UK Workshops: Attitudes to Engine Oil Survey
Harald Oosting, Chairman, VLS
Do workshops really understand what oil specifications actually mean? How do technicians decide which oil to buy?
VLS, with the support of Comma© , surveyed the
attitudes of UK workshops to engine oil by sending a web-based survey to over 12,000 UK workshop contacts by email.
The aim was to understand attitudes amongst UK Independent Workshop technicians towards engine oil specification claims and their impact on purchase decision-making.
30% of workshops are unclear about the meaning of oil specifications
Language in the lubricants market can be complex and confusing.
The question “In your own words, what do you think is the difference between ‘OE approved’ oils and oils that ‘meet the requirements/specifications of a manufacturer’?” produced some interesting answers.
meets the requirement but isn’t the original oil” and “One is generic and one is specifically designed for those engines”. However, around 30% either didn’t understand the difference, didn’t think there was a difference, or adopted the view that there was no difference, “Just price”.
When asked to rank oil specification descriptors in order of which they thought was ‘best’ and ‘worst’, the majority identified OE approved as superior, seeing little difference between the other claims.
Are oils that ‘meet the specification of’ just as good as ‘OE approved’?
Opinion amongst workshops was split when it came to whether “engine oils that meet the specification of are just as good as OE approved oils”:
Whilst 51% agreed, many were unconvinced, and 27% disagreed. Lubricant manufacturers invest significant sums in gaining OE approvals for their oils, yet many technicians seem unconvinced.
Is quality oil really worth paying more for?
Most respondents understood these terms, identifying that “OE is the right oil according to the dealer. Meet the specification/suitable for use means it
According to the survey, most workshops use online oil selectors or Autodata to find the correct oil. Quality and suitability are the key factors driving product selection. However, several workshops did rank price as the most important consideration. This is a cause for concern. Technicians need to understand the complexity of engine oil and the importance of choosing the right oil, not just the cheapest oil.
Continued on page 60 LUBE MAGAZINE NO.187 JUNE 2025 59
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