Business 15 www.aftermarketonline.net NOVEMBER 2025 Ensuring confidence in the lubricant marketplace Darren Frogson, chairman of VLS, on the types of cases the organisation has investigated over the years and what the aftermarket needs to look out for… Since the Verification of Lubricant Specifications (VLS) was formed in 2013, our independent organisation, backed by a panel of technical industry experts, has investigated over 130 cases. In 2023, the total stood at 88. The 50% rise in case investigations over the past two years, combined with the complexity of those cases, demonstrates that there is still work to be done to ensure an open and fair marketplace that end users can have confidence in. Over 70% of the cases VLS has investigated have related to passenger vehicle engine oils, reflecting the size of the passenger vehicle market. However, there has been a notable rise in the percentage of commercial vehicle engine oil cases and automotive hydraulic fluid cases. VLS procedures only permit the investigation of products available for purchase in the UK; however, many of the products investigated are also available in other global markets. More than 80% of complaints have related to non-compliance with stated specifications, conflicting or unevidenced OEM approvals, or noncompliance with industry standards. Whether it be compliance with the ACEA’s European Engine Oil Sequences, other market standards or conflicting or unevidenced OEM approvals, 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. New ACEA sequences are published, and OEM specifications evolve over time. For example, VW 504.00/507.00 has kept the same specification reference, but some tests behind it have been updated, and the severity has changed. 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. Requirements change, and only regular auditing and testing through comprehensive quality management processes can ensure that products remain compliant. VLS’s objective is always to bring products into compliance. In many cases, marketing claims are withdrawn, technical data sheets updated, products are reformulated, and stock quarantined and uplifted if required. However, if the companies involved do not take sufficient action to bring products into compliance, cases are reported to Trading Standards. There are currently seven products that have been proven not to be compliant and have been escalated to Trading Standards. The details of the products and companies involved are displayed on the VLS website. We urge workshops to review the list and avoid using products that have been proven to be non-compliant. At best, you are putting your workshop’s reputation and your customer trust at risk. At worst, you are risking damaging customer vehicles and, in the case of a brake fluid failure, risking serious injury or death in a collision that could have been avoided. Visit our website, https://ukla-vls.org. uk/, to find out more about us and our latest case investigations. If you have any concerns about a lubricant’s ability to deliver what it claims, you can report them by email (admin@ukla-vls.org. uk) or by calling 01442 875922. Avoid putting your workshop’s reputation and customer trust at risk
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