Increase in Oil Grades Giving Motor Factors a Headache
The sharp rise in the number of different engine oils on the market today is confusing the industry and consumers alike and creating difficulty in determining which lubricant is most suitable.
A decade ago, the industry could service the needs of the majority of its customers by stocking a 15W-40 and 10W-40. Unless the car was unusual, one of those would have worked just fine.
Unfortunately, the picture today is far more complicated with each OEM demanding a specific oil for each engine. And the oil shelves are only going to become more cluttered in the years to come.
Andy Brown, UK Automotive Technical Manager at FUCHS LUBRICANTS, explained: “What it all boils down to is CO2 and emissions. There are new CO2 targets due in 2020 and OEMs know how important it is for them to meet these regulations, failure to do so could result in hefty fines. One of the many ways OEMs are going to do this is by using the correct oil and tyres, which are both critically important in terms of efficiency and fuel economy.”
“In each model of car, components are naturally slightly different. When it comes to oil, the piston rings and the upper cylinder area are of great interest as frictional losses in these areas are high and each OEM engine design demands different additives in the oil to help lubricate these crucial parts.”
“In a nutshell, that’s why we have so many products today. Though we have several products at the same viscosity, 5W-30 for example, the additives in them are slightly different, designed to deal with specific needs of the OEM’s components.”
“The temptation is for a motor factor to recommend an oil which, on the face of it, appears to be very similar to what is being recommended in the handbook. It might be that it works fine for a few months and the formulation might indeed be very similar, but this is something we would obviously advise against.”
“Using an oil which has not been approved by the OEM risks invalidating the warranty. If something goes wrong with the car’s exhaust system, the first thing they’ll check is the oil. If it’s found that the wrong oil has been used, the terms of the warranty will have been broken,” explained Mr Brown.
“For many motor factors, it’s about rationalisation: What is the greatest number of vehicles which can be covered by stocking the fewest number of oils? We still get people coming to us saying they want to use just two products. Well, it’s an unacceptable rationalisation. We know for a fact that if the wrong oil goes into a vehicle, in as little as three months later it could be in the garage with warning lights on. Even if it’s just a top-up, eventually you’ll end up having more of the top-up oil in the engine than the correct one, and we know that doesn’t work.”
“You’ve got to be ethical and you’ve got to make people aware of the consequences of using the wrong oil. I think there is still a huge gap in knowledge when it comes to the importance of oil – often amongst motor factors as well as the general consumer.”
"FUCHS Lubricants offers training for motor factors to help advise customers as to the correct grade for their oil requirements. At the end of the day, the easiest way is to put the onus on the oil manufacturer to make the decision.”
