Labels on GF4

[Big Jim]

Looking at the bottles on the shelf it is interesting that many times they still show API rating of SL even though they show GF4. Even more surprising, some show SL in the circle, but show SM where the specs are listed next to where it shows GF4.

It must be hard to find good help these days.

 

[BeltwayBandit]

The API has not licensed the use of SM in the donut before November 30, 2004, but the oil manufacturers can specify that their oil meets the SM spec on the label. That is why you see SL in the donut and SM on the label. ILSAC agreed on the GF-4 spec several months before API agreed on SM. And of course the labels that you see in the stores were printed several weeks, if not months ago. Sometimes timing really does matter. In a few months the labels will have caught up with the approval processes.

 

[jthorner]

I really do not see the point of there being two designations (GF-4 and SM) from two organizations with different implementation dates yet which as far as I can tell specify the exact same thing.

What are these folks thinking?

John

 

[BeltwayBandit]

jthorner, maybe an analogy would help.

It would be like a shopkeepers association (ILSAC with GF-4) getting together and saying: we need our vendors to use a standard method of identifying prices on the products we sell. And then having a group of manufacturers work out a standard with some computer companies (API with SM) that say: we will use a standard bar code on all of our products and these new cash registers can read the bar codes.

ILSAC specifies what protection that cars need, and API translates that into an oil spec that describes what an oil must do. The same coin, but two really different sides.