The distribution of fake automobile engine motor lubricant oil has become a real problem in Pakistan over the years and many people fall victim to these scams everyday. These engine oils which are commonly known as ‘1st Copy’ in the market are readily available in every corner of the country and most people are unaware of this problem.
How do we know engine oil fake or original?
These days it is very hard to distinguish between fake engine oil and original since these copies are very detailed down to the packaging and color of the motor lubricant, making it hard to discern between an original company engine motor lubricant oil and a fake one, especially for a layman.
What will happen to my car or motorbike if I use fake lubricant oil?
Fake motor oils can damage your car’s or motorbike’s engine instantly. In some cases, the damage is relatively slow but it is irreversible and always reduces the life of the engine in the long-term.
INCPak Survey on ‘Fake Engine Motor Lubricant Oil in Pakistan’
According to a survey by INCPak, almost 50 percent of engine oils available in the market today are fake and known as ‘1st Copy’ oils. However, most people are unaware of the problem and become victim to this scam everyday.
These ‘1st Copy’ fake engine lubricant oil causes the engine to heat up since the oil viscosity is not up the mark as the original one. This is usually a sign that the wear and tear process is underway and the fake lubricant is damaging your engine from the inside and soon you are left with loads of issues and frequent visits to the mechanic.
However, properly maintained gasoline engines with original motor oils don’t give up easily as these are tested before going into mess production and all the companies mention the oil grade on the oil cap to use in their engines so there’s no reason why engines fails easily.
Fake lubricant oils are available in all known brands, including Shell Helix, Caltex Havoline, Zic Oil, Kixx, General Petroleum (GP), Castrol GTX, Atlas Honda, Toyota Patron, Suzuki Oil and Yama Lube, which are being sold in the market.
Oil distributors are well aware of this fake engine oil mafia and just because they get hefty commission on sales, these distributers usually place fake oil in-between original ones and customers cannot recognize whether it’s fake or original. Furthermore, there is almost a 40% difference in profit margin when it comes to fake and original lubricant oils and this is where the oil vendor finds the loophole and keeps the fake oil at the store and destroys your vehicle’s motor engine.
The way to avoid being fooled and damage your engine is to replace motor oil from an authorized oil vendor or someone you really trust. There are Oil vendors who don’t keep fake oil simply because they don’t want to mess up their reputation in the market, however, some vendors don’t even care about reputation and only profit and they will not give up any chance for making extra money whether it is by unethical means.
Why do you get free oil change service in Pakistan?
That’s because oil vendor sells the used oil to back to the company and it gets refined back to its original form but the trouble starts when they pour the Auto Transmission Fluid (ATF), Gear Oil or CVTF in the same container. There are no different containers for each oil type and when the motor oil gets mixed, these distributors start calling it Auto Oil or Khula Tale, which is then sold at cheaper rates to customers.
The problem starts from the top level of the supply chain down to the retailer of these lubricatns and because of the price factor of the motor oil, even the reputed fuel stations sell the fake engine oil, although oil change business is profitable in Pakistan but vendors are going the extra mile to scam customers in order to make few more rupees.
First of all, you need to stick to same brand of engine motor lubricant oil which you have been using in your motor vehicle or motorbike and there is no need to try out different oils for no reason.
Secondly, make sure to change the motor oil on time after your vehicle completes the recommended mileage, we will talk about this in our next post when to change the oil and which grade is suitable since it depends on the aging of the engine as well.
INCPak Automotive section is here to guide you, so feel free to ask any question in comments below and let us know your experience and share with others since hardly anyone in Pakistan talks about fake engine oils.
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