Letters to the Editor

Dear LubesnGreases,

Ive been encouraged to write to you in regards to bad oils in our marketplace. I have been selling finished lubricants in the south Florida market for almost 10 years. We have seen an influx of small oil companies that are selling unbranded products that do not meet specs. We have proved this time and again through oil analysis.

I would like to see more emphasis in your publications about the importance of brands, the Petroleum Quality Institute of America, and quality standards. Many quick lubes subscribe to your publication and will actually have copies in the waiting room for the public to read.

I appreciate any attention this would get, as we pride ourselves in providing quality products and service in the market. We really have an epidemic here of bad oil products and we could use all the help we can get!

Charles Langston

Port Consolidated

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Say No to

Proprietary Tests

Dear LubesnGreases,

After reading the article Test Drivers by Steve Swedberg (September, page 18), I have to say that General Motors use of proprietary tests sounds more to me like an effort to push their own Dexos engine oil approval so they can charge for it, rather than work within the industry standard. If GM truly wants to work with the industry they need to drop Dexos, work to change the standards in a way that is acceptable to the entire industry, and open their proprietary methods for scientific validation.

Why are the test methods proprietary? Who can scientifically challenge the methodology to verify its reproducibility and accuracy? Are we to take GMs word for it? Yes, some of the work was done by Southwest Research Institute, but they were also paid by GM so there is a vested interest.

True scientific challenge opens itself up to review by the entire scientific community including SAE, API and ASTM. GM needs to work within the standards set forth by the entire lubricant community and not develop their own standards, or every manufacturer will start to do the same. Then well be back to no real standard because many lubricant manufacturers just wont be willing to pay to certify that many formulas. And that opens the floodgates to corruption of accepted industry standards, and more abuse by some lubricant manufacturers than already exists.

Although GM may have real reasons to set their own standard, doing so degrades the entire process and leaves one with that underlying suspicion that another real motivator for GM is to get their hands on additional income. Or to put it in other words, to get the proverbial pound of flesh from lubricant manufacturers.

Michael C. Miller

CLC Lubricants

Geneva, Ill.