When the Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) was first formed in 2013, there was clearly a lack of understanding in some areas of the marketplace. Twelve years later, VLS is confident that the message around compliance is being heard. However, the rise in cases over the past 12 to 18 months demonstrates that there is still work to do to uphold standards and protect end users.
“To date, VLS has investigated 123 cases,” Alan Outhwaite, Chairman of the VLS Technical Review Panel, reports. “Twelve months ago, the figure stood at ninety, showing a rise of 37% in just the last year. In the past two years, VLS has opened 41 investigations, more than in the preceding six-year period.
The vast majority of cases relate to passenger vehicle engine oils. This indicates not only the size of the Passenger Vehicle (PV) market in comparison to other sectors but also the level of complexity required to serve this consumer-orientated market.
The product type of cases received remains broadly similar to previous years. However, there has been a notable rise in the percentage of commercial vehicle engine oil cases and automotive hydraulic fluid cases. Non-compliance with stated specifications remains the most frequent cause of complaint.
Whether it be compliance with the ACEA’s European Engine Oil Sequences, other market standards or conflicting or unevidenced OEM approvals, it is vital that any end user can be confident that a product can deliver what it claims and is suitable for use in the given application.
In many cases, products have been reformulated and brought into compliance. VLS 010201 was closed after Aztec Oils took swift action to withdraw the claim against Renault’s RLD-4 specification, which was not supported by the manufacturer, against their Emprotec UHPD 10W40 Heavy Duty Engine Oil (HDDO). They retained the claim against RLD-3 and amended the product’s description and Technical Data Sheet accordingly. VLS was content that the product had been brought back into compliance, and the investigation was closed. The case proved to be in continued compliance at the standard six-month review.
However, several cases have also been referred to Trading Standards due to non-compliance. The Primary Authority relationship with Buckinghamshire and Surrey Trading Standards, which VLS entered into in 2020, has proved effective in concluding certain cases where escalation by exception has been required to prompt action.
Testing has continued to play a critical role in investigations. In a recent hydraulic oil case, the lubricant manufacturer said they recalled stock and reformulated the product. VLS accepted the evidence they provided. At the six-month review stage, VLS purchased a product sample, which failed again. Varol, the lubricant manufacturer, said the sample had been purchased from a distributor, which was old stock still in the marketplace. A third sample was procured, which produced a perfect result. Testing demonstrated the importance of tracing non-compliant products throughout the supply chain to protect end users.
The lubricants industry has been through immense change since VLS was formed in 2013, and the pace of change shows no sign of abating. Electric vehicles now have a much larger share of the vehicle parc, even if sales have stalled recently. Hybrid vehicles place immense stress on lubricants, with longer warm-up times and engines starting at high speeds and high revs once battery power has been exhausted. Lower viscosity fluids have continued to become more commonplace, but the vehicle parc is ageing. The latest 0W-8 oil could cause damage in an older vehicle, which requires a 5W-40, starving the engine of the protective lubricant film it needs and leading to increased wear.
Additives play a vital part in lubricant performance, delivering a variety of characteristics to combat wear and corrosion, disperse soot and prevent the build-up of deposits whilst ensuring compatibility with emission control devices. Along with the proliferation of lubricant products in general, VLS is concerned about the integrity of products from new companies entering the additives market. Their additives may be cheaper, but they may also not be fully tested or approved as published industry and OEM specifications require. This market development is one VLS is monitoring closely, as additives are a critical aspect of lubricant formulations.”
