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Beware of cheap motor oil!

Maintenance/Repairs
#1

The NJ Attorney General has announced a ban on the sale of several cut-rate brands of motor oil that do not conform with the viscosity rating on their labels.

These are not slight variations, but are wildly different viscosities than are claimed on the label.
If a retailer is found to be selling these oils after the posting of the Stop Sale Notice, the potential fine is $100 per bottle.
The Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA) tipped-off the AG’s Office, and investigators from both Consumer Affairs and The Bureau of Weights & Measures confirmed the information.

Unless other states institute similar bans, you might find these crap brands of motor oil on a shelf near you.

http://nj.gov/oag/newsreleases14/pr20141204b.html#list

#2

Another one of the reasons…’‘you get what you pay for’’.
A selling point has always been that Name brands are the benchmark for their respective products, all others are copy cats.
Some don’t copy as well as others.
some are just fine.

#3

Sincere thanks for the “heads-up”.

#4

If anyone hasn’t seen it, you also need to be aware of cheap Chinese counterfeit tires using American Company names. http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2014/11/17/consumer-reports-counterfeit-chinese-tires-may-be-selling-under-us-brand-names/

#5

I just bought two quarts of Mobil 1 for my snow blower and lawn mower. Cost me $15 but makes me feel good anyway.

#6

If the price of tires keeps skyrocketing I just might look for counterfeits next time.
If they work as well as my fake Rolex I bought many years ago I’ll be thrilled. Self winding mechanism and the thing still keeps perfect time, no matter how I treat it.

#7

@ TSM: I am sure you know the worst thing that could happen when your fake Rolex stops, you will be late to some event. But with fake tires, you might never make it.

But I agree that tire prices are high and vary a lot. I have bought cheaper ones from Pep boys and have had decent luck with them.

#8

It doesn’t say whether or not these oil sported API SN “donut” cetrification, does it?


Most reasonably-astute motorists know to “look for the donut,” but an oil with bogus API accreditation would be more ominous, IMO.

#9

LOL, gallant, I’m retired! There are no more events! Worst case, I’ll be late for my own funeral!
Seriously, you made a good point.

I’ve been buying Hankooks from Pepboys and been very satisfied. My only chagrin is that they don’t have a Hunter GSP9700. Fortunately, I have access to a road for balancer at the college I retired from. Pepboys does a fine job, but I’m obsessively fussy. Anally so.

But I really appreciate VDC’s post. There’s no way I’d ever want counterfeit oil in my motor.

#10

Back in 1964, I was buying motor oil at a discount store in Southern Illinois. I thought I was buying Quaker State. However, when I was ready to check out, a friend with me pointed out that the brand I was about to buy was Quaker Maid. The cans were green and white very much like the Quaker State oil cans.

#11

We had one called “Quaker City”.

#12

I have never seen, heard of or used any of the brands of oil listed in the article. I have used Walmarts own brand in the past as well as Peak (it was absolutely free with a rebate) and both seemed fine. Am currently using Mobil 1 in my car that requires synthetic. They were out of Pennzoil Platinum.

#13

For years we had no trouble using house brand VIP oil in the lawn mower and for rust proofing. When my cars reached 100k and or 10 years old and then as soon as they were out of warranty, I started using it in them too as motor oil. Don’t ever remember seeing a difference and the cars never appeared to age anymore when we did.

I think I could live with counterfiet oil in my car for an oil change before I could counterfeit tires while tooling down the road at 75mph and be stuck with them for 30k. At least when the urge hit I could change out the oil. I use biodegradable oil for rust proofing now but would never use it in my car as a motor oil. They can’t seem to give this stuff away and it has all the “correct” labeling. G-oil made from animal fat in a bottle with a bright green label hasn’t inspired confidence in me yet. I don’t think it’s certified for the cars I have either. So that’s an out. If the factory literature ever says OK…

#14

Back in my younger days…I used to buy “bulk” oil for .25 cents a quart and you had to bring your own container. I had a Corvair that burned oil by the minute and the bulk oil was a great deal. I guess the oil didn’t remain in the engine long enough to do any real damage. That’s the way I like to think of it anyway.

#15

I wonder if that oil is basically recycled oil that has been cleaned up a bit after filtering. That could explain the huge differences in viscosity and so on.

I never look at oil available at convenience stores, etc so I don’t know if the product is still available or not but there was an inferior brand offered for sale around here for years that was basically filtered, used oil. Dark brown or near black right out of the containers and watery thin…

I seem to remember it had the name Double Eagle on it. (No relation to the oil company of the same name.)

#16

I agree with @oldtimer. I’ve never seen any of those brands.

There is a company here that formulates, and packages oil for MANY different brands. Different brands get different additives. I don’t know much about it, but have a good friend who used to work there.

They also make up and package re-refined motor oil that meets all the SAE specs for modern cars. It is sold under Valvoline’s NextGen name.
See http://www.greencarcongress.com/2011/03/valvoline-20110316.html

#17

We ran across a coffee shop with a starbucks sign except if you looked real close it was Star & Bucks. Be alert out there.

#18

…the world needs more lerts!

sorry, couldn t resist the MAD magazine reference…

#19

Years ago I stopped in Jellico Tennessee for gas. I saw a 10w40 bottle of Rocky Top motor oil on the shelf for a ludicrously low price. I bought it as a joke. When I opened the bottle, the stuff smelled like gear oil. The API label was SA, the lowest classification available.

I recycled it. I wouldn’t even pour it into my 1950’s Briggs powered generator.

#20

Maybe the moderator could change thread title to say beware of counterfeit oil? Who knows, maybe everything I buy is counterfeit? Now I am really worried. Fake Nike shoes, fake Rolex watches, fake chocolate? Fake beer?