“Pančování motorových olejů – jak nenaletět? Tips and advice for choosing the right oil”

You can also find counterfeit motor oils here. They most often come from Russia, Poland, Ukraine, but also from other countries. There are whole organized groups involved in counterfeiting, but don’t think of it as some kind of “garage business”. It is usually relatively sophisticated production on the bottling linefrom which leave products more or less similar to the original oil.

Already “used” oil

Most often, fakes are made from used lubricants, which come, for example, from companies focusing on the disposal of oils. They take them by the barrel from car repair shops and then sell them to counterfeiters. You will clean this mixture from mechanical impurities after filtering several times and then bottling it in canisters or barrels (again, of course, counterfeit, or already used once). If they succeed faithfully enough imitate the packaging of the original, they get punched oils on the market through various traders. Not necessarily in the amount of several trucks at once, it is enough for them if it is one or two pallets out of twenty that go to the European market.

How to recognize counterfeit oil?

Recognizing a fake may not be easy. Individual counterfeiting lines have different advanced technologies, so it varies quite a bit. However, the following signs are worth watching for:

• Seller – let anyone say what they want, yes, oils are quite overpriced at gas stations, but! You can hardly buy fake Shell oil at a Shell pump. The situation will be similar for larger verified e-shops. On the contrary, unknown online stores, usually located at the obligatory address Kaprova 42/14 or another similarly “credible” place, will probably be more risky in this regard. A brick-and-mortar store is usually more expensive, but on the other hand, it is less risky.
• Cena – the cheapest offers are always suspect. If the price tag is significantly different from the rest of the market, you may have come across a fake. On the other hand, for example, Alza often has very cheap oils, while apparently they are original (we sometimes buy oils from there ourselves). They probably come from other distribution channels.

• Packaging – the canister should be welded from two plastic moldings, not more. If it has something stamped on it, like in the photo below, it just adds to the credibility. Additional points of trust are attributed, for example, to a cap with a manufacturer’s mark. The volume gauge should be transparent and it should be easy to see how much lubricant is left in the container.

• label – the print must be sharp, not blurred, the label must be precisely cut. Sometimes there are protective marks and holograms on it, the QR code should lead you to the manufacturer’s website with the page of the product you purchased. For example, Shell has more trademarks and you can verify the authenticity of some of its oils (Helix Ultra 5W-40, Helix HX7 10W-40, Helix HX7 5W-30, Helix HX7 10W-30 and Helix HX7 15W-40) using a code online. The back label is also usually composed of two parts and can be opened, inside there are details about the product or additional information.

• Smell/odor – every engine oil smells a little different. If you regularly take one and the same, you probably already know exactly what it is and recognize any deviation. However, it definitely shouldn’t smell like gasoline, that would indicate a fake basically unmistakably.
• Color – 99% of oils have a beautiful golden color. The grease is translucent, there are no impurities in it. Fakes tend to be darker, black or brown, and the lower quality ones can be noticeably cloudy. At first glance, however, they cannot be compared to the original, they will always differ in color.
• Viscosity – each oil “flows” a little differently, however noticeably thin or, conversely, thick lubricant is simply suspicious. When you rub a drop of oil between your fingers, nothing should rub there, on the contrary, it should glide beautifully. In addition, new oil without spent additives will not be able to be washed off the skin as well as counterfeit oil, because it already has a minimum of additives.
• Engine running – here it is very subjective, however, the different sound of the aggregate can also give a clue. If you keep feeding the engine the same oil and suddenly something changes in its sound or appearance, pay attention. It is possible that it will be a mechanical fault, maybe the engine is already worn out, but there is also a real possibility that you have poured fake oil into it.

Maybe you have it at home

If you’ve registered two or more of the above characters, you’ve probably made a purchase punctured engine oil. The probability that you will encounter him is not great, but all the more you need to be vigilant. If you pour oil into the engine that does not belong there, it can cause increased wear and tear, as well as destruction. All aggregates where the timing belt comes into contact with oil are picky about the exact specification of the lubricant, typically some engines EcoBoostpossibly 1.2 PureTech of the Stellantis concern.