The Petroleum Quality Institute of America issued consumer alerts on two motor oil brands – Mileage 365 and Q Motor Oil – saying testing of five samples indicated the products could cause harm to virtually any car or truck currently on the road, and each products label fails to identify the company responsible for it.
The organization issued its consumer alert for Mileage 365 motor oils labeled as 5-30, 10-30 and 10-40; and Q Motor Oil oils labeled as 5-30 and 10-30. The consumer alert advises motorists to watch out for and steer clear of the brands.
PQIA has found the Mileage 365 brand on shelves in Lima and Cleveland in Ohio; and the Q Motor Oil brand in Lima and in Sparta, Kentucky. PQIA President Thomas Glenn said the two brands of motor oil were found at convenience stores.
In tests of samples, PQIA found the products lacked any meaningful level of additives to protect engines from wear, sludge or corrosion. Its testing also revealed that the levels of silicon, copper and iron in the products indicate they may contain used oil and abrasive material.
According to PQIA, the product labeling raised a variety of concerns. The references to 5-30 and 10-30 could be interpreted as references to multi-grade viscosities, when the actual viscosity range listed on the label on the back of the bottle isnt consistent with any multi-viscosity motor oil as defined by SAE J300, the organization pointed out in its alert. The labels also lack any API Service Category or other performance specification to provide consumers with information necessary for an informed purchasing decision.
PQIA noted that with both brands, the label on the bottle doesnt show the name or address of the manufacturer, packer or distributor. This information is required to comply with the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulations in the National Institute of Standards and Technology Handbook 130. As a result, it may be challenging for a consumer to contact the responsible party in the event that use of the products results in damage to an engine, the organization said.
The organization said it alerted Ohio authorities about the motor oils but has received no response to date. As of February 2016, the Mileage 365 10-30 and 10-40 offerings were on the state of Georgias banned motor oils list for labeling violations.
Glenn said PQIA has issued consumer alerts on the brands before. Thats part of it – its persistent, he told Lube Report. Weve reached out to the state of Ohio on several occasions, and they have yet to get back to us. We initially reached out to them many years ago. After lengthy conversations with them, at various levels of the state, it ended up where they said at that time they didnt have the resources to pursue it.
Glenn contended that testing of these two brands wouldnt be necessary because the labeling violations alone would justify stop sale orders. In this case – as some states are well aware and have taken action – you dont have to open the bottle to say you cant sell this in the state because of labeling violations, Glenn explained. If youre not saying who the responsible party is on the bottle, you have a labeling violation. Ive heard from some states that thats the easiest thing to act on. Its certainly disappointing we still see these kinds of products.
The stated mission of Metuchen, New Jersey-based PQIA is to educate and serve consumers of commercial, consumer and industrial lubricants by monitoring and reporting on the quality of lubricants in the marketplace. The organization issues a consumer alert when it believes a tested product has a significant potential to cause harm to modern engines.