Point blank, motor oil standards insure that you are getting the quality you are paying for, otherwise you could face unexpected damage to your engine. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, when looking at illegal motor oil dumping, cites cases totaling nearly 200 million gallons that could make its way back into your motor. Not only does that represent critical risks to the existing natural resources, but it represents large volumes of oil that could be reclaimed and recycled for further use. Using oil change locations that support American Petroleum Institute standards support proper recycling of different motor oil types.
Motor oil standards are categorized and classified according to the Society of Automotive Engineers numerical grading system in order for consumers to know what they are buying when you get an oil change. Since there are different formulations and grades of oil that are recommended for different vehicles, it can help to understand different aspects of motor oil facts that relate to your car. The established standards also ensure that you have used the exact oil that you are paying for.
Even though some of the formulations have existed for awhile, thankfully, the packaging with the old glass bottles or metal and cardboard cans has evolved to more practical containers. Typically, these days we visit a quick service station that pumps new motor oil into our vehicles from 50 gallon drums of oil. Fortunately the Motor Oil Matters designations have been put in place to assure customers that they get the exact quality that they select and are not subject to using inferior products.
To guarantee that suppliers do not mislabel their motor oils, the American Petroleum Institute standards tests samples throughout the supply chain to chemically match known formulations. If there are any discrepancies, they are addressed or the supplier and vendor face various sanctions until they comply. In plain English, that means that you can look at the barrel of motor oil that your mechanic is using and not worry that you are getting a cheap substitute in your car.