Mobil's lab is probably every bit as good as Valvoline, the difference being one is ASTM certified.
The process and fees to get a lab ASTM certified is not cheap. And the expense is ongoing, as external audits have to be done on a regular basis to maintain the certification.
I suspect that is the reason that, at least according to Valvoline, Valvoline is the motor oil company that has an ASTM certified lab.
In some other industries at least, many plants will not bother actually certifying their labs, but will take all steps necessary to do be compliant to the ASTM standards, and verify compliance through internal audits.
A company may have labs in several plants, but only have an ASTM certified lab in one plant, and when test results are needed to come from a certified lab, they will send samples to the certified lab for testing. But typically only after testing has already been completed, and found to meet the expected outcome, in one of the compliant, but not certified, labs. Or they will send samples to an independent certified lab, if they want test results from a certified lab, again, only after getting satisfactory results in their own lab.
As ASTM, and other lab certification processes such as TS 17025, have become expensive to obtain and maintain, this practice has become very common.
I take that as Valvoline is a ASTM certified lab ?
They make that claim in this video.
