VLS Newsletter – November 2023
Case Summary
Overall the number of cases stands at 99, with 7 products under investigation, 4 not compliant following investigation, 1 compliant during investigation, 11 compliant following investigation and 76 archived.
Case 010199 – concerns the conflicting ACEA claims made on PCEO 5W-30. The TRP has accepted the complaint and a letter was sent to the Named party on the 3rd November.
Case 010198 – concerns the conflicting ACEA claims made on PCEO 5W-30. The TRP has accepted the complaint and a letter was sent to the Named party on the 3rd November.
Case 010197 – concerns the compliance of PCEO 5W-30 against ACEA C2 C3 with its HTHS value. The case was accepted on the 20th October and the product is being sourced for sampling and testing.
Case 010196 – concerns HDDO 5W-30 and its compliance against stated OEM specifications. The case has been accepted by VLS on the 29th September, and the Named Party was written to on the 20th October.
Case 010195 – concerns PCEO 5W-30 and its marketing claims against several OEM specifications including VW 504 00/507 00 and other applications. The TRP has accepted the case and the investigation has been published to the website pending a six-month review.
Case 010194 – concerns the OEM specification claims made on 0W-30 PCEO. The product is compliant and the case is closed.
Case 010193 – concerns PCEO 5W-30 ACEA C2, C3 and its claim against VW 502 00/505 00 alongside ACEA C2 and C3. The investigation has concluded and the case is subject to a six month review.
Case 010192 – concerns PCEO 5W-30 Fully Synthetic and marketing claims against ACEA C2, C3, API SN and VW 502 00/505 00. The investigation has concluded and the case is subject to a six-month review.
Case 010191 – a case complaint enquiry has been made by a lubricant blender, the case registration form has not been completed and subsequently the case is closed.
Case 010190 – The complaint concerns the OEM specifications claimed on a Central Hydraulic Fluid. The TRP has upheld the complaint and the product has been sourced and tested and confirmed as non-compliant. A letter has been sent to the Named Party commencing the consultation period, on the 7th November.
Case 010189 – The case is subject to a six-month review in February 2024.
Case 010188 – The case concerns a Universal Tractor Transmission Oil. The product has been tested and the results shared with the Named Party who have acknowledged that some of the claims need modifying and that they are progressing an investigation. The VLS investigation is concluded, and the results have been published to the VLS website. The case is subject to a six-month review in April 2024.
Case 010187 – concerns the performance claims on an aluminium synthetic cutting fluid. The Named Party has responded to the complaint to the satisfaction of the Technical Review Panel and the investigation has been published to the website. The case is subject to a six-month review in April 2024.
Case 010186 – The case investigation was competed in May and is subject to a six-month review in November 2023.
Case 010185 – The investigation has concluded in June subject to a six-month review in December 2023.
Case 010184 – The investigation was concluded in June subject to a six-month review in December 2023.
Case 010183 – The investigation was concluded in May subject to a six-month review in November 2023.
Case 010182 – concerns a hydraulic oil and its compliance against the DIN 51524 Part 2 standard. The Named Party has responded to the satisfaction of the Technical Review Panel, the investigation is closed and the case is subject to a six-month review in April 2024.
Case 010181 – concerns PCEO SAE 5W-30. The product has been sourced and tested, and the results shared with the Named Party who are arranging for a test on their retained sample. The results of the investigation have been published to the website and the case is subject to a six-month review in April 2024.
Case 010178 – concerning SAE 10W-40 engine oil and the performance claims made on it. The product is not compliant, and the case is subject to a six-month review in December 2023, at which point if the product is still non-compliant then the case will be escalated to Trading Standards.
Case 010176 – The case is subject to a six-month review in January 2024.
Case 010167 – The product still in compliance at the six-month stage and consequently the case is closed.
Case 010159 – UEIL has concluded its investigation into the matter and the case is due a Technical Bulletin publication.
To view the case outcomes, visit http://ukla-vls.org.uk/case-outcomes/
To raise a case with VLS, visit http://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/
Industry News
UK Government Department for Transport announced that the Government is investing £200 million to drive innovation and get more zero emission trucks on our roads.
UK Government Department for Transport has announced new laws to make EV charging quicker and easier.
UK Government – the Department for Business & Trade has announced £89 million of funding to develop cutting edge new electric vehicle technology.
SMMT have announced that October new car market beats pre-pandemic levels but subdued EV growth hinders green goals.
The European Union Commission has approved €659 million French State aid measure to support Verkor in researching and developing innovative batteries for electric vehicles.
UEIL Press Release – ATIEL and UEIL publish a methodology to calculate and report Product Carbon Footprints (PCFs) for Lubricants and Other Specialties.
ACEA the European association of major motor manufacturers, announce that Auto industry leaders call for urgent action as EU-UK electric vehicle trade rules to hit cliff-edge deadline.
The International Energy Agency announce that world fossil fuel demand will peak by 2030.
ILMA report that Tesla joins GM, Ford in slowing EV factory ramp as demand fears spread.
The Wall Street Journal announce that EVs Are on a Lithium Roller Coaster with prices of the key battery metal have fallen by roughly 70% this year, easing battery-cost worries but casting doubt on longer-term supply.
The Wall Street Journal Report that GM Delays Opening of Electric-Truck Factory Amid Cooling EV Demand. Automaker cites need to manage capital spending and align with evolving EV demand.
Media Editorial
Professional Motor Factor Online, October 2023 . VLS explains how it can help motor factors and imparts advice on how to deal with incorrect marketing claims.
Garage Talk Online, VLS welcomes new Chair Jacquie Berryman. October 2023.
LinkedIn Infineum – Jacquie Berryman announced as the new Chair of VLS.
Autotechnician Online features an article by VLS on validating lubricant claims, October 2023.
Commercial Vehicle Workshop Online features an article on VLS’s deep dive into engine oils for older vehicles, October 2023.
Autotechnician Online, October 2023 features an article by VLS on validating lubricant claims.
Car Mechanics, October 2023 features VLS’s 10-year anniversary, Page 3.
Autotechnician Online, October 2023, article on avoiding oils going rogue featuring VLS.
Lube magazine, October/November 2023 includes a feature on VLS’s new Chair Jacquie Berryman, page 43.
Lube magazine, October/November 2023, features a ten-page technical review of VLS investigations over the period 2013 to 2023, pages 44 to 50.
Garage and MOT magazine, October 2023 report on Jacquie Berryman’s appointment as VLS Chair, page 33.
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, half page November 2023 page 39.
Commercial Vehicle Workshop, November 2023, half page advert Page 25.
Aftermarket magazine, November 2023, half page advert.
Lube magazine, October/November 2023 half page advert on VLS, Page 43.
Events
ACI European Base Oils & Lubricants Summit, 15/16 November, Barcelona, Spain.
ATIEL Technical Seminar, 20 November, Brussels, Belgium.
The 54th Lubricants and Base Oils Symposium, 22/24 November, Zagreb, Croatia.
Social Media
Twitter (now X)
To follow VLS on Twitter click here.
You need to be logged into Twitter, or X, now to read tweets.
LinkedIn
To follow VLS on LinkedIn click here.
Stay Up To Date
We would encourage all members to make use of the content generated by VLS and share this to your own communication platforms. If your media team would like access to VLS press releases, newsfeeds and notifications from our social media accounts, please email admin@ukla-vls.org.uk, and we will add your name to our list of contacts.
Jacquie Berryman
VLS Chair
