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TruStar Products

Company and Product Information

Corporate Office:
Roseland, LA

Website(s): No Websites Found for TruStar Products

 

PETROLEUM QUALITY INSTITUTE OF AMERICA TEST PROGRAM

The Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA) is an independent resource for information and insights on the quality of lubricants in the marketplace. Our mission is to serve the consumer of lubricants by randomly sampling and independently testing lubricants taken from the field. Test results are posted along with the brand names on the PQIA website. This webpage provides an analysis on the brand detailed below.

The following are the test results for the sample examined.

TruStar 10-40
Motor Oil

Product: TruStar
Viscosity Grade: "10-40"
Labeling: API SC/CC

Marketed by: TruStar Products in Roseland, LA

Purchased at: Washington, D.C.

Date of purchase: 7/1/2015

 

Website(s): No Websites Found for TruStar Products

Test Results and Assessment:

CONSUMER ALERT:

The results of the tests conducted on this sample do NOT meet the SAE J300 specifications for the SAE Viscosity Grade listed on the product label.

The label on this product states "Recommended for Pre-1988 Gasoline and Diesel Engines Requiring SC/CC Motor Oil". The only gasoline engines requiring API SC motor oils are actually pre-1967, and diesel engines requiring API CC motor oils are pre-1990. These are obsolete specifications and may cause harm in modern engines. The label on this product fails to give adequate warning to consumers about its limited use. The organometallic additive levels in this sample indicate the product is NOT suitable for use in the majority of automobile engines currently on the road, and the unusually high silicon level in this sample indicates the product may be contaminated with abrasive material. Furthermore, the viscosity grade is misstated on the labels and should be shown as SAE 10W-40. The labels show 10-40 which has no meaning.

NOTE: TruStar in various viscosity grades has been ordered off the shelves by State Authorities in Missouri and New Jersey.

bottle icon Physical Properties pass
Elemental Analysis pass
Labeling warning

Note: Although laboratory tests alone cannot be used to establish if engine oil meets an API Service Category, they can be used to determine if it doesn't.

PHYSICAL TESTS (click for test details) - a Standard TruStar
TBN, mg KOH/g (ASTM D2896) 3.15
Viscosity @ 100ºC, cSt (ASTM D445) 12.5 to <16.3 13.2
Viscosity @40ºC, cSt (ASTM D445) 102
Viscosity Index (ASTM D2270) 127
Viscosity @-25ºC mPa s (cP) (ASTM D5293) 7,000 Max 19,380
ELEMENTAL ANALYSIS (click for test details) - a, b
Additives
Calcium 768
Magnesium 66
Phosphorus, ppm   370
Zinc, ppm 371
Molybdenum,  ppm 20
Barium, ppm 0
Boron, ppm 64
Silicon, ppm 21
Potassium, ppm 4
Manganese, ppm 0
Titanium, ppm 0
Copper, ppm 0
Sodium, ppm 16
Vanadium, ppm 0
Contaminants
Silver, ppm 0
Aluminum, ppm 0
Chromium, ppm 0
Iron, ppm 1
Nickel, ppm 0
Lead, ppm 0
Antimony, ppm 3
Tin, ppm 0
  1. Standards, shown in yellow are established by API, SAE and others.
  2. Test Method for metal analysis is ASTM D5185.
  3. This specification is expressed to two significant figures, therefore results up to 15.5 are considered on specification.