’s product employs different ingredients and delivers better results.

“We’re extremely confident in our products and their benefits to consumers,” he said.