Product Alert: Everclear Oil not good for your car

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA), an independent authority on automotive lubricants, has announced a strident warning regarding Everclear 5W-30 Motor Oil, stating it can damage motor parts and may result in a voided warranty.

The PQIA issued the warning primarily due to the products failure to meet the stated viscosity on the label, but found other red flags in further testing.

The Everclear labeling claims the contents are “5W-30 motor oil, that protects the vital parts of your engine, combats rust and corrosion and works throughout a wide range of operating temperatures."

"PQIA's test results show this product clearly is not a 5W-30 and does not meet any recognized specifications for motor oil,” said Thomas F. Glenn, president of the PQIA. “The 100 degrees Celsius viscosity for this oil is nearly 30 percent below where it should be for a 5W-30, and the minus 30 degrees Celsius viscosity is 2.5 times the maximum allowed. In addition, this oil lacks the additives needed to meet original equipment manufacturer's requirements to protect automobiles currently on the road. Further, the product tested contains high levels of copper and silicon."

The Everclear Motor Oil tested by PQIA was purchased in Ohio, but according to Glenn this is but one example of substandard or inferior products currently on the shelves throughout the country.

"The off-grade oils exposed to date by PQIA are examples of a much wider national problem with motor oil quality" says Glenn. "In fact, obsolete and potentially damaging motor oils can be found on retail shelves across the USA and hundreds of millions of gallons are purchased each year by unassuming car owners."

Owners should consult their manuals and maybe their dealers to make sure the oil they are using is recommended for their vehicle. PQIA states the API Service classification, present in a circular seal – somewhere on the label – with the oil’s weight in the center ring, must read SJ, SL, SM or SN or you’d better be driving a car made before 1996.

To see what oil types you should not use in your car click here.