Join Our Mailing List


The Petroleum Quality Institute of America serves buyers and consumers of lubricants through the generous support of: 

 

  Please contact PQIA at the link below if you too would like to support PQIA's efforts to help assure the quality of lubricants in the marketplace.


 


PQIA ADVISORY BOARD
The Petroleum Quality Institute of America's Advisory Board comprises a distinguished group of professionals with prominence in a broad range of fields in the lubricants business.


 

The role of the Advisory Board is to provide PQIA's management with guidance, advice, recommendations and counsel in how to best pursue PQIA's purpose and mission.



PQIA Issues Two More Consumer Alerts on Motor Oil and Transmission Fluid on Retail Shelves in Ohio
December 17, 2018

The PQIA finds more motor oil and transmission fluid on retail store shelves in the state of Ohio that can cause harm to nearly all cars currently on the road, and catastrophic destruction of some turbo charged and/or gasoline direct-injection (T/GDI) engines. The products, Q Motor Oil and ATF, do not meet any known specifications, lack any meaningful level of additives necessary to protect an engine, and the manufacturer fails to comply with labeling regulations.

The PQIA is in the process of reaching out to the auditors in each of the 88 counties in Ohio to alert them about the Q Motor Oil and ATF products examined, and others of concern that PQIA has found in the state of Ohio. But until action is taken, consumers are advised not to buy Q Motor Oil and ATF.


DON'T BUY
PQIA recently visited retail stores in the Toledo Metropolitan area of Ohio and what we found, unfortunately, is more of what we observe in other locations in the state. That is, motor oils and transmission fluids that more than likely will cause equipment harm to virtually any car currently on the road. In addition, the product labels do no t comply with labeling regulations.
 
What PQIA found in the city of Oregon, located in northwestern Ohio in the Toledo Metropolitan area, and the largest suburb in Lucas County, is an abundance of the Q Motor Oil brand on the shelves in retail stores. This product has been examined by PQIA on several occasions, and the test results on the most recent samples, like with earlier samples of the product, show a motor oil that lacks the additives necessary to protect an engine from wear and keep it clean, and it contains metals typically associated with used oil. Further, the labels on the product do not comply with the Uniform Packaging and Labeling Regulations of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, and the Regulation for the Method of Sale of Commodities specified in National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 130. The labels do not comply with these regulations because they fail to:    
  • Display a Declaration of Responsibility that states the name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor.
  • Display the viscosity grade classification preceded by the letters "SAE" in accordance with SAE International's latest version of SAE J300, "Engine Oil Viscosity Classification."
  • Display, as defined by the latest version of SAE J183: "Engine Oil Performance and Engine Service Classification," American Petroleum Institute (API) Publication 1509: "Engine Oil Licensing and Certification System," European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA): "European Oil Sequences," or other Vehicle or Engine Manufacturer standards as approved in NIST Handbook 130: Section 2.33.1.3.1. Vehicle or Engine Manufacturer Standard. (Added 2014)
  • Identify the specific vehicle or engine manufacturer standard, or standards, met in letters not less than 3.18 mm (1/8 in) in height. If the vehicle (motor) oil only meets a vehicle or engine manufacturer standard, the label must clearly identify that the oil is only intended for use where specifically recommended by the vehicle or engine manufacturer. (Added 2014)
  • Provide a cautionary statement in compliance with the latest version of SAE J183, Appendix A, whenever the vehicle engine (motor) oil in the container or in bulk does not meet an active API service category as defined by the latest version of SAE J183, "Engine Oil Performance and Engine Service Classification (Other than "Energy Conserving")."
DON'T BUY
In addition to serious issues with the Q Motor Oil, results of the tests conducted on the Q Automatic Transmission "OIL" also reveal serious deficiencies that would likely result in harm to nearly all automotive transmissions currently on the road.   

So, one has to ask, how can a motor oil and ATF that clearly can cause harm to a car, with labels that don't comply with regulations, continue to populate retail shelves in the state of Ohio? The PQIA has reached out to the Ohio Department of Agriculture - Division of Weights and Measures on several occasions for answers and to advise them about issues in the state, but, to date, there has been no response.
 
In the absence of a response from the state, PQIA did some research and found that unlike states where the activities of the Division of Weights and Measures are administered and enforced by a central office, in Ohio the Department of Agriculture is the custodian of the primary standards of Weights and Measures and its Division of Weights and Measures works with county and city weights and measures auditors to enforce all Ohio laws relating to weights and measures. The auditors in Ohio's 88 Counties serve as the Sealer of Weights and Measures for each county and according to Section 319.55 of the Ohio Revised Code, "The Auditor shall see that all state laws relating to weights and measures are strictly enforced throughout his county, and shall assist generally in the prosecution of all violations of such laws."

The PQIA is in the process of reaching out to the auditors in each of the 88 counties in Ohio to alert them about the Q Motor Oil and ATF products examined, and others of concern that PQIA has found in the state. We will keep readers apprised of the responses received and actions taken.  

The location and date of other "DON'T BUY" and "CONSUMER ALERT" products PQIA examined from retail shelves in Ohio over the past two years Include:

Cleveland, OH,  September 15, 2017
Columbus, OH,  December 3,2017
North Lima, OHApril 25, 2018
North Lima, OH April 19, 2017
Warren, OH,  April 25,2018


Help support PQIA's efforts to assure the quality and integrity of lubricants in the market.

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America's mission is to serve the consumer of lubricants by testing and reporting on the quality and integrity of lubricants in the marketplace. It is expected that this improved visibility of quality will lead to wider conformance by lubricant manufacturers to specification and performance claims. 

 

We can't do it alone.  

      

To find out how you can help support PQIA's efforts, contact us at 732-910-0017

 or by email at tglenn@pqia.org.

 

Join Our Mailing List