AVENEL, N.J. -- The New Jersey Office of Weights & Measures recently issued a statewide ban on 19 motor oil products bearing the brand names Auto Club Motor Oil, Black Knight Motor Oil, Lube State Motor Oil, MaxiGuard MG, Orbit Motor Oil, TruStar Motor Oil, U.S. Economy Motor Oil and U.S. Spirit Motor Oil.
The banned products may no longer be sold in New Jersey. Retail establishments that continue to sell them will be subject to a civil penalty of at least $100 per package or container of the banned product.
Click here to view the full list of the banned products.
Acting to ensure that motor oils sold in New Jersey are correctly labeled, Weights & Measures in June 2014 dispatched officers to gas stations and convenience stores across New Jersey to examine and purchase motor oils of various brands.
Tests by a state-contracted lab revealed that each of the products failed to conform to the viscosity promised on the label. The products allegedly bear misleading labels that do not inform consumers about their appropriateness for specific motor-vehicle engines.
"Many of these allegedly mislabeled motor oils are sold at cheap prices, thereby luring those consumers who can least afford the extra maintenance costs or early engine failure that may result from using the wrong type of motor oil," Acting Attorney General John J. Hoffman said. "We are rightly removing these potentially harmful products from New Jersey's marketplace, and will penalize retailers who continue to sell them."
Through a Stop-Use & Removal Order issued by Weights & Measures acting superintendent Howard Pine, all New Jersey retail establishments must immediately remove the 19 banned motor oil products from their store shelves or other product displays, and stop selling or using them.
"The retailers may not have known that these products are mislabeled and potentially damaging when used with the wrong vehicles," Pine said. "Now that these facts are known, any retailer who fails to remove these products from store shelves will face a penalty far greater than the potential profits to be gained by selling these products."
In a statement in response to the actions of Weights & Measures, Sal Risalvato, executive director of the New Jersey Gasoline, Convenience, Automotive Association (NJGCA), said, "As an organization representing 1,500 gas stations and convenience stores throughout the State, NJGCA is committed to keeping our members informed, educated and honest, and we hold them to the highest standards. NJGCA has worked diligently to craft several motor oil purchasing programs to offer to our members. … Our members know that, as an organization, we have a zero-tolerance policy regarding intentional wrongdoing and fraud. Our members support this strict policy because the success of their business lies in the goodwill and trust of their customers."
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