Certas Lubricant Solution was quick to withdraw a legacy automotive lubricant after a Verification of Lubrication Specifications investigation upheld a complaint that it failed to meet claimed specifications.
Prompted by the United Kingdom Lubricant Association’s VLS, an independent organization that verifies lubricant specification claims, Certas found that the formulation used to blend its Kerax Hyperdrive KXR 5W-30 fell short of the additive supplier’s recommended treat rate for the performance levels claimed, according to a press release from VLS.
Kerax had a total base number of 6.7 milligrams of potassium hydroxide per gram, which is not compliant with ACEA A1/B1-12 or Ford M2C913B. It also claimed to meet API CF, a diesel engine oil specification that the American Petroleum Institute declared obsolete 14 years ago and which is not suitable for engines manufactured after 2009.
The oil was a legacy product discontinued in 2022, long after Certas Lubricant Solutions bought out Hyperdrive Lubricants, the original manufacturer, in 2018. Kerax has not been blended or filled since November 2021 and was dropped from Certas’s portfolio in April 2022.
“As the lubricants sector navigates rapid change in response to [original equipment manufacturer] design changes and the need to meet increasing emissions legislation, we must have a robust, anonymous process that holds lubricant producers and marketers to account and protects end users,” Harald Oosting, VLS Chairman, said in a press release.
Remaining stocks of Kerax Hyperdive have been disposed of and VLS closed the case leaving a six-month review.