USED Motor Oil is being sold to you as NEW

Yesterday, I went and picked up a couple quarts of cheap motor oil. I have two cars and my workhorse burns a bit. Well, as I was ready to pour in the oil I f'd up and dumped some. As I was cleaning up the engine I noticed it looked like used oil? Black and not normal. So being curious I went online and in 2 seconds found this:
AutoInformed

MaxiGuard Super Premium motor oil claims to be “SAE 10W-40″ engine oil that is “a superior all weather motor oil made from the highest grade petroleum base stocks and designed to provide the finest performance” and “For all foreign and domestic cars.”
However, the Petroleum Quality Institute of America has issued a Consumer Alert on MaxiGuard MG SUPER PREMIUM 10W-40 Motor Oil. The MaxiGuard product may cause harm to an automobile engine and void warranties PQIA said today in a release.

“The viscosity results show this product is an SAE 10W-20, not a 10W-40.,” said the independent testing lab.
“Further, the volatility result does not support the use of ‘high grade’ petroleum base stocks. In addition, the metal results show the oil lacks the appropriate levels of anti-wear and detergent additives required for modern engines. The analysis also shows high levels of iron, aluminum, and silicon, which indicates this product, may contain used oil.”

WTF! Did I miss something? When did it become OK to repackage and sell used motor oil as new?

PQIA says there are labeling issues, as well. The label claims API service SA, SC. These are obsolete Service Categories the API cautions can cause harm to engines built after 1967. The label does not warn consumers of this limited use.

Thank god it only harms engines after 1967! It would be devastating if my Model T was damaged and I couldn't get to work on time! (utter discontent and sarcasm)

I have looked online a bit and couldn't find any other information regarding these issues but I can't believe this is an isolated case just yet. Is this going to be a new trend we as consumers must be conscious of?

Another more technical link is here: (Ah, the motherload!)
PQIA
Go to the above link then select home. You will see a red square with "Consumer Alerts" written, scroll and look at the list of oil products that are listed, some are capable of destroying your car with just one use! Ironic one is called U.S. Economy Oil!

Please offer any information you have or happen to find. In these hard times some of us choose to change our own oil for economical reasons. Simply using the wrong oil could mean you will be buying a new car. Using these products in an engine VOID's the warranty.

A very upset. . . AB

Someone issued a "consumer alert"? Why isn't the AGs office all over this? They too busy running guns and persecuting conservatives I guess.

Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. My car also likes to drink a little oil on occasion, so I do have to top up a few times in between oil changes.

There's no way I would put that black crap into my engine. I've never even heard of that brand as I usually buy brand-name oil. But I will definitely keep an eye out for that particular brand and steer clear.

reply to post by AnteBellum


Burnt oil definitely has it's uses (Curing mange in dogs comes to mind even though heavily discouraged- it works every time) but putting it in your vehicle isn't one of them. There has to be potential for a lawsuit in there somewhere!

reply to post by AnteBellum


This is not new, it's been done for a long, long time. When you buy a really cheap quart of oil you're buying used oil that has been run through a filtering process and is not intended to be used in new cars, and really shouldn't be used in any automobile short of briefly using it to clean sludge out of your engine. Unfortunately there are many, many auto parts stores who won't tell you this and some suppliers use misleading or even outright false wording on the packaging.

When buying oil you have to look at the API rating symbol stamped into the container itself in order to determine quality:

www.pqiamerica.com...

reply to post by Goteborg


Thank you for that chart.
I will be buying motor oil similar in fashion to buying wine now in the future.
I'm still disgusted that nobody has brought this out into the open!
There seriously is no news about this, makes me wonder. . .

There are some Oil companies that will state specifically that this is made of recycled oil. I can't remember the name but it is a name brand like Castrol or or Quaker State. I change my own oil and I can't remember if I've ever used the recycled before. If I have I have definitely not seen dark oil like that.

Well, you get what you pay for.

When you buy a cheap knock-off brand, prepare to get a cheap knock-off product.
It might cost a little more for the bigger brands, but they got big from selling quality products. And investing a little more in good oil will save you down the road when you're avoiding over-heating, a cracked head, thrown pistons or a ceased engine.

reply to post by AnteBellum


You're welcome. If you're buying the fluids for your car yourself here's something else that'll save you money: unlike oil, cheap anti-freeze is the best thing to buy. There are only a couple of facilities in this country that make antifreeze so when you're looking at the cost of the no name brand and then you look at how much more the name brand costs, realize that they're both exactly the same antifreeze. That's not hyperbole, they are literally the exact same stuff.

I always look at the color of the oil Im putting in my Mustang. Im glad you were able to spot the crappy oil, You sure dont want to use bad oil in your car, thats like putting Bad blood in your body. Problem with old oil, is it loses it viscosity after being used in your car engine, so all your moving parts start to gain more friction causing your motor to heat, and scar. Not good

Valvoline markets used motor oil...

It makes sense, but I'm not inclined to use it. I'm a diesel guy, so it's high end synthetic for me... I probably spend more on just an oil filter than most people spend on an entire oil change.

For questions regarding motor oil and other vehicle lubricants, fluids and filters, I recommend Bob is the oil guy.

Some really good stuff on the forums there.

Yeah, if you didn't know beforehand about them putting used motor oil in their containers, it's hard not to get frustrated. But it happens alot these days and has been prevalent in the past as well. Most companies label the container as such, but saving a buck may cost you more in the long run.

Companies market and sell used oil more frequently now because consumers want a lower price to save more money. So they filter used oil from about 5% of the contaminates and re-label it as "recycled oil". There are many discussions online about the lower viscosity and breakdown of used oil and why it is a terrible idea to run it through any vehicle, especially a modern one with tighter tolerances. The heat cycles from a car engine alone cause enough breakdown in oil never to use it again.

Then again, some people say it works fine.

Myself, while being mechanically inclined and always working on my own cars, I never put used motor oil back into a vehicle unless its absolutely necessary or to get out of a jam. It isn't worth the headache and maintenance worries later. I justify the cost of a new oil, mainly 100% synthetic these days, as being worth the extended life of any engine.

Be careful out there and good job doing the research!

AnteBellum
reply to post by Goteborg

 

Thank you for that chart.
I will be buying motor oil similar in fashion to buying wine now in the future.
I'm still disgusted that nobody has brought this out into the open!
There seriously is no news about this, makes me wonder. . .

Thanks for the "heads-up!"

Actually, I haven't used regular motor oil in any gasoline engine for over 30 yrs.. On the other hand, the fact that you are using regular oil may very well have something to do with the fact that your engine loses and/or burns oil now.

I've been using fully synthetic motor oil in all my engines and I've put over 250,000 miles on each of the last three trucks I've owned without any of them burning and/or leaking oil. I usually change the filter at 5,000 miles and add a quart to refill it, then I do complete oil changes every 10,000 miles. The fact that I'm not having to do oil changes every 3,000 miles, (as recommended by most regular oil manufacturers) seems to negate the cost difference between regular and synthetic oil.

I learned long ago that regular oil and regular gasoline are two of the worst things you can put in your engine and both will cause you headaches on down the road.

Especially when it comes to using "regular" gasoline in small engines, like chain saws, weed-eaters, lawn mowers and even outboard motors. My repairman told me that if I wanted to save some money, I should quit being a cheapskate and spend the little extra it takes to stay away from the "regulars."

Well, I'm here to tell you he was right as rain. If you don't believe me, just try switching to mid-grade gasoline on all your small engines and you too, will soon realize that he is right. I doubt you'll ever have to pay to have the gum cleaned out of another carburetor and they'll start quicker and run better than ever before.

Anyway, thanks again for the info. The "let me screw you before you can screw me" mindset of the modern day corporate world never ceases to amaze me and it's always nice to be aware of their latest scams.

S&F for the OP!

Jiffy lubes oil (besides synthetic) is all recycled oil. I was assistant manager (not a big deal) so that's how I new.

reply to post by Flatfish


I have an audi a4 stationwagon(for the kids) which I regularly have serviced and babied. But I also have an old '93 taurus sho that has seen better days, this was the one in question. I use it to run errands and stuff but never thought too much about the upkeep because it runs good and it's very old. I thought any oil would do given its age but not what I saw yesterday, that crossed the line. I use cheap gas on the ford also, premium on the audi maybe I should rethink this also.

It wouldn't be such a bad idea to look into what else you are being sold as "virgin" or "new and never used"...

Y'all might be surprised at what you find when you open your eyes.

You get ripped off and lied to constantly every day and don't even realize it.

Consumers.....

reply to post by AnteBellum


If you buy cheap oil, it might be recycled.
I have never used anything but full synthetic Mobil 1, and I will never switch. It's the best oil on the market, and regardless of what your vehicle is, you should be running at least a synthetic blend, if not the full synthetic.
I use Mobil 1 in my 97 Dodge, as well as 91 octane fuel.
I ran the same in my turbo Jetta (2001), and I ran the same in my Mercury (83).
If you take care of your car, there is 0 risk of using used oil.
Also because you can look at the oil.

reply to post by Mirthful Me


I've used nothing but synthetic for the last 15 years in all my vehicles. As a teen, not being able to afford the good stuff, I got tired of lost compression, blue smoke, sludge... They were all old/used cars but the cheap oil didn't help.

I don't know that I would start putting Mobil 1 into a 75,000 mile vehicle suddenly. That could be an expensive habit. But a new vehicle will definitely perform better and last longer with synthetic.


We've had several 100k+ mile cars that performed flawlessly (engine-wise at least) and never had so much as a drop leaked.

That said, it is expensive. The payoff is longer oil change intervals, better mileage etc. I'm not a truck driver, but I've spent a couple of decades behind the wheel of diesel ambulances maintained by the lowest bidder and a rod shooting through the block with a patient on board due to el cheapo maintenance is a terrible thing.

Finally... I just noticed on my lunch break that diesel is the same price as gas. It's been years since I've seen that (maybe didn't notice), but locally they are $3.77 a gallon.

reply to post by Mirthful Me

For questions regarding motor oil and other vehicle lubricants, fluids and filters, I recommend Bob is the oil guy.

Thanks for that, I never realized how many things there are to know about motor oil.
I wonder if this somehow relates to home furnace oil also. . .

reply to post by AnteBellum


We get fed old food that has chemicals added to make it look good again, so I guess why not oil.