[mgh]

Some of the spurious oil dealers are very clever.
An old story.
Our factory had three turbo diesel engine powered generators. We had annual maintenance contract with the manufacturers. At that time we used to buy a particular grade of Castrol for the regular oil changes. Our purchase department was offered the oil at a lower price by a dealer, and they bought it. The engineers found nothing suspicious about the drums or the oil and they used it. Fortunately, sample of drained oil after every oil change was regularly sent to the manufacturers. They found excessive metallic particles in the oil, compared to the previous drain, and immediately they told us that most likely the oil was spurious. Of course, we stopped using the spurious oil immediately. But in the meanwhile, one engine had two oil changes and another engine one.
The upshot was, the engine with two oil changes had to go immediately for full overhaul (changing pistons, rings, liners+the turbo was shot). The one with a single oil change had its service life (interval between full overhauls) reduced, but the turbo survived.
After other similar experiences, the major diesel engine manufacturers for generators started procuring and supplying the oil themselves and charging the customers accordingly.

So if you are getting too good a deal from a dealer for engine oil, watch out.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by mgh

An old story.

The engineers found nothing suspicious about the drums or the oil and they used it.

So if you are getting too good a deal from a dealer for engine oil, watch out.

That's a very scary story. Since most of the authorised service centres procure engine oil in barrels and fill multiple cars from them, it would be catastrophic if such a drum of spurious oil found its way to an A.S.S. - a 200-litre drum would be good enough to ruin about 50 engines.

[joybhowmik]

SST and I got talking about being environmentally responsible. IMO, we have the laws but there's no mechanism in place to safely dispose engine oils. And so a secondary market for spurious oil has sprung up to cater to buyers that are not alert, or are looking for something cheap.

Here's how the Australians deal with their used oil... source: http://www.environment.gov.au/resour...uable-resource

What happens after the used motor oil is collected?

Used oil collectors take used motor oil from collection tanks at sites such as landfills, waste transfer stations and work depots. The used oil may then undergo some pre-treatment before it is recycled or is sold to a specialised used oil recycler.
Pre-treatment of used oil involves removing any excess water. This process is known as dewatering. One way of doing this is by pouring the used oil into large settling tanks where the oil and water separate.
Processes for refining used motor oil

Depending on the final product, used oil can go through various recycling stages, including:

• filtering the oil to remove any solids present in the oil
• demineralisation to remove inorganic material and certain additives
• propane de-asphalting to remove the heavier bituminous fractions
• distillation to physically separate the components of lubricating oil by boiling range
• solvent extraction to dissolve and remove undesirable compounds, and
• hydrofinishing to improve physical properties of a re-refined base-oil.

More information about the different recycling stages is available at: www.oilrecycling.gov.au/what-happens.html .
Remember: you can also recycle used oil filters, oily rags and oil containers.
Uses for recycled used oil

Used oil can be cleaned of contaminants and can be recycled again and again. There are many uses for recycled oil, including:

• industrial burner oil
• mould oil to help release products from their moulds (e.g. pressed metal products, concrete)
• bitumen based products
• an additive in manufactured products, and
• re-refined base oil for use as a lubricant, hydraulic or transformer oil.

What is lube to lube recycling?

Turning used motor oil back into lubricating oil is referred to as lube to lube recycling. Re-refined used oil is blended with additives to produce oil suitable for re-use in the same way as a 100 per cent virgin oil product. The re-refined base oil is tested to ensure that it meets strict health and safety standards.

[sohail99]

I'll be changing my oil soon.
Any idea if there are any authorized recycling ppl in Delhi where I can hand over old oil?

[adit mishra]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

In the news today:

2 elderly citizens held for engine oil fraud
The next time you buy engine oil for your vehicle, check if you are paying for the genuine product. On Tuesday, two elderly persons were arrested from Anand Parvat in central Delhi for selling engine oil of dubious quality.

Just a few days ago, there was a quick discussion about recycling used engine oil and not disposing of the same in the municipal drains, and one member expressed his apprehension about these oils ending up being misused like the incident above.

I suppose we face a moral dilemma here. Do we send our used oil for recycling and face this kind of forgery, or do we damn the environment by pouring it down the drain?

Or do we know of a third option which protects our environment and also protects us from this kind of forgery, which "happens only in India"?

I agree with you, And this practice is quite common in rural areas of Odisha. A swift Diesel from rural areas of Odisha sounds different from a swift Diesel from the city. Prior to Odisha I used to live in Goa. I have never come across such a strange case. Many small garages here use old/obsolete Engine oils. There is a remarkable difference in Engine sound in cars when you use the wrong/old/poor quality Engine oil. I even fear buying Engine oil from local shops because they always mix oils.A nightmare for cars and car lovers.