VLS Newsletter – December 2024
Case Summary
Overall the number of cases stands at 123, with 8 products under investigation, 6 not compliant following investigation, 5 case escalated to Trading Standards following investigation, 8 compliant during investigation, 1 compliant following investigation and 95 archived.
Case 010223 – Under investigation. Concerns the claims against Scania approvals for a 5W-30 and 5W-20 HDDO.
Case 010122 – Under investigation. Concerns a claim against Stellantis FPW9.55535/03 made on PCEO 5W-30.
Case 010221 – Under investigation. Concerns the compliance of the product against an OEM specification performance claim for both TBN and Sulphated Ash.
Case 010220 – Compliant. Is an advisory notice has been issued concerning the product’s compliance with HTHS for an ACEA C3 PCEO. A letter has been sent to the Lubricant Marketer on the 22nd August and they have responded stating they have changed supplier and taken on board the advisory notice issued by VLS.
Case 010219 – Compliant. An advisory notice has been issued concerning the product’s compliance with HTHS for an ACEA C3 PCEO. A letter has been sent to the Lubricant Marketer on the 22nd August and they have responded stating they have changed supplier and taken on board the advisory notice issued by VLS.
Case 010218 – Compliant. An advisory notice has been issued concerning the product’s compliance with HTHS for an ACEA C3 PCEO. A letter has been sent to the Lubricant Marketer on the 22nd August and they have responded stating they have changed supplier and taken on board the advisory notice issued by VLS.
Case 010217 – Compliant. An advisory notice has been issued concerning the product’s compliance for Sulphated Ash, HTHS and Noack Volatility which are within test precision limits, for an ACEA C3 and ACEA C4 claim. A letter has been sent to the Lubricant Marketer on the 1st August with a follow up on the 21st November, and no response has been received. The case will be archived on 20th December 2024.
Case 010216 – Under investigation. Concerns the product’s compliance for MRV Yield Stress and an advisory for HTHS against performance claims for ACEA C2 and ACEA C3. A sample of the product has been sourced and sent for testing on the 21st November.
Case 010214 – Rock Oil. Concerns the product’s compliance of Phosphorous, against API SN on a 5W-30 ACEA A5/B5 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The product has been determined as non-compliant by the Technical Review Panel. VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer on 14th October who have responded stating that they followed the advice of their technology provider in making the claim which ran counter to API 1509. The claim has been withdrawn and the website publication notice issued at the end of the investigation.
Case 010213 – Compliant. Concerns the product’s compliance of Sulphated Ash on a 5W-30 ACEA C3 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The test results are within test precision limits, the product is compliant and there is no case to answer. The case will be archived on the 21st December.
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. VLS have written to the Lubricant Marketer on the 1st October concerning the issue and have not received a reply. VLS escalated the case to the European OEM CEO on the 19th November and have yet to receive a reply.
Case 010211 – Under investigation. Concerns the product’s compliance for HTHS on a 5W-30 ACEA E9/E7 automotive engine diesel oil. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The Technical Review Panel has determined that the product is not compliant with the ACEA claims made on the basis of its High Temp/High Shear Test result. The Lubricant Marketer has been contacted, however their supplier’s analysis of the retained sample gave a passing result. They also advised that the product is no longer available on the market.
Case 010210 – Compliant. Concerns the product’s compliance for Sulphated Ash on a 5W-30 ACEA C2 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The test results are within test precision limits and the Technical Review Panel has determined there is no case to answer. The case will be archived on the 8th December.
Case 010209 – Compliant. Concerns the product’s compliance for HTHS on a 5W-30 ACEA C3 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced and has been tested. The test results are within test precision limits and the Technical Review Panel has determined there is no case to answer. The case will be archived on the 8th December.
Case 010208 – Compliant. Concerns the product’s compliance for TBN and SA against a performance claim for VW 502.00, and the validity of a claim against VW 505.01 on a 5W-30 ACEA C3 PCEO. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The product is non-complaint for the dual claim. The Lubricant Marketer has withdrawn the dual VW claim for the product on the webpage and in the product’s TDS and retained the claim against VW 505 01. Consequently, the product is compliant and there is no case to answer although the webpage for the product still shows an out-of-date pack shot with the claim against VW 502 00/505 01 on the label, and so an advisory has been issued to the marketer to ensure any products displayed reflect the claims made in the website description and in the product’s Technical Data Sheet. The case will be archived on the 4th December.
Case 010207 – Kerax Hyperdrive 5W-30. Concerns the legacy product’s compliance for TBN against a performance claim for ACEA A1/B1-12 and Ford M2C 913B. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The test results have been determined as non-compliant by the Technical Review Panel. VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer which purchased the Kerax Hyperdrive business in October 2018, who has taken appropriate action to quarantine and recall all affected stock. A website publication notice has been issued and the case is subject to a six-month review.
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, details of which are being considered by the TRP.
Case 010205 – Aztec Oils Hydratec HVI 46. Not Compliant. The case concerns the non-compliance with industry specifications of an ISO 46 hydraulic oil. The case was accepted by VLS on the 18thJune 2024. The product has been sourced, sampled and tested and the results are with the Technical Review Panel (TRP) for determination. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The product was found to be compliant regarding its foaming characteristics but the demulsibility was not. VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer who has responded with a number of steps they are taking to bring the product back into compliance. 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. The case concerns the non-compliance with industry specifications of an ISO 32 hydraulic oil. The case was accepted by VLS on the 17th June 2024. A sample of the product has been sourced and tested. The test results demonstrate that the product is not compliant as determined by the Technical Review Panel. VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer who has informed their supplier. They have changed supplier since the affected batch was identified and also identified the location of the affected product. The Lubricant Marketer has also confirmed that no remaining stock is left in the marketplace. A website publication notice has been issued in November 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. The test results have been provided and are with the TRP for consideration. A notification has been sent to the OEM whose approval is carried by the product advising them of the non-compliance.
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 sent for testing as part of the six-month review.
Case 010201 – The case is archived.
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.
Case 010198 – Westway Lubricants 5W-30 VW Audi LL3. Product compliant and the case resolved. A final case publication notice has been published to the VLS website, a bulletin issued and the case will be archived on the 22nd December.
Case 010195 – Silverhook Supreme Plus 5W-30 API SP, ACEA C2 C3. The six- month review was completed on 3rdMay, 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. The case is due for a six-month review.
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.
Case 010182 – The case is archived.
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
VLS Managing Conformance, Assuring Compliance. Technical Review Panel Chairman Alan Outhwaite reviews VLS’s activities over the past eleven years.
Infineum Insight, October 2024 features an article with Alan Outhwaite on Lubricant Quality Champions and the role of VLS in maintaining industry standards.
Department for Business & Trade Secretary of State Jonathan Reynolds announces a consultation on a revision to the Zero Emission Vehicle mandate following the announcement of the closure of the Vauxhall Luton site.
Department for Transport, UK Secretary of State Heidi Alexander unveils her vision for integrated transport across England
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Alarm bells ringing as EV transition hits auto industry.
Independent Garages Association. IGA Calls for Urgent Review of MOT Fee Cap.
National Franchise Dealers Association. NFDA comments on new government ZEV mandate consultation announcement.
International Industry News
ACEA: New evidence of worsening outlook for electric vehicle market reinforces need for urgent action.
EU Commission DG Comp: Commission closes State aid investigations into Fiat, Amazon and Starbucks tax rulings.
EU Commission Mobility and Transport: 2024 Excellence in Road Safety Awards: European Commission rewards top road safety initiatives.
Euractiv: German centrist parties add support for early revision of CO2 car rules.
Reuters: Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares abruptly quits as US Jeep, Ram sales falter.
Associated Press. German auto supplier Bosch to cut 5,500 jobs in further sign of carmakers’ woes.
New York Times. Chinese automakers tell suppliers to cut costs as price war deepens.
Media Editorial
Professional Motor Factor, November 2024. VLS Chairman Harald Oosting provides case update and impact of MVBEO.
Aftermarket Online, 12th November 2024. VLS urges ‘vigilance’ in rise in lubricant standard cases.
Garage Talk Online. November 2024, VLS Technical Review Panel Chairman Alan Outhwaite provides a review of VLS cases over the past eleven years in ‘Managing Conformance, Assuring Compliance’.
Auto Repair Focus. November 2024, Increase in VLS cases highlights work to be done.
Garage & MOT magazine, November 2024. VLS welcomes publication of the new ACEA 2024 heavy duty engine oil sequences.
As a member, we would encourage you to disseminate the materials and content generated by VLS through your own communication channels.
Media Advertising
Professional Motor Mechanic, November 2024. Half page VLS advert page 45.
Aftermarket, November 2024. Half page VLS advert page 35.
Commercial Vehicle Workshop, November 2024. Half page VLS advert page 31.
Lube magazine, October 2024, VLS advert on Page 59.
Events
UNITI Mineralol-technologie Forum. 8-9 April 2025, Stuttgart.
Automechanika Birmingham, June 3-5, 2025.
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Harald Oosting
Chairman
