by Lauren HendersonMany say California tends to be the leader when it comes to what the rest of the country is going to do. Whether that's true or not, the recent California Senate Bill (SB 778), introduced by California Senator Allen on February 27, 2015 is one to pay close attention to.
"If it becomes law, as currently written, this bill will require all passenger car motor oil sold in California to be certified by the oil manufacturer to achieve a minimum useful life of 10,000 miles when used in accordance with the automobile manufacturer's recommendations, and to meet current automotive industry standards. The bill now goes to the Senate Committee on Appropriations. If it is approved and becomes law, it will require all automotive oil sold in the state of California to provide 10,000 miles of safe lubrication by 2018. That's close to doubling oil change intervals. Violation of these provisions would be a crime on and after January 1, 2018," wrote Thomas Glenn in a recent newsletter for the Petroleum Quality Institute of America (PQIA).
Of course, just because a bill is presented doesn't mean it becomes a law. Lots of bills never make it through. However, it's important to know, Glenn says that on May 1, 2015, the California Senate Committee approved this bill. It's also important to note that according to our research, customers are only driving an average of 152 miles more than they were in 1999 (Click here for more on that.) So even if oil drains were to double in 2018, would customers really go that long between oil changes?
To read the full PQIA article including more about the bill and the unintended consequences of it click here: http://conta.cc/1K6WgV2
