VLS Newsletter – November 2024
Case Summary
Overall the number of cases stands at 122, with 9 products under investigation, 4 not compliant following investigation, 5 case escalated to Trading Standards following investigation, 8 compliant during investigation, 1 compliant following investigation, 1 compliant following six month review and 94 archived.
Case 010122 – Under investigation. Concerns the OEM specifications claimed 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. 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 no response has been received.
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 no response has been received.
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 no response has been received as yet.
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 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 is being sourced for testing.
Case 010215 – The case was archived on 30th September.
Case 010214 – Under investigation. 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 and has yet to receive a response.
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 compliant against the OEM performance claim based on its TBN and Sulphated Ash test result. VLS has written to the Lubricant Marketer on the 1st October concerning the issue and have not received a reply.
Case 010211 – Under investigation. Concerns the product’s compliance of HTHS on a 5W-30 ACEA E7/E9 automotive diesel engine 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.
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 Sulphated Ash 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– Not compliant. Concerns the product’s compliance of 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 who has taken appropriate action to quarantine and recall all affected stock. A website publication notice will be issued in November at the closure of the investigation.
Case 010206 – Under investigation. Concerns the product’s compliance of 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 on the 1st October and we await a response.
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 – 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 will be issued in November and a six-month review 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 due for a six-month review in November 2024.
Case 010201 – Aztec Oils Emprotec 10W-40 HDDO. Compliant. The case was archived on the 10th November 2024.
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 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 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. The case is due for a six-month review in October.
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 and has been 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 – Varol Varpress 46 AW hydraulic oil. The case concerns the product’s compliance against the DIN 51524 Part 2 standard. The case is currently undergoing a six-month review. A new sample of the product was sourced, sampled and tested and found to be non-compliant. However, the batch date of the sample pre-dated the investigation. VLS has sourced a further sample of the product which has been tested and the results have been determined by the Technical Review Panel as being compliant. The final website publication and bulletin have been issued and the case will be archived on the 18th November.
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
UK Government Department for Transport Cutting-edge transport projects receive £1.4 million to encourage innovation and deliver growth.
The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders New van market hits three year high but EVs need boost.
National Franchise Dealers Association Northern Ireland’s largest car retailers urge swifter action over MOT crisis amid mounting road safety concerns.
International Industry News
ACEA: New car registrations: -6.1% in September 2024; year-to-date battery-electric market sales -5.8%.
EU Commission DG Comp: EU and UK conclude technical negotiations for a future competition cooperation agreement.
EU Commission Mobility and Transport: 20,400 lives lost in EU road crashes last year.
Euractiv: France woos Berlin for EU ’emergency’ measures for car industry, CO2 fines delay.
Politico: Musk’s Tesla backs California electric-car rules opposed by Trump.
Reuters: Toyota posts first quarterly profit drop in two years, hit by production woes.
Media Editorial
Autotechnician, October 2024. VLS comments on matters concerning the lubricant sector, pages 34 to 41 including the use of online databases and EVs.
Professional Motor Factor, October 2024. VLS Chairman Harald Oosting comments on the importance of data to VLS’s systems and processes, page 26.
Autotechnician Online, October 2024. Shorter journeys putting pressure on lubricants warns VLS, also published to social media channels.
Autorepair Focus, October 2024. Lubricants under pressure warns VLS, also published to social media channels.
Autoscene Online, October 2024. Shorter journeys putting pressure on lubricants warns VLS.
Garage Talk Online, October 2024. Shorter journeys putting pressure on lubricants warns VLS.
Garage and MOT Online, October 2024. Shorter journeys putting pressure on lubricants warns VLS.
Professional Motor Mechanic, October 2024. VLS issues warning, published to website and social media channels.
As a member, we would encourage you to disseminate the materials and content generated by VLS through your own communication channels.
Media Advertising
Lube magazine, October 2024, VLS advert on Page 59.
Autotechnician, October 2024, half page advert page 41.
Garage magazine, October 2024, half page advert.
Events
Automechanika Birmingham, June 3-5, 2025.
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Harald Oosting
Chairman
