To Add or Not to Add-- Are Aftermarket Oil Additives Worth It?

To Add or Not to Add-- Are Aftermarket Oil Additives Worth It?

By Heidi Choney and Paul McCusker

Some oil additives can void a warranty.

The shelves in supermarkets, service stations, fast lube facilities, drug stores and various other types of outlets are loaded with many different types of aftermarket, add-on lubrication products. These are not products used by refiners and blenders, but finished products geared to an individual consumer in need of a perceived quick fix or added value.

Marketers play on the consumer's desire for easy, "magic" solutions to engine problems. This desire results in an estimated net income of $150 million per year to respective marketers.

To mention a view of these products they are Slick 50, Alemite CD-2, Tuf-Oil, Fluoro-Cote, OEM, QMI and TM-8. There are many more. The prices range from $0.99 to $39.95 for a few ounces or a quart.

These products all have one thing in common: they contain an additive called polytetrafloeraethylene (PTFE), also known by the trade name "Teflon." Teflon itself is a registered trademark of the DuPont Chemical Corporation. This additive (PTFE powder) is suspended in a petroleum or synthetic base oil. Products may contain other additives in addition to PTFE, but the primary active ingredient is the PTFE. Though they have gained relatively wide acceptance among the motoring public, oil additives containing PTFE have also garnered their share of critics among experts in the field of lubrication.

Here's a look at some of the benefits the consumer is supposed to gain by using products containing PTFE:

• Reduces engine wear
• Reduces engine wear by more than 50 percent
• Reduces engine wear by up to 50 percent
• Reduces engine wear at start-up
• Extends engine life
• Lowers engine temperatures
• Reduces toxic emissions
• Increases gas mileage
• Increases horsepower.

Are these claims puffery or truly scientifically documented performance enhancements? Several studies have been conducted in the field to examine these claims.

One major oil company deformulated one of the PTFE-containing products. Physical and chemical analysis was done to determine the properties of this product. Surprisingly, in addition to the PTFE, barium was detected. Just to speculate, barium was most likely added to act as a back-up anti-wear agent.

Performing a wear test, however, scientists found results to be only average, so the "built-in" added protection was not there. If the barium was added for anti-frictional properties, tests showed only an insignificant decrease in friction.

The product was then monitored in actual engine use and during normal oil changes. After the oil was drained, the filter contained 50 percent of the PTFE.

A significant number of fast lubes offer oil additives but they are generally not as profitable as other extra services.

PTFE is a solid

PTFE in oil additives is a suspended solid. It is the function of an oil filter to remove suspended solids, so the oil filter did do its job by collecting as much of the PTFE as possible. Unfortunately at the end of the test there were some problems with a clogged oil filter and decreased oil pressure throughout the engine. Engine parts were evaluated, and no "plating out" on the metal surface was detected. In other words, product in, product out--with very little effect on the engine performance. The only effect this aftermarket product had was to dilute the API-licensed oil.

This work was actually substantiated by the conclusion drawn by the NASA Lewis Research Center, which had tested various oil products containing PTFE additives. That report stated, "In the types of bearing surface contact we have looked at, we have seen no benefit. In some cases we have seen detrimental effects. The solids in the oil tend to accumulate at inlets and act as a dam, which simply blocks the oil from entering. Instead of helping, it is actually depriving parts of lubricant."

In defense of the PTFE-containing products (especially Slick 50) in the past two years, a research paper has been a published in the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineering) Journal showing scientific evidence of beneficial properties: "Slick 50 will work specifically during those first few moments when you start the engine."

The question remains, "to add or not to add" aftermarket lubrication products. In today's motor oil world, it takes a careful balance of additives to formulate API-licensed oil. In fact, major OEMs have indicated in the owner's manuals that the use of aftermarket lubricants will void warranties. General Motor's head of lubricants stated, "Categorically, this company is opposed to any, and I mean any, engine oil additive."

The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) response is, "most automobile engines are adequately protected from wear at start-up when they use motor oil as recommended in the owner's manual. Moreover, it is uncommon for engines to experience premature failure caused by wear, whether they have been treated with Slick 50 or not."

The consumer needs to check the warranty coming with the car. If indeed it were stated not to use aftermarket additives, it would be very costly to lose the warranty protection.

What will the addition of an additive do to a consumer's oil? The cost of fluids for an oil change could go from about $6 to as much as $36. Performance benefits could be in customer perception only, not based on technical evidence. However, unless consumers are more educated the use of aftermarket products will continue to grow.

Heidi Choney is a manager of fluid products and sales and Paul McCusker is a manager of installed programs at CITGO Petroleum Corporation in Tulsa, OK