The Engine Oil Industry in Malaysia

Generally, all vehicles require engine oil... while some owners go for brand names, others go for freebies... There's a big number of car owners knowing very little about the qualities of engine oil... (while claiming they know more)... They just send their cars to the worskhop and the mechanincs will do the oil change... without knowing what engine oil is inside the engine... Ignorance...? or just pure Malaysian culture of "tidak apa" attitude....?

While it's been my duty working in this oily industry as part job but more of personal interest and as a hobby in the automotive industry, going around meeting workshops and mechanics is just part and parcels of my job responsibilities.... it's been only 3 years that I've been in this industry but yet i've learnt more than that in terms of human character and attitude... Sad but true, that many of the locals here are very gullible... To change a person's mindset, will take aeons...

Thus, I've met a very good friend, Simon who is in this automotive industry by education but due to the lack of opportunities and needs for qualified personnel in the industry, he decided to indulged in another industry, totally not related at all... Through fate, we've met, and came up with this idea of promoting the oil to the public and direct end users, thus the whole project that you see in this blog are results from months of planning and hard work.... It also wudn't have worked out so effectively well, sud we not have friends and car enthusiasts like alan, nelson, alex, hafeez, ayob, krystal, ken, eugene and company... (just to name a few) to help us pull thru this project in their own free time.... all because of personal interest in cars and the want-to-share the knowledge to other car owners who cares for their cars and the want-to provide a service to help car owners by saving money in the long run....

In my line of duty, I have found out that with the increase in prices of crude oil, direct and indirect industries and products like petrol, diesel, groceries, food, plastic components and etc... have seen an increase in prices too... Thus leading to lower and more thrifty spending power on the part of consumers... but yet when it comes to engine oil, many are oblivious to the industries' dark side of the trade....

I'm sure many people may be aware of recycled oil being sold as original oil... Lately, there's an influx of traders collecting used oil from mechanics and workshop, and it's known fact that ever since the increase in the fuel prices, the used oil collectors have also increase their buy back prices... from RM35-RM40 per drum of 200 liters to now some paying as much as RM65 for per drum of used oil... wow... even the used oil collectors are paying big bucks for the used oil... makes me wonder where all these used oil goes to...?

Prices are only a guide line to determine the genuinity and authenticity of the engine oil, other factor like the API approval donut symbol also plays an important role... Many say, as long as the engine oil works and the egnine doesn't breakdown, doesn't matter what brand of oil I use....
(a sample of the API donut logo on the oil bottle)

After all, car owners still pay for the oil, the question is why pay for one which is not API approved...?

Short term damage are negligible... but as long as we have the mind set that we will not keep the cars for long, so why use so good quality engine oil...Right...? A car owner here averagely keeps a car for a time span of 4-5 years... Not knowing that during the 4-5 years of maintaining their cars, many car owners have their cars maintained by unscruplous and insincere mechanics out to make fast bucks by selling sub-standard quality and even to the extent of imitation engine oil and spare parts....

So, who's to blame...? The consumers, or the suppliers, or the resellers...?

I'm appalled that in this industry, many unsuspected and even knowlegable car owners are ripped off their wallets in broad daylight... How so one may ask....? Lack of general knowledge and the want-to-know attitude are the main contributors and the key answers...

The initiative and willingness to accept and learn some general knowledge in this oil industry will prove to enhance economically, thrift, value for money and money well spent for the car owners... and perhaps prevent themselves from being "robbed" in broad daylight...