State Regulators Warn Consumers of Noncompliant Motor Oil according to the National Conference on Weights and Measures
Lincoln, NE (PRWEB) December 10, 2013 -- Weights and Measures regulators in some states are taking action to remove brands of motor oil from retail shelves that may be hazardous to your vehicle engine. Regulators in Michigan and North Carolina have ordered several brands off sale in recent months in what appears to be a rash of alleged fraudulent activity among small distributors.
The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services issued a press release last week as the latest of several investigations into noncompliant motor oil; this one leading to action against Everclear brand motor oil. This brand also failed to meet viscosity claims and the products were not labeled in accordance with industry standards. The action extended to Everclear brand transmission fluids. Everclear Oil is based in Austintown, Ohio.
“We requested additional testing by Wear Check USA in Cary, and the results for both the oil and automatic transmission fluid showed that additives were either absent or not at the correct levels”, said Stephen Benjamin, Director of the NCDA&CP Standards Division. “This issue, along with the presence of wear metals, indicates these products are likely recycled in origin. Any of these results would put the products out of specification and cause them to be pulled from shelves.”
States are able to network and share data from investigations as a means to provide broader and uniform enforcement across borders. In September, the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development removed motor oil from shelves that was distributed by City Petroleum (dba City Star) and Star Petroleum, stating, “These products may cause damage to vehicle engines.” The product was found to contain less than the labeled quantity, but also failed to meet the viscosity labeled on the packages. Michigan’s Attorney General, Bill Schuette has since issued a Consumer Alert on Motor Oil Awareness.
In October, Michigan officials ordered Bullseye brand motor oil products off sale, stating the Bullseye Automotive Lubricants, Inc. is “selling substandard products.” The department added, “When products don’t meet viscosity levels it can cause lasting damage to vehicles. So it is vital that consumers and business stop using or selling these products immediately.”
Investigative reporter Walt Kane of News 12 New Jersey will run a 3-part series on noncompliant motor oil beginning tonight at 6:00 p.m. EST as the latest installment of “Kane in your Corner”. The segments will expose an element of fraudulent practices in the motor oil industry that consumers should be aware of to protect their automobiles. Segments will be viewable from their website at http://newjersey.news12.com/.
The National Conference on Weights and Measures is a professional nonprofit association of state and local weights and measures officials, federal agencies, manufacturers, retailers and consumers. NCWM has developed national weights and measures standards since 1905. The organization brings the right interests together to keep pace with innovative advancements in the marketplace.
Don Onwiler, NCWM, http://www.ncwm.net, +1 (402) 434-4871, [email protected]
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