Evening star., 1925-08-21
ASKS INJUNCTION
IN AUTO OIL. SALES
One Company Charges Sub.
SttutionS-First Gun in
National Fight.

The first step in national cam
paign described as an attempt to pre-
vent the sale of inferior substitutes
for automobile cylinder oil, designed
not only to save money for the motor
ing public, but to prevent millions
of dollars damage to automobiles
through inferior ard improper
fabrication. was taken today by attor-
news for the Vacuum Oil Co, who llled
a bill in equity in the Supreme Court
of the District asking an injunction
to restrain the Penn Oil Co from
selling the alleged substitutes. t-Ni-
dence on which the suits are based
was obtained in cooperation with the
Better Business Bureau, and the cam
paiCn will be carried out nationally IN
CO-0Deration with that ganlZauon
The Vacuum Co. alleges in the bill
that oil sold at nine of the Penn on
Co.'S stations, represented to be one
of the Vacuum Co. products, were IN
reality inferior substitutes The blit
seeks an injunction restraining ltie
Penn Oil Co. one of the large GaSo-
line and oiI-tillinC station operators IN
Washington. from selling substituted
oils when customers Spec!ncal!y ASK
for one of the Vacuum products.
Other Suits Coming.
Washington is the first city in
which suits have been instituted
charging substitution against garage
and fling-station operators. Similar
s1lits are to be filed in other cities
over the United States on the OASIS
of like complaints.
Evidence was obtained after num-
erous complaints had come of sub
stitutions. About two months ago a
passenger automobile was htted up
with a special concealed crankcase
which had no connection with the OH
from which engine fabrication was
obtained The car was sent about
the CITY seeking samples of the oil
sold at various filling stations ana
garages. In all cases one vacuum
product was asked for They found
some garage men who told them that
they did not carry this oil. others
filled the concealed can with another
product. The can was removed ana
scaled and delivered to disintereSted
chemists for examination and analy-
sis.
The results were amazing, accord
Ing to the Better Business Bureau.
Oil chemists report that two of the
samples secured We're actually crank
case DRAWINGS which had been i'm.
perfectly reclaimed.
Our investigation revealed numer'
OuS cases where motorists have paid
SI2O gallon for what they thought
was high-grade oil. which probably did
not cost the dealer more than from Is
to 20 cents "A gallon" says a Better
Business report. "In the case of the
crankCase DRAWINGS, the cost to the
dealer was nothing except that IN
vOlved i'll the labor of draining the
oil from the crankcase and in reclaim
ing it."
In all, it was said. more than ~
garages and filling stations were Wis
tied Sixteen were said TO have stated
they did not carry the specific grade
of oil requested Twenty samples
were alleged TO have been obtained, of
which five showed under analysis they
might have been the oil asked for
The others were declared TO have beer
a inferior substitute.
The Better Business Bureau pointe &c
out today that both il and the Vacuum
Oil Co. emphasize the investigation
has proved most Washington dealers
to be honest The honest dealers. how
ever. the bureau added. suffer real in
Jury because of the unsCrupulous ac
tions of the few.
With more than 100000 motor
vehicles in operation in the United
States today, the substitution evil has
grown to tremendous proportions.
the bureau said. The substitution OF
lubriCating oils is not only serious
from the standpoint Of hundreds ot
thousands OF dollars that are mulcted
from the motoring public annually
but from the possible damage wrought
To cars as a result of inferior and i'm
proper fabrication.
I'VE have received reports of state
ments made by certain Washington
dealers TO the effect that il all motor
cars were given proper lubricatinl
oils. as recommended by the manufac
turerS, the motorists repair bills woul6
he considerably less.
Affidavits acc hmpanying the bill o1
equity, filed by Donaldson. johnson
& West. allege that oils sold AT nine
Penn stations were substitutions.