Brian Jeffrey
A series of operations aimed at eliminating businesses involved in the production and distribution of counterfeit engine oil has left many vehicle owners concerned. These imitation oils are remarkably convincing, featuring indistinguishable packaging and design that can easily mislead consumers.
On June 6, a 32-year-old named Nguyen Van Khanh and his accomplices were apprehended while they were acquiring subpar oil and rebranding it into containers labeled as Castrol, Motul, Honda, and Yamaha. They proceeded to sell these products on e-commerce sites such as Shopee and Lazada. This operation was exposed by the Economic Police Department in Ho Chi Minh City.
Since February 2024 alone, this network has distributed over 220,000 units of fake engine oil, garnering illegal profits estimated in the tens of billions of VND.
It has become increasingly easy to find engine oils marketed at unbelievably low prices, sometimes even half the retail price of authentic brands. These counterfeit products are sold in plastic containers that imitate the branding of trusted companies.
Le Hong Dai, an engineer and director of DaiLinh Automotive Trading Development in Hanoi, indicated that using substandard or counterfeit oil can significantly impair a vehicle’s performance. Extended use may lead to critical damage, often beyond repair.
“Engine oil serves as the ‘lifeblood’ of the vehicle, essential for lubrication, cooling, cleaning, and safeguarding moving components. Utilizing recycled or inferior oil fails to deliver adequate lubrication, resulting in accelerated wear on car parts. This can cause overheating, engine failure, damaged pistons, or burnt crankshaft bearings, with repair costs potentially soaring into the hundreds of millions of VND,” he elaborated.
Experts point out that most counterfeit oils are derived from recycled used oil or unrefined industrial chemicals. When subjected to high temperatures, these substances can chemically react, leading to sludge formation, carbon buildup, oil filter blockages, and even fire hazards.
Furthermore, counterfeit oils cannot neutralize acids or cleanse metal surfaces, which contributes to sludge accumulation, internal engine degradation, and heightened toxic emissions, endangering the environment.
Worryingly, many consumers encounter the ramifications of using fake oil only when their vehicles start to produce unusual sounds, lose power, or display engine error messages. If these issues arise, oil replacement becomes necessary, and major repairs might follow. In severe instances, vehicles may never recover their previous performance due to extensive damage.
Many vehicle owners find it challenging to differentiate genuine oil from fake or subpar alternatives. A significant number fall prey to purchasing suspiciously inexpensive oils online.
Nguyen Duc Thi, the proprietor of Thi Lop, a tire and oil service network in Hanoi, explained that counterfeiters often gather used genuine oil containers from garages or oil change businesses for a mere 5,000-7,000 VND each, caps included. They refill these containers with recycled oil, reseal them, apply misleading labels, and reintroduce them into the market.
Thi mentioned that popular brands like Castrol or Motul are more frequently counterfeited because of their high sales. In certain cases, counterfeit versions may represent up to 50% of the total market presence of these brands.
Experts like Dai and Thi recommend that vehicle owners only change oil at credible service centers and educate themselves about the appropriate type of oil for their vehicles (viscosity, specifications, and maintenance schedules) to avoid receiving misleading advice.
Most importantly, users must refrain from purchasing cheap oil or shopping on e-commerce platforms without ensuring quality. Equally, they should avoid allowing repair facilities to use unverified oils on their vehicles. Saving a few hundred thousand VND could lead to costly repairs amounting to millions.
