Originally Posted By: Snoman002
Well, remember, if an oil claims to meet or exceed a certain certification (without actually paying for said certification) they do open themselves up for a lawsuit. It may be difficult to prove, but if there is a oil related failure (or fringe case) the consumer could push the issue.
Now, who has 10k to drop on a bunch of testing to prove the oil they were using didn't meet the specification it said it did?
No worries about a law suit at all for an oil mfg as long as the oil actually does meet or exceed the spec and trust me they know if it does or not before saying so. As long as what they have claimed is true they are not subject to being sued over it.
No company, in their right mind, is going to claim something untrue. If they do then they are stupid and won't be in business very long. You can pretty well bet the farm that a name brand oil company like Mobil, SOPUS, Ashland, Conoco-Phillips, etc... and even name brand boutique oils like RP, Redline, Schaefers, etc... know what the spec is and know how their oil tests out under it if they claim it meets/exceeds.
If an engine fails using an oil that only claims to meet/exceed vs being officially certified, and the car mfg denies the claim saying it doesn't meet the spec, you can bet your last dollar when you go to the oil company looking to get your engine fixed they will have the documentation ready to show you their oil does in fact meet and/or exceed the spec in question as they claim. It will be up to the car mfg to prove it doesn't via testing. They can't just say it isn't certified so denied. Meets/exceeds in the US satisfies all legal requirements as long as it actually does.
If a name brand well known oil company tells me their oil meets such and such a spec I tend to believe them because it would be too risky for them to claim it if untrue. Does that mean it can't be false? No, some oil companies have lied certainly. I could name a big one that did about API certification it did not have but I don't want to rile up that brands fans. Even being officially certified and on the list is no guarantee though. All that means is on the day the test was conducted the oil submitted for testing passed.
I think it was Castrol GTX a few years ago that was tested for a certain spec( might have been API spec but can't remember specifics ), got certified, but then had it pulled because random testing of bottles on the shelf later showed it no longer met the spec due to a reformulation( they quickly corrected it and I feel it was a good faith error and not intentional ). So again, certification doesn't always mean much although it is safer for you the consumer of course.
IMO, people get too hung up on "official" certification. If the oil mfg claims it meets/exceeds that is all you need legally. All you need to do is decide if you trust that oil mfg. As long as it is a name brand with a well established reputation I will. To each his own however.