VLS Newsletter – June 2025
Case Summary
Overall the number of cases stands at 132, with 9 products under investigation, 2 not compliant following investigation, 7 case escalated to Trading Standards following investigation, 3 compliant during investigation, 2 compliant following investigation, 4 compliant following six-month review and 105 archived.
Case 010232 – PCEO 5W-30. Advisory. Under investigation. Concerns the HTHS test precision limits for an ACEA C2/C3 dexos2, MB 299.31 passenger car engine oil. The Lubricant Marketer is investigating the issue and we expect a response back in early June.
Case 010231 – PCEO 0W-20. Advisory. Under investigation. Concerns the Low Temperature Cranking Viscosity at -35°C test precision limits for an STJLR.51.5122 performance claim for an ACEA C5, MB 229.71 passenger car engine oil. The Lubricant Marketer is investigating the issue and we expect a response by early June.
Case 010230 – PCEO 0W-20. Advisory. Investigation complete. Compliant. Concerns the test precision limits for Phosphorous for an ACEA C5 & C6 claim, the SAE J300 Low Temperature Cranking Viscosity at -35°C test precision limits, and the HTHS test precision limits for a Volvo VCC RBSO.2AE performance claim. The Lubricant Marketer has been contacted and responded positively; a website publication notice will be issued to the website in the second week in June.
Case 010229 – PCEO 5W-30. Complaint. Investigation complete. Compliant. The case concerns the performance claim against the Stellantis specification FPW9.55535/03. The Lubricant Marketer provided some robust technical evidence to support the claim and VLS has concluded there is no case to answer. A notice has been published to the website on an anonymised basis. The case will be archived on the 6th August 2025.
Case 010228 – PCEO 5W-30. Advisory. Under investigation. Concerns the compliance of the product against SAE J300 Low Temperature Pumping Viscosity requirements. The Lubricant Marketer has been contacted and provided a response, a sample is to be independently tested as per VLS procedures.
Case 010227 – PCEO 0W-20. Complaint. Under investigation. Concerns the compliance of the product against SAE J300 Low Temperature Pumping Viscosity requirements. A sample of the product has been sourced and is being tested.
Case 010226 – PCEO 0W-30. Complaint. Under investigation. Concerns the compliance of the product against SAE J300 Low Temperature Pumping Viscosity requirements. A sample of the product has been sourced and is being tested.
Case 010225 – PCEO 5W-30. Complaint. Under investigation. Concerns the compliance of the performance claims VW 504.00/507.00, MB 229.31, 229.51, 229.52 against the HTHS test limits, the compliance of the claim against the Fiat specification 9.55535-S2 and the claim against ACEA C2.
Case 010224 – Complaint. Investigation concluded. Compliant. Concerns the performance claim against the Stellantis FPW9.55535/03 for which it is alleged no widely-available market general technology exists. The Lubricant Marketer provided robust technical evidence in support of the claim which VLS considers justified and there is no case to answer. A notice has been published to the VLS website on an anonymised basis. The case will be archived on the 6th August 2025.
Case 010223 – Complaint. Product Compliant Following Investigation – Case Resolved. 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 – Complaint. Investigation concluded. Product Compliant following investigation. Ravenol HLS 5W-30. The complaint concerned a claim against Stellantis FPW9.55535/03 which has been withdrawn by the Lubricant Marketer. A six-month review of the case will be undertaken in June 2025.
Case 010221 – Complaint, Investigation concluded. Granville Hypalube FS C3 5W-30. The case concerned 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. In response Granville Oil & Chemical stated that they had already removed the claim against VW 502 00 on current stock, and the sample tested was in excess of two years old. They also stated that they check for consistency in HTHS properties by testing the development blend pre-production and also checking every 3 to 4 blends post production. A case notice has been published to the website and a six-month review of the case will be undertaken in November 2025.
Case 010216 – Archived.
Case 010214 – Complaint. Case concluded. Compliant. 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. For the six-month review VLS reviewed the Rock Oil website where the product was still being marketed. The Technical Data Sheet continues to show the claim against ACEA A5/B5, however the claim against API SN has been withdrawn and a new claim against API SL is being made. Given that Rock Oil has taken appropriate action and the Phosphorous content of 0.1% meets the other claims listed, VLS is content to close the case on the basis that the API SN claim has been withdrawn in line with their commitments. The case will be archived on the 6th July 2025.
Case 010212 – Complaint. 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 branded lubricant who responded on 28th April agreeing to withdraw the claim against VW 502 00 due to revised specification limits imposed by the VW. The OEM will be contacted in early June setting out the steps the Toll Blender is taking to bring the product back into compliance.
Case 010211 – Case closed, subject to a six-month review on 17th July 2025.
Case 010207 – Complaint. Case concluded. Compliant. Kerax Hyperdrive 5W-30. A website publication notice has been issued. A six-month review of the case was undertaken in May. As part of the review, VLS looked for evidence of availability of the legacy product in the marketplace and the claims being made. The original complaint was that the product claimed A1/B1-12. TBN at 6.7 measured is not compliant with ACEA A1/B1-12. API CF is obsolete and not suitable for use in most diesel-powered vehicles manufactured after 2009.
The product was a legacy product from the time when Kerax owned the Hyperdrive brand and it was run and managed by a different legal entity prior to being purchased by Certas.
As part of the investigation, Certas Lubricant Solutions took exemplary steps to quarantine and withdraw the legacy product. Certas are no longer marketing the product and have reformulated it since this time. On this basis VLS is content to close the case. A final bulletin and website publication notice has been issued and the case will be archived on the 13th July 2025.
Case 010206 – Complaint. Under investigation. The case concerns the product’s compliance for Phosphorous and HTHS against an ACEA C3 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 Lubricant Marketer is disputing the test results and findings of VLS. A new sample of the product is being retested for HTHS and Noack through accredited laboratories.
Case 010205 – Complaint. Case concluded. Compliant. The case concerns Aztec Oils Hydratec HVI 46. A six-month review of the case was carried out in April 2025. As part of this a new sample of the product was sampled and tested. The test results showed that the product was compliant for foaming and demulsibility characteristics and therefore the case can be closed. The case will be archived on the 30th July 2025.
Case 010204 – Complaint. Under six-month review. Not Compliant. Optimoil HLP 32. A website publication notice has been issued in November 2024. A six-month review of the case is currently underway. As part of this a new sample of the product has been sampled and tested. The test results are with the Technical Review Panel for verification.
Case 010203 – Complaint. Under investigation. 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.
VLS has received the test results from the Lubricant Marketer and the results are with the Technical Review Panel for verification.
Case 010202 – Complaint. Compliant. Case concluded. The case concerns Exol Ultramax 32. The case results have been published to the website on 14th April. The case is currently undergoing a six-month review. A new sample of the product has been sourced, tested and found to be compliant so the investigation and case is closed. A bulletin has been issued. The case will be archived on the 11th June.
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, reported to Thames Valley Police, the DVSA and also reported to Trading Standards and a press release has been issued.
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.
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. Consultation outcome. Incorporating international rules into GB type approval for road vehicles, May 2025.
Independent Garages Association. Ben’s latest survey shows stress remains automotive’ s number one and growing issue – affecting 1 in 2 workers.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. UK car and commercial vehicle output falls in April. 29th May 2025.
National Franchised Dealers’ Association. 2025 Q1 sees used car sales surpass two million for first time since pre-pandemic.
International Industry News
ACEA: ACEA welcomes Council approval of CO2 flexibility measures, calls for comprehensive support strategy.
EU Commission Mobility and Transport: The European Commission adopted recommendations to Member States how to address the complex challenges of transport poverty across the EU notably in the context of the upcoming Social Climate Plans. 22nd May 2025.
Reuters: Tesla not keen on local production, minister says, as India finalises EV policy.
Euractiv: Heavy-duty vehicles face a rugged road to decarbonisation. Europe’s hauliers and truck manufacturers say problematic legislation and underfunding are stalling the right conditions for an EV truck market scale-up.
Media Editorial
Fleet News website and newsletter, May 2025 features VLS hydraulic fluid warning.
Aftermarket magazine, May 2025, Page 29, Automechanika preview featuring VLS.
LubesNGreases May 2025. Mannol brake fluid still on sale.
Autotechnician magazine, Page 8, May 2025. Brake fluid still on sale.
Autotechnician magazine, Page 50, May 2025, Automechanika preview featuring VLS.
Autoscene Online, April 2025. Automechanika preview featuring VLS.
Motor Trade news, May 2025., Brake fluid still on sale.
Driver Intelligence, report of Fleet News article. Hydraulic fluid still on sale. May 2025.
Business Motoring. May 2025. Brake fluid still on sale.
CVW Online, May 2025. VLS case spike.
Autoscene, May 2025. Automechanika preview featuring VLS.
Professional Motor Factor, May 2025, Page 46. Automechanika preview featuring VLS.
CAT magazine Online, May 2025. Hydraulic fluid safety warning.
Auto Repair Focus, Understanding complexity, assuring compliance. May 2025.
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, June 2025. Half page VLS advert page 28.
Car Mechanics magazine, May 2025. Half page VLS advert.
CVW magazine, June 2025. Half page VLS advert, Page 13.
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Harald Oosting
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