Originally Posted By: virginoil
Please answer the question what criteria would you apply. The question I posed doesn't mean each oil has to be certified and approved by the OEM. As the warranty claim manager would you insist that
1. They are approved by API or other body
2. Demonstrate that the specs are similiar standard although without API or other approval.
3. Provide a copy of oil manufactures insurers certificate incase there is an oil related claim or
4. Any other creative scheme that comes to mind.
My question was to tease out what the reaction would be if you had the reality to fork out payment of the claim and would it influence your decision.
I actually understood your question. Probably should have quoted one of Busters posts but used yours instead to make my general comment on the current feelings around here by so many in regards to certified and oe rated fluids( like transmission for example ) being all one should use.
Legally you only have to meet or exceed the requirements/criteria the mfg sets forth( you do NOT have to use OE fluids nor use OE certified fluids ). So, that is what I would do and did as a servicer writer. People make this way more complicated than it is and give new car mfg's and dealerships way more power than they have.
Here is an example as to what can be done as a consumer and how I would have handled it as a service writer. I will use an oil change on my current vehicle as the test mule so to speak...
MFG REQUIREMENTS:
1 - API certified oil( GM has left themselves open here by not specifying a service level for a customer to use ANY API certified oil )
2 -
"MEETS" GM6094M oil standard
3 - 5w30 weight required
4 - Change oil by OLM
These are the mfg's requirements set forth in my owner's manual for my new vehicle. They are the ONLY requirements I must follow. The same applies to anyone. What you must do is right there in your owner's manual and it is spelled out pretty simply. Too many folks however read more there than actually is or don't educate themselves on what rights they have under the law.
The manual simply says I must use an API certified 5w30 oil that "MEETS"( or exceeds legally )GM6094M. Nothing about "certified to meet GM6094M" because legally they could not do that. I actually scanned my owner's manual to back this up as I know darn well people will call [censored]...
Let's use me and what I will do before I go into service writer mode.
I will use Royal Purple 5w30 and I will change it every 5K. RP 5w30 is API certified( SL ), it is the correct weight, it not only meets GM6094M it exceeds that standard( have compared RP's test data to the standard spec's and provided a copy of their oil's spec's to my dealership so there is no question/problem - even though it has not been certified by GM it is 100% fine to use ), and 5K has always fallen far short of my OLM running out. Were the OLM to ever run out short of 5K for some reason I would change it then. So, I am good to go warranty wise.
Now as a service writer how would I handle it? Let's use the same vehicle requirements of API certified, 5w30, meets GM6094M, change by OLM and apply it to someone else with me as the service writer. Customer comes in with the following - Amsoil 5W-20 oil and wants to run 25K once a year OC's.
**NOTE - this is NOT an Amsoil slam just using them as an example because they, like RP, refuse to become mfg certified and most who run really long OCI's do so with Amsoil**
1 - Oil is not API certified so strike 1. Yes, apparantly it meets or exceeds the current API service level requirements BUT GM actually can require cetification here( to my understanding anyway )because this is an outside source certification standard and not one of their own design. This( ie; GM standard )would fall under requiring you to use the mfg's fluids/parts and thus they must be provided free by law. I am not 100% sure on this one but this is my interpretation of it and how I would proceed until shown I was wrong. Amsoil claims meeting the service level requirement makes it okay but I have seen them make false statements before and GM is very specific in the manual it MUST bear the API starburt symbol( API donut showing service level also would qualify as API certified ).
2 - 5W-20 is not 5w30. The mfg has the legal right to require you use a certain weight. Just as you can't go up to say a 10W-40 or 20W-50 you can't drop down to a 20 weight oil. I would advise them to go back for the proper weight or they risk warranty.
3 - GM6094M. Amsoil is not certified to this standard( yes I know it certainly exceeds it but not the point here )so I would request the customer provide me with the test data showing how the oil they want to use does against the standard. If it passed and was okay with 1 & 2 I would have no issue with it and legally couldn't anyway.
4 - 25K once a year OC. NOT happening! No need to say more.
