VLS urges ‘vigilance’ amid rise in lubricant standard cases
12 November 2024 
Technicians have been warned to stay vigilant when choosing lubricants for workshops, after the lubricant industry’s standards organisation reported a 34% spike in its investigations into products in just one year.
Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) revealed it had opened 39 investigations over the past two years — more than in the preceding six-year period — and has investigated a total of 121 cases to date, compared to just 90 a year ago.
Half of the cases opened this year have related to “conflicting or unevidenced OEM approvals” and VLS said it is concerned about the integrity of products from new companies entering the additives market.
According to a study released on November 8 by VLS technical review panel chairman, Alan Outhwaite, while additives from new companies may be cheaper, they may also not be fully tested or approved as published industry and OEM specifications require.
‘Confidence is vital’
VLS said it is monitoring the issue closely because additives are a critical aspect of lubricant formulations.
Meanwhile, several non-compliance cases have been referred to trading standards authorities.
According to VLS, 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 — whether it be compliance with the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association engine oil sequences or other market standards.
‘Still work to do’
“Lubricant marketers should regularly audit products, technical data sheets and claims to ensure that products are in continued compliance.”
Lubricant manufacturers cannot assume that because a product meets a specification at a given time, it will continue to do so during the lifetime of the specification, VLS said.
Outhwaite said: ‘’When VLS was first formed in 2013, there was clearly a lack of understanding in some areas of the marketplace. Eleven years later, we are confident that the message around compliance is being heard.
“However, the significant rise in cases over the past 12-18 months and the complexity of those cases demonstrates that there is still work to do to ensure an open and fair marketplace that end users can have confidence in.”