Using high-quality parts to repair a truck is essential to keeping it running safely and to prevent future breakdowns. Working with a trusted supplier as well as having the ability to examine the packaging and the part or product helps provide assurance that what was ordered is what’s received. When receiving or purchasing engine oil in bulk, it’s also important to work with a trusted supplier. However, confirming the brand and viscosity grade received is the brand and viscosity grade that was ordered is difficult. Fortunately, the American Petroleum Institute (API) has a critically important program in place to protect the purchaser and end consumers.
API, which develops motor oil standards and certifies gas and diesel oils, works to make certain that the proper high-quality oils are going into engines. Therefore, API developed the API 1525A – Bulk Engine Oil Chain of Custody and Quality Documentation to protect the quality of the oil throughout the supply chain for all parties involved with delivering finished bulk engine oil to those pouring it into engines. This process ultimately protects vehicle repair shops, vehicle dealers, businesses that maintain their own vehicles and equipment, and consumers from blending oil to pouring it into an engine.
All parties involved with supplying finished bulk engine oil to shops have a role in protecting the quality of the oil throughout the supply chain. Responsibility for quality starts with the oil manufacturer or marketer and ends with the installer. The blender, the transporter/distributor, and the installer that originally ordered the product have a role in ensuring the quality of the engine oil received matches the quality ordered. API 1525A describes the requirements incumbent upon each of these roles to ensure engine oil quality is maintained. The bottom line is that an operator or technician can be assured that the bulk oil poured is the quality and viscosity grade expected when it meets API 1525A requirements.
AFTERMARKET AUDIT
API has been testing packaged and bulk engine oils under its Aftermarket Audit Program (AMAP) for many years as a means of monitoring and enforcement of oils in the marketplace, testing thousands of samples in that time. This enables API to accomplish its main objective of monitoring API-licensed oils in the marketplace but also provides the opportunity to scan the marketplace for oils that may falsely claim to be licensed by API and/or display the API Engine Oil Quality Marks (the Donut, Starburst, and Shield) without a license to do so.
COUNTERFEIT OILS
When API encounters oils falsely claiming API licensing, they are collected and tested to determine conformance with the performance level claimed. If a licensed oil does not match the physical and chemical data on file, API will work with the licensee to evaluate all nonconformances and take appropriate corrective action. For serious cases, such as when products fail to meet the specifications claimed, API requires immediate discontinuation of the use of the API Marks and will exhaust all available options to ensure that the marketer removes their “counterfeit” products from the marketplace. API maintains a list of unauthorized engine oils on its website and provides details and images to alert consumers to oils falsely claiming to be licensed by API.
OBSOLETE OIL
It’s also important to be aware of obsolete engine oil that doesn’t meet the most current engine oil standards: ILSAC GF-6A and ILSAC GF-6B for gasoline engines and API CK-4 and API FA-4 for diesel engines. These are oils that claim to meet an older engine oil performance category that has been technically determined to be obsolete. Categories can become obsolete when the test methods are no longer available to verify performance. If the production of an engine or the hardware required for a specific performance test is discontinued, the test itself becomes unavailable, and performance categories specifying that test can be determined to be technically obsolete. API summarizes both active and obsolete ILSAC and API performance categories nicely in its Motor Oil Guide, available at api.org.
Obsolete oil products can still be found in the marketplace, and shops and drivers on the road should be careful not to use them as engine damage could occur. API strongly recommends following engine or vehicle manufacturer’s recommendations when choosing their oils. If a fleet uses older vehicles or equipment that may have specified an oil with a performance now designated as obsolete, current ILSAC GF-6A and API CK-4 performance categories are designed to be backward compatible with previous categories; however, always check directly with the OEM for specific recommendations.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jeffrey Harmening is a senior project manager, EOLCS/DEF, at the American Petroleum Institute. For additional information, contact the API Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System at eolcs@api.org. Find out more, visit www.api.org.
