Citing a desire to be thorough in its response to critics, the committee writing the next passenger car motor oil standard delayed its final vote last week. Members of the ILSAC/Oil Committee said they plan to approve the GF-4 specification at a Jan. 8 meeting and do not plan to make any further changes to the draft, despite complaints from independent lubricant blenders and quick-lube operators. The specification has already been delayed for more than a year, and the committee is under the gun ...

North Americas lubricant industry is regaining some of the natural sodium sulfonate supply that it lost with Shell Oil Co.s closing of its Martinez, Calif., base oil plant earlier this year. The sole remaining North American supplier, Penreco, announced last week that it will increase its output five-fold by adding natural sulfonate production to its white oil plant in Dickinson, Texas. Penreco officials said the action is a significant commitment to the market because the sulfonates in Dickinso...

Quick-lube operators wondering if it is prudent to push synthetic motor oils need not worry about losing money to drain intervals. So said Castrol Consumer North America recently in reporting results of a two-year survey. The lubricant marketer found that motorists who use synthetic oils change their oil only slightly less often than those who dont, meaning that quick lubes should make more money off synthetics, even in the long run. The company based its findings on analysis of nearly 1 million...