The Policy aims to encourage greater compliance across the industry through the continuous monitoring of automotive engine lubricant quality in the market and the exchange of information and technical data that supports the education of lubricant marketers.

 

It also provides a framework for supporting marketers, who are responsible for all aspects of product liability, to take corrective action to address non-compliance issues.  This includes procedures for ATIEL to give feedback and advice to marketers, or to take action against them, depending on the severity of the non-compliance.

 

The Policy, which comes into force with immediate effect, currently applies only to engine oils that claim to meet the requirements of the ACEA Oil Sequences, but the principles apply equally to other clearly defined technical standards.

 

The EELQMS is an overarching quality management system that embraces various standards, test methods and procedures, Codes of Practice and the ACEA Oil Sequences requirements.  It has been developed jointly by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the Technical Committee of the Petroleum Additives Manufacturers in Europe (ATC) and ATIEL and is the only quality system that can be used to support ACEA performance claims.

Only marketers who comply with the EELQMS guidelines and sign and submit a Letter of Conformance to ATIEL are able to put the relevant ACEA category claims on their product packaging and marketing materials.

 

Ongoing lubricant quality surveys conducted by ATIEL, using an independent laboratory and methodology, are used to determine a lubricant product’s compliance with EELQMS and hence the validity of a performance claim. 

 

The full Compliance Policy is available on the ATIEL website and can be downloaded here.