Originally Posted By: Tom NJ
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
API allows Group III to be legally called as fully synthetic.
Just to clarify, the practice of referring to Group III based oils as "synthetic" is not a legal issue, and the API has nothing to do with it.
In 1999 the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau, in response to a complaint from Mobil, judged that Castrol Syntec, which was based on a
Group III+, could be called "synthetic". In light of this non-binding ruling, all of the rest of the Group III manufacturers and blenders decided it was safe to expand that interpretation to cover all Group IIIs and proceeded to do so. It was a low risk marketing decision, betting that no one would challenge the move after the NAD ruling, and they were right. As a result, the "synthetic" line was drawn by the oil marketers between Group II+ and Group III, which differ by a single VI point. This took pretty much all of the meaning out of the term.
On the plus side, the rush into the higher profit Group III synthetics created a sharp increase in demand for Group IIIs, which spurred increased production and availability, and in turn spurred tighter oil specifications from engine builders. As a result the overall quality of motor oils in the market was bumped up over the past dozen years, while increased competition in the synthetic sector lowered prices. Net net, we get more choices of high quality motor oils and the oil companies get a higher profit margin - a win win.
Tom NJ
I think you're mostly right. It appears that what can be marketed as "synthetic" is not being regulated by API but by some other means. It's not legal to market Group II+ or lower as synthetic, although API is not overseeing it.
I was basically referring to the last page of this
Infineum API brochure, which says the following:
• Companies also use their own marketing phrases: “Group 1-1/2” and “Group 2+”
• “Group III” can be legally labeled “Synthetic”
- The word “Synthetic” is not part of the API Classification
- “Synthetic” is a marketing term, not a technical term