OEMs Inflate Price of Inferior Lubes to Profit

From Consumer Assumptions of Quality

   Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) typically recommend their own brands of motor oils and lubricants for their equipment.  Consumers believe those “brandname” lubes are the best for the motorcycles, snowmobiles, ATVs, outboard motors and other recreational equipment they buy.

   “Consumers often operate under the premise that the manufacturer not only knows what’s best for the equipment but also provides the best,” said Dave Anderson, AMSOIL technical product manager.  “Their impression is that the OEM oils are always the best, and in many cases nothing could be further from the truth.”  Anderson has more than 25 years of experience at AMSOIL and has conducted numerous comparison tests throughout that time.

   Consumers falsely assume OEMs actually manufacture the oils and lubes that carry their brand name.

   However, OEMs typically buy low cost and sometimes low-quality oils from lubricant manufacturers, put their labels on them and send them out for distribution at dealerships.

   “Manufacturers can command higher prices simply because the

consumer perceives it to be more

appropriate for the application,”

Anderson said.

   Contrary to consumer perception,

research indicates OEM lubes often

aren’t equal to the performance

quality of the cheapest aftermarket

oils on store shelves.

   “Manufacturers probably do know

more about the equipment,”

Anderson said. “If indeed they know

what’s best for their product, their

lubricants should outperform – or at

least meet the performance levels

of – the other products out there.

But results show that in most cases

OEM oils were inferior to others.”

   Consumers are sometimes led to

believe that using any other oils or

lubricants will void their factory

warranties.