  PQIA Issues a
DON'T BUY
on MAXIGUARDDistributed by MG Lube New York, NY and MG Lubricants, Old Tappan, NJ Test results on these samples show products that can cause damage to passenger car engines. The test results on these samples do not meet their labeled viscosity grades, and contain high levels of contaminants commonly associated with used oil. Of particular concern is the high level of silicon found in the products tested. Silicon is commonly associated with abrasive material and the levels shown in the products tested are many times higher than expected in used oil drained from a car. In addition, the API Service Categories these oils claim to meet are long obsolete and should not be used in engines built after 1967. |
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Although the appearance
of an engine oil is not necessarily a measure of quality, it can
be an indicator. As shown below, the color of
the three MaxiGuard samples purchased are
significantly darker than that seen with typical
new engine oils. And in this case, the reason for the dark color of the MaxiGuard oil became apparent when the samples were tested; their chemical signature, appearance, and odor strongly suggest this product contains used oil. |
SAMPLE PURCHASE DATE -Test Results- |
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| Sep 27, 2011 | June 19, 2012 | June 19, 2012 | ||
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| TESTS (click test for details) | Standards/ranges | 10W-40 | 10W-40 | 10W-30 |
| Physical Tests | ||||
| TBN, mg KOH/g, (ASTM D2896) | 0.6 | n/r | n/r | |
| Viscosity @ 100ºC, cSt, (ASTM D445) | SAE
30=9.3 to 12.5 SAE 40=12.5 to 16.3 |
6.4 | 6.4 | 7.5 |
| Viscosity @ 40ºC, cSt, (ASTM D445) | 39.42 | n/r | n/r | |
| Viscosity Index (ASTM D2270) | 113 | n/r | n/r | |
| Viscosity @ -25ºC mPa s (cP) (ASTM D5293) | 7,000 MAX | 5,509 | n/r | n/r |
| NOACK volatility, mass % loss, 1 hr, @ 250ºC (ASTM D5800) | 27.7 | n/r | n/r | |
| Additives | ||||
| Nitrogen μg/g (ASTM D-5762) | 294 | n/r | n/r | |
| Calcium, ppm | 185 | 55 | 487 | |
| Magnesium, ppm | 16 | 2 | 45 | |
| Phosphorus ,ppm | 175 | 103 | 371 | |
| Zinc, ppm | 31 | 27 | 124 | |
| Molybdenum, ppm | 2 | <1 | 2 | |
| Barium, ppm | 2 | <1 | 15 | |
| Additives and others | ||||
| Boron, ppm | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| Silicon, ppm | 186 | 390 | 80 | |
| Potassium, ppm | 17 | 12 | 5 | |
| Manganese, ppm | 12 | <1 | 28 | |
| Titanium, ppm | <1 | <1 | <1 | |
| Sulfur, ppm | 4,304 | n/r | n/r | |
| Copper, ppm | 13 | <1 | 4 | |
| Sodium, ppm | 20 | 3 | 32 | |
| Vanadium, ppm | <1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Contaminants | ||||
| Silver, ppm | <1 | 4 | <1 | |
| Aluminum, ppm | 223 | 46 | 13 | |
| Chromium, ppm | 3 | <1 | 2 | |
| Iron, ppm | 200 | 12 | 229 | |
| Nickel, ppm | 1 | <1 | 2 | |
| Lead, ppm | 24 | <1 | 4 | |
| Antimony, ppm | <1 | n/r | n/r | |
| Tin, ppm | 19 | <1 | 2 | |
| n/r = Not run. | ||||
