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How to distinguish real Lukoil oil from fakes. How to distinguish fake motor oil from real one? Why are there additives in oil?

14.10.2019

The issue of counterfeit motor oil is acute. Today, everything possible is counterfeited, both expensive branded ones and cheap but sought-after brands. Like any self-respecting company, Lukoil protects its oil from counterfeits, taking care of its own reputation and the interests of consumers.

If we consider all the variety of oils for the car engine system that exist on the market lubricants, canisters oily liquid Lukoil companies are distinguished by a good degree of protection against counterfeiting.

The car owner should know certain tips that the engine oil manufacturer leaves. These information aspects will protect the buyer from counterfeit goods. So, the most obvious elements of Lukoil’s defense.

Lid

To produce the lid, Lukoil used two components, including polyethylene and rubber material. The polymer is colored grey colour, and the tires are red. The lid is sealed in a special way, excluding the possibility of subsequent use. Accordingly, there is already protection against the risk of purchasing a counterfeit in the original container.

The distance between the retaining ring and the cap is usually no larger than a human hair. And a careful visual examination reveals that the system forms a single whole. When the lid is opened, it is at this point that the system breaks and the retaining ring remains on the container with oil.

Three-component container walls

For the manufacture of Lukoil canisters, special three-layer polymers are used. After opening the container, the layers can be seen. It is worth knowing that it is impossible to reproduce a three-layer product without the use of special expensive equipment. It turns out that manufacturers of counterfeits cannot afford such delights.

The main difference between single-layer and multi-layer packaging is the increased shelf life of the product, including protection against fading.

Label

On canisters of Lukoil oils, the label is fused inside the walls of the plastic container. This is done during the manufacturing process of the canister on both sides. The information tag does not come off. Lukoil stickers are considered a modern technological solution. The coating procedure is fully automated and does not require human intervention.

As a result, it is impossible to counterfeit such products. It is worth noting that the ultraviolet rays of the sun and a humid environment do not affect the tag in any way. The appearance of the product is preserved for a long time.

Metal insert at neck

The neck is hermetically sealed thanks to metal foil. This provides additional protection against the appearance of many surrogate products on the market. Leakage is completely eliminated, even if the packaging is in a vertical position.

Laser marking of information tags

The back of the label is equipped with a special laser marking and production time. If you try to scrape off the mark with your fingernail, the paper tag will tear at the points of contact. Upon careful inspection of the marking, you will notice that the medium of the dyeing component has been burned through a special laser to the paper layer.

Personal serial number

The reverse side of the package is equipped with an indelible technological number. This data is used to track a specific product item.

With the help of these signs, even a novice car enthusiast can easily determine that this is a high-quality original composition or a fake from components unknown to science. Today, Lukoil oils are considered products that are perfectly protected from counterfeiting.

But it is worth noting that only a chemical laboratory in which chemical and physical analyzes are carried out can give a 100% guarantee of the originality of Lukoil oil.

How to spot a fake engine oil from the present? 4.50 /5 (90.00%) 2 votes

Where to buy and how to identify real motor oil? The concerns of car owners on this issue are understandable. Especially after the events that happened in Russia, which many have heard about. When employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs raided a large warehouse where counterfeit motor oil was produced famous brands Shell, Castrol, TOYOTA, MOBIL, Lukoil on an industrial scale.

What to do, how to recognize fake motor oil? What does filling with fake motor oil promise and how does it affect engine performance? Let's look at these questions below.

It contains a minimum number of additional additives that affect viscosity. Therefore, when the engine is running, it becomes too liquid. This leads to a decrease in operating pressure, thereby the engine parts are not properly lubricated, and this leads to rapid wear.

In addition, it is difficult to start the engine in cold weather when it is filled with fake fuel.

There are often cases of flooding with a cheaper analogue or fake oil into the engine in car repair shops. If you are afraid that you will be deceived at a car service center, click on any of the messengers below and you will find out 5 simple ways how to avoid “divorce” 👇

Counterfeit motor oil instantly wears out engine components. On average after 20-30 thousand km, the engine simply “dies”, and then it will need overhaul.

In addition, fake motor oil contributes to carbon deposits and does not allow the pistons to work properly. Increasing the clearance will definitely lead to increased engine oil consumption.

Fake motor oil simply does not do its job of lubricating, dissipating heat and cleaning rubbing parts. All this ultimately ends in overheating, carbon deposits and jamming of engine components.

It is very important to use high-quality motor oil in your engine.

Car services in Moscow for changing engine oil:

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Most often counterfeited popular brands, which are more in demand, such as Castrol, Mobil, Shell, Lukoil, Zic and others. Producing a counterfeit product is cheaper than producing the original liquid.

Therefore, if you stick the “Lukoil” label on a canister of motor oil, for example, due to its popularity in Russia, sales for it will increase significantly.

How to spot fake motor oil

So how can you spot a fake? There are methods.

Each manufacturer protects its product with packaging. What does it have to do with each canister is fixed. Thus, counterfeiters, by and large, need to fake the canister, and what will be inside is no longer important. This is what we will focus on.

Signs of fake motor oil

There are two main differences:

  1. The oil does not match the original in composition, color, etc.
  2. The difference is in the packaging.

It is quite difficult to determine whether it is real or not based on the first point, because Not a single seller will let you open the package and take a sample for examination.

You can visually identify the original oil by the following characteristics:

  1. It's transparent.
  2. Has no sediment.
  3. Without foreign impurities.
  4. Has no foreign odor.

How to distinguish fake motor oil from real one by packaging.

Take the canister and first look at the lid. Must be 2 inscriptions Castrol. The first one is embossed on the lid, and the side one is special. It captures both the protective ring and the cover, which is made with a laser. If the inscription on the lid and ring does not match, then the canister was opened.

Check the label. It should be double and peel off quite easily. Counterfeit packaging often contains a single sticker.

Check the hologram, it should have a rainbow shimmer. There are glares in the light.

The canister also has a sticker with a code and factory number for authentication. To check, simply send an SMS with the code. True, such a sticker is only available on a large canister, with a nominal value of 1 liter - no.

Shell is a very popular brand, including among counterfeit motor oils.

The main protection of this brand is on the lid. There is a sticker, but due to the weak adhesive composition it does not stick well. The sticker is two-layer. On the second layer there is either a mobile version of authentication or a QR code.

There is one more feature that cannot be faked. If you wet the numbers on the lid sticker, they will change color. This is a note to everyone who uses Shell.

The Korean manufacturer has patented its protection against counterfeiting. This is in the label. If you look at the black letters from a certain angle, you can see the inscription “sk”. We emphasize that the more light, the better you can see. The same is true for the yellow stripe.

Their defense is very good. In terms of labels, they bypassed many oil manufacturers. They have a label fused, i.e. applied during the canister production process. Each canister is registered on back side There is a non-erasable serial number that is tracked by logisticians. The markings, by the way, are laser. If they are printed on a printer, this is also a fake.

This motor oil is perhaps the most popular brand among counterfeit motor oils.

The company has introduced new protection for containers; unfortunately, only new batches have it. Tested using ultraviolet light. The label completely absorbs light, but the main thing is that the letter “O” and the viscosity are illuminated.

Many car owners, after discovering that there is counterfeit motor oil in the engine, simply reduce the mileage on it. Changing it, say, not after 10 thousand km, but much earlier. But it's not right!

It is more of a misconception to think that counterfeit motor oil will not cause much harm to your engine. But it wears it out, and this begins already when the engine is first started.

What to do in this case?

Change the engine oil immediately, to do this:

  1. Drain the fake engine oil.
  2. Flush the engine using a special flushing oil by installing a new oil filter.
  3. Flush again with good engine oil and install a new oil filter again.
  4. Fill with new high-quality oil.

However, it will not be more expensive overhaul engine, anyway.

At the moment, the issue of counterfeiting is very acute. Everything is counterfeited, both expensive and cheap oils. Today, we will look at how Lukoil protects its products from counterfeiting.


Video review: Lukoil motor oils. How to distinguish a fake from the original


If you look at everything currently available on the market, Lukoil oil cans confidently occupy one of the leading positions in terms of protection against counterfeiting. The only thing the buyer needs is to know all the tips left by the oil manufacturer. In order to protect you from purchasing a counterfeit, let's look at all the security elements of canisters with Lukoil products.

The canister is made of textured plastic.

The distance between the cap and the retaining ring should be no more than the thickness of a human hair. When viewed, they should be one piece. And it is in this place, when opened, that the ring should separate from the lid and remain on the container.

Aluminum foil is sealed into the neck of the canister. It prevents oil leakage and is an additional protection against counterfeiting. A textured sticker with watermarks is applied to the surface of the canister directly during its manufacturing process by fusing into the walls of the container under high temperature.

As a result, the sticker and the canister merge into a single whole. This is of course a big plus, because... By buying oil in a canister with such protection, you can be sure that this oil is original.

On the sticker we see all the basic information:

Lukoil logo

Product name

viscosity and oil type
volume of oil in the canister
basic tolerances and product specifications

On the back of the container there is a sticker with brief description product and place of manufacture. Below we see laser markings with information about the production date, product batch number and individual canister number. This data can be used to track the logistics of a specific canister.

By the way, this sticker, just like the one on the front side, is fused into the walls of the canister.

Let's look at the bottom of the canister. The following elements are located here:

Now you can easily distinguish original Lukoil motor oil from a fake.

Lukoil Lux 5W40 engine oil belongs to upper class, since it meets all requirements for performance properties and is licensed according to API SN/CF, ACEA A3/B4 classifications, and also has recommendations and approvals from many European automakers. Its perfectly balanced composition ensures good low-temperature properties. LUKOIL oil has many different advantages, including resistance to high-sulfur gasoline, fuel economy and lack of waste, but, of course, it is not without its drawbacks, in particular the content of oxidation products and low environmental friendliness.

This oil can be poured into the engine like modern domestic cars, as well as in the engines of middle-class foreign cars, but for premium and sports cars it is still better to choose something more expensive and of better quality, since there is no point in saving on MM in such cases.

The article reviews:

Technical characteristics of MM Lukoil 5W-40

The duration of trouble-free operation of the engine largely depends on the quality and properties of the lubricant. motor fluid. Lukoil 5W40 helps reduce the friction force of parts of a running engine, and also prevents the appearance of deposits (since soot particles are held in suspension and do not settle), which allows not only to reduce their wear, but also to maintain engine power.

Although all the declared characteristics of the main indicators are overestimated, they are within the permissible values, this is evidenced by an independent analysis of MM, and the declared quality is quite acceptable.

As a result of the tests:

  • kinematic viscosity at 100 °C – 12.38 mm²/s -14.5 mm²/s;
  • viscosity index – 150 -172;
  • flash point in an open crucible – 231 °C;
  • pour point – 41 °C;
  • relative power increase base oil– 2.75%, and fuel consumption – -7.8%;
  • alkaline number – 8.57 mg KOH/g.

With such technical specifications Lukoil Lux synthetic oil 5W-40 API SN/CF ACEA A3/B4, capable of withstanding a load of 1097 N, with a wear rate of 0.3 mm. Reliable protection of engine parts under extreme loads is achieved through the formation of a stable oil film.

Good lubricating properties were achieved thanks to the innovative New Formula complex, which provides engine protection over a wide temperature range. Additives from foreign manufacturers allow you to cover the surface of parts with a durable oil film. Each of constituent elements This formula is activated depending on certain conditions. This is why, thanks to reduced friction, engine efficiency increases and fuel savings are achieved, and the noise level is reduced.

Scope of application of Lukoil 5w40 oil:

  • in gasoline and diesel engines passenger cars;
  • in turbocharged cars and even highly accelerated sports cars;
  • in car engines that operate under difficult operating conditions at temperatures from -40 to +50 degrees Celsius;
  • in the engines of most foreign cars with after-sales service both in warranty and post-warranty lines (for which there are recommendations).

Lukoil oil is more resistant to our high-sulfur gasoline.



Lukoil Lux 5w 40 API SN/CF has received the approval of such companies as: Volkswagen, BMW, Mercedes, Renault and even Porsche, since it meets almost all modern requirements. “Almost” because there is a high sulfur content (0.41%) and unimportant environmental indicators. Therefore, even though the Lukoil engine oil labeling contains approvals for BMW Longlife-01, MB 229.5, Porsche A40, Volkswagen VW 502 00 / 505 00, Renault RN 0700/0710, in European countries application of this oil is not encouraged because it has very high environmental requirements.

A high alkalinity number indicates that the motor will be clean, but an increased amount of sulfur indicates low environmental friendliness.

The main disadvantages of Lukoil 5W-40 oil

As a result of testing Lukoil Luxe Synthetic 5W-40 oil on the VO-4 installation, it was found that the lubricating fluid has a high photometric coefficient, since a large amount of dissolved and suspended oxidation products appeared in the oil. At the same time, the change in viscosity and base number- not great. This indicates average production of a polymer thickener and a multifunctional additive package.

So, Lukoil motor oil is characterized by:

  • high content of oxidation products;
  • quite high level of pollution;
  • insufficient environmental performance.

Price for Lukoil oil (synthetic) 5W40 SN/CF

Regarding the price for synthetic oil Lukoil 5W40 SN/CF, then it is quite affordable for most car owners. To make sure of this, we suggest comparing the cost of a liter and a 4-liter canister relative to other foreign brands.

For example, we consider the Moscow region - here the price is 1 liter. Lukoil Lux Synthetics (cat. no. 207464) costs about 300 rubles, and 4 liters (207465) of this oil will cost 1000 rubles. at a rate of 64 rubles. for one dollar. But the same popular one costs at least 1800 rubles. for a 4-liter canister, and such brands as Zik, Motul and Liqui Molly are even more expensive.

However, the relatively low price of Lukoil Luxe Synthetic 5W-40 does not mean that it is less profitable to counterfeit, because it is the most popular. Therefore, you can also find low-quality products on the market.

Distinctive features original oil Lukoil 5W40

How to distinguish counterfeit Lukoil oils

Since there are swindlers who want to profit from the regular needs of car owners by counterfeiting Consumables, including Lukoil 5W-40 oil, quite a lot, the Lukoil company has developed several degrees of protection for its oils, and distinctive features, by which you can distinguish the counterfeit of their oils, published on its official website.

Five degrees of Lukoil oil protection:

  1. The two-color canister lid is soldered from red and gold plastic. At the bottom of the lid there is a ring that comes off when opened.
  2. Under the lid, the neck is additionally covered with foil, which is not just glued, but must be soldered.
  3. The manufacturer also claims that the walls of the canister are made of three layers of plastic and when the protective foil is torn off, the multilayer structure should be visible (the layers have different colors). This method makes counterfeiting even more difficult, since this cannot be done with conventional equipment.
  4. The labels on the sides of the Lukoil oil canister are not paper, but fused into the canister, so they cannot be torn off and re-glued.
  5. - laser. On back side There must be information about the production date and batch number.

As you can see, the company took care not only of the quality of the product itself, but also of its authenticity, and in order to make our review of Lukoil 5W 40 motor oil even more complete, we suggest that you read the reviews of car owners who have used or are using this lubricant to service their engine. cars.

Counterfeits of motor oil from leading manufacturers are quite common. A manufacturer such as Lukoil could not avoid this fate. The original canister has several protection elements, which we will consider in more detail.

The first element of protection is a two-component cover. The embossed cover is made of double material - special red rubber and gray polyethylene. The canister is sealed in a unique way, which prevents its reuse. The photo below shows what the original cover looks like.

The second element is the three-layer walls of the canister. Any canister for Lukoil motor oil is made of three-layer plastic, but this can only be seen after opening the canister. It is worth noting that manufacturers of counterfeits have at their disposal cheap equipment that does not allow them to exactly replicate this technology. In addition, the three-layer canister extends the life of the oil and protects it from burnout.

The third element is an in-mold label (for canisters supplied to the Russian market).

A similar label is applied to the canister during the production process and is fused into its surface. It is impossible to peel off such a label, and it is impossible to make a fake with an identical element. Neither sunlight nor moisture have any effect on the label. Her appearance remains for the entire duration of use.

Such labels are a unique technological solution from Lukoil. Labels are applied automatically. This eliminates the need to re-label previously used canisters.

The fourth element is the foil on the neck of the canister. Aluminum foil is securely sealed, which creates additional protection against counterfeiting. The canister itself and its contents are sealed, which prevents oil leakage.

The fifth element is laser marking on labels. On the back of the canister, information about the date of manufacture and special code. If you try to remove such markings, the paper will be damaged. Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that the laser burns not only paint, but also paper.

The sixth element is an individual serial number. It is also printed on the back of the canister. With its help you can track logistics for any canister.

In conclusion, it is worth saying that there are specific information signs on the bottom of the canister. Namely:

  • Recycling code, which simplifies the process of sorting used canisters;
  • A sign indicating how to properly dispose of packaging;
  • Code of the material used to make the canister;
  • Date of manufacture of the canister;
  • Lukoil corporate logo;
  • Technological number of the mold.