VLS Newsletter – April 2025
Case Summary
Overall the number of cases stands at 124, with 5 products under investigation, 5 not compliant following investigation, 6 case escalated to Trading Standards following investigation, 1 compliant during investigation, 2 compliant following investigation and 105 archived.
Case 010224 – Under investigation. Concerns the claim against FPW9.55535/03 for which it is alleged no widely-available market general technology exists.
Case 010223 – Mannol TS-23 UHPD 5W-30 and Mannol TS-24 UHPD 5W-20. The case concerned the claim for a formal Scania approval against the following products; Scania LDF-4 for Mannol TS-23 UHPD 5W-30, and Scania LDF-5 for Mannol TS-24 UHPD 5W-20. It is not possible to obtain a formal approval against a Scania specification as the manufacturer only provides letters of recognition and not letters of approval against which Lubricant Marketers can claim their product meets the requirements of, or is suitable for use.
Following detailed dialogue with Lubriage Ltd trading as Mannol UK & Ireland the claim for a formal approval against Scania LDF-4 for Mannol TS-23 UHPD 5W-30 was withdrawn. This product was therefore in compliance at the end of the investigation.
The claim for a formal approval against Scania LDF-5 for Mannol TS-24 UHPD 5W20 was also withdrawn subsequently and therefore the product is in compliance at the end of the investigation.
A six-month review of the case will be undertaken in line with VLS’s stated process.
Case 010222 – Ravenol HLS 5W-30. Product Compliant following Investigation. The complaint concerned a claim against Stellantis FPW9.55535/03 which has been withdrawn by the Lubricant Marketer. Six-month review due 10th June 2025.
Case 010221 – Under investigation. Concerns the compliance of the product against an OEM specification performance claim for both TBN and HTHS. The original product date of manufacture was in excess of twelve months old and so the Lubricant Marketer has not kept a sample of the batch after twelve months in line with their quality management policy. The CofA has been received and the marketer has been asked to check with their technology provider about the latest specification and to amend the formulation to resolve the issue.
Case 010216 – The case was archived on the 28th March 2025.
Case 010214 – Rock Oil Synthesis F 5W-30 ACEA A5/B5. The website publication notice has been issued in November at the end of the investigation. A six-month review of the case will be undertaken in May 2025.
Case 010212 – Under investigation. Concerns the product’s compliance of TBN and Sulphated Ash against a VW 502.00/505.00 performance claim, and an advisory regarding the products HTHS and Noack Volatility on a 5W-30 ACEA C3 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The Technical Review Panel has determined that the product is not complaint against the OEM performance claim based on its TBN and Sulphated Ash test result. The case has been escalated to the toll blender of the OEM and we await their response.
Case 010211 – The original product has been superseded and they have changed supplier, the case and investigation are closed as the original product was not available on the open market at the time of the investigation.
Case 010207 – Kerax Hyperdrive 5W-30. A website publication notice has been issued and the case is subject to a six-month review in May 2025.
Case 010206 – Under investigation. Concerns the product’s compliance for Phosphorous and HTHS against an ACEA C3-16 claim, HTHS against a VW 504 00/507 00 and Porsche C30 claim, and Noack Volatility against a MB 299.51 claim on a 5W-30 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced, tested, and found to be non-compliant by the Technical Review Panel. VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer setting out the non-compliance issues, who responded. The sample of the product is being retested for HTHS and Noack through accredited laboratories.
Case 010205 – Aztec Oils Hydratec HVI 46. Not Compliant. A website publication notice has been issued and a six-month review of the case will be carried out in April 2025.
Case 010204 – Optimoil HLP 32. Not compliant. A website publication notice has been issued in November 2024 and a six-month review will be undertaken in May 2025.
Case 010203 – Anonymous. VLS has concluded its investigation concerning the PCEO claim against VW 504 00/507 00, ACEA C3, BMW LL-04 and MB 229.51 with an alleged non-compliant HTHS test result of 2.9 mPa.s versus the specifications minimum of 3.5 mPa.s. The product has been sourced, sampled and tested. The HTHS value determined, did not meet the requirements for the specifications claimed VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer on the 22nd April and they have replied, providing their quality certificates showing the two most recent batches meet HTHS limits, but not for the tested batch as the samples are retained for a one year period only and the batch date precedes this. On the 28th May, VLS shared the batch code from the Complainant’s tested sample, which was less than a year old with the Lubricant Marketer and asked that they test their retained sample and provide details of the test results. A notification has been sent to the OEM whose approval is carried by the product advising them of the non-compliance. A further HTHS test has been run on a new sample The view of the TRP is that there is still a case to answer to. The Lubricant Marketer has been written to on the 21st February and has responded to VLS stating they are testing samples of their own products at accredited laboratories in Europe.
Case 010202 – Exol Ultramax 32. The case results have been published to the website on 26th May. The case is currently undergoing a six-month review. A new sample of the product has been sourced and tested, the results are with the Technical Review Panel for determination.
Case 010200 – SCT Vertriebs GmbH Mannol Brake Fluid DOT-4 (3002). Product not proven to be compliant following investigation and has been escalated to Trading Standards. The case is currently subject to a six-month review. VLS has procured a sample of the product with a manufacturing date which followed the initial case investigation and has been tested. The results have been reviewed by the Technical Review Panel and the product found to be non-complaint. This has been communicated to Lubriage Ltd trading as Mannol UK & Ireland and also reported to Trading Standards.
Case 010195 – Silverhook Supreme Plus 5W-30 API SP, ACEA C2 C3. The six- month review was completed on 3rd May, a bulletin has been issued and the case has been escalated to Trading Standards due to non-compliance and the non-cooperation of the Lubricant Marketer. Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards have referred the matter to the home authority of the Lubricant Marketer. The Lubricant Marketer is now registered with SAIL to be able to make ACEA claims.
Case 010192 – Maxiflow 5W-30 Fully Synthetic. Not compliant. The case concerns PCEO 5W-30 Fully Synthetic and marketing claims against ACEA C2, C3, API SN and VW 502 00/505 00. The six-month review has been completed. VLS were earlier advised that the Lubricant Marketer was to remove the VW 502.00/505.00 claim as this is incompatible with the mid SAPS claims detailed on the Technical Data Sheet. The claim against VW 505.00 had been removed and a new claim against VW 505.01 is being made. The Lubricant Marketer was advised that the claim against VW 502.00 was to be removed and was still being made at the six-month review stage. Additionally, the way ACEA was referenced in relation to claims made was technically incorrect and the Lubricant Marketer was advised to correct this and also to register with SAIL to make claims against the ACEA engine oil sequences. The details of the case would be escalated to VLS’s Primary Authority partner Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards on a non-compliant basis. A bulletin has been issued and a six-month case publication notice published to the website.
Case 010190 – SCT Vertriebs GmbH Mannol Central Hydraulic Fluid. Product not compliant and case not resolved. The complaint concerns the OEM specifications claimed on a Central Hydraulic Fluid. The case has undergone a six-month review. A new sample of the product has been procured and has been tested. The test results are not meeting the specifications claimed, the case has been escalated to Bucks & Surrey Trading Standards on a non-compliant basis.
Case 010184 – SCT Vertriebs GmbH Fanfaro MAX 6 75W-90 GL-5 gear oil. Product not proven to be compliant following Investigation – Escalated to Trading Standards.
Case 010183 – Westway Lubricants 75W-90 Synthetic gear oil. Product not proven to be compliant. The case concerns 75W-90 gear oil. The case was subject to a six-month review in January, the product was found to be non-compliant and has been escalated to Trading Standards.
To view the case outcomes, visit http://ukla-vls.org.uk/case-outcomes/
The Board has agreed to allow each VLS member one desktop review in the current year at no cost, if a complaint involves product testing then this would be an additional cost. To raise a complaint with VLS, visit https://ukla-vls.org.uk/case-handling-process/
VLS can only investigate complaints made against products available on open sale in the UK. For case submission guidance visit https://ukla-vls.org.uk/publications/
VLS marketing claims guidance can be found at https://ukla-vls.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/UKLA-VLS-Specifications-and-Marketing-Claims-Guidance-4.3.24-v2.0.pdf
UK Industry News
Department for Transport. Local highway authorities will receive £500 million to fix potholes and £4.8 billion investment for National Highways to keep the strategic road network working.
HM Revenue and Customs. Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) changes take effect from 1st April including an enhanced VED for luxury cars with a list price in excess of £40,000 in years 2-5, and VED will apply to Electric Vehicles for the first time.
Independent Garages Association. The IGA is stepping up to advocate for independent garage owners amid rising costs and a potential freeze on the MOT fee.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Car output down as sector calls for measures to boost manufacturing and market competitiveness.
International Industry News
ACEA: US auto tariffs will hurt global automakers and US manufacturing at the same time.
ATIEL: Managing compliance with the ACEA engine oil sequences, Lube magazine, page 61.
EU Commission Mobility and Transport: The Commission welcomes provisional agreement on modernised driving licences rules.
EU Commission DG Comp: Commission fines car manufacturers and association €458 million over end-of-life vehicles recycling cartel.
Reuters: Volvo goes back to car industry basics with surprise CEO switch.
Media Editorial
Lube magazine, April 2025 pages 63-64.
Case bulletin – 010184 Fanfaro 75W-90 Max 6 GL5, page 63.
Case bulletin – 010183 Westway Lubricants 75W-90 Synthetic Gear Oil, page 64.
Professional Motor Mechanic, March 2025. VLS closes case into Kerax.
Professional Motor Factor Online, March 2025. Roundup of VLS cases.
CVW Online, February 2025. VLS outlines the recent changes to oil specifications.
GarageTalkOnline, March 2025. VLS issues a warning about using the latest engine oils in ageing vehicles.
Transport Engineer, March 2025. Innovation drives change, featuring commentary by Alan Outhwaite the Chairman of the Technical Review Panel.
Professional Motor Factor Online, March 2025. What are the consequences of MVBEO?
Auto Repair Focus, March 2025. Beware of using modern oil in older vehicles.
FACTS Online, March 2025. VLS reports a rise in cases as lubricant complexity continues.
Garage & Mot Online, March 2025. Understanding Complexity, Assuring Compliance at Automechanika 2025 with VLS.
GarageTalkOnline, March 2025. Understanding Complexity, Assuring Compliance at Automechanika.
As a member, we would encourage you to disseminate the materials and content generated by VLS through your own communication channels.
Media Advertising
Garagetalkonline, VLS electronic adverts to coincide with Automechanika, Birmingham 2025.
Lube magazine, April 2025, VLS advert on page 65.
Events
UNITI Mineralol-technologie Forum. 8-9 April 2025, Stuttgart.
The CV Show, Birmingham NEC, 29 April to 1st May 2025.
Automechanika Birmingham, June 3-5, 2025.
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Harald Oosting
Chairman
