From Tom Glenn article in Lubes-N-Greases Magazine, August 2014:
"Even more concerning, what’s to stop a marketer from labeling as synthetic a run of the mill conventional PCMO containing Group I or II base oils?
Unfortunately there is very little to stop it, since no tests exist to verify that the finished product is made entirely from Group III vs. Group I or II or a blend of these. What’s more, even if one could prove the product was not made with synthetic base oils, there are no legal or regulatory penalties to stop the practice since no official/legal definitions exist for the category.
With Group II base oils costing about 35% less than Group III and finished synthetic oils selling for roughly 50% more than conventional, a strong incentive for cheating certainly exists - and sources say it is taking place."
Full LNG Article
Tom NJ
"Even more concerning, what’s to stop a marketer from labeling as synthetic a run of the mill conventional PCMO containing Group I or II base oils?
Unfortunately there is very little to stop it, since no tests exist to verify that the finished product is made entirely from Group III vs. Group I or II or a blend of these. What’s more, even if one could prove the product was not made with synthetic base oils, there are no legal or regulatory penalties to stop the practice since no official/legal definitions exist for the category.
With Group II base oils costing about 35% less than Group III and finished synthetic oils selling for roughly 50% more than conventional, a strong incentive for cheating certainly exists - and sources say it is taking place."
Full LNG Article
Tom NJ