Certification, marking of engine oil regulation begins in Malaysia – all products now need to have a SIRIM cert

As previously announced, the Trade Descriptions Order (Certification and Marking of Engine Oil for Motor Vehicles) 2024 has come into effect as of April 7. The implementation of the new order will allow authorities to clamp down on the sale of counterfeit motor vehicle engine oils in the Malaysian market, a long-present issue that has been growing over the years, as The Star reports.

The move will not just help authorities curb the sale of counterfeit motor oils but also protect consumers by allowing them to now easily identify a genuine engine oil. Under the new directive, any engine oil product, whether produced locally or imported, must now obtain a certificate of authenticity to conform to the new rules.

The authentication process is made through SIRIM QAS International, which was appointed as the party responsible for certifying and issuing product compliance labels for that purpose. According to the Guidelines for Certification and Marking of Engine Oils for Motor Vehicles on the SIRIM QAS website, products have to undergo several tests before they can be certified.

Upon meeting compliance to these, the applicant will be given certification of a genuine product licence or a batch verification report, which it can then use as a basis to mark the product with the SIRIM genuine product certification.

A conformity label, which must be affixed at the top of the container lid of the engine oil, provides additional security. Engine oils with the conformity label will be selected from the market to undergo periodic tests to confirm compliance.

Gazetted on October 11 last year, the government allowed manufacturers six months to comply with the new regulation. According to the federal gazette, corporate bodies that fail to do so are liable to a fine not exceeding RM200,000. For a second or subsequent offence, they face a fine not exceeding RM500,000 upon conviction.

If the convicted party is not a corporate body, they are liable to a fine not exceeding RM100,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three years, or both. For the second or subsequent offence, they are liable to a fine not exceeding RM250,000 or imprisonment not exceeding five years, or both.

Some imported engine oils come with a QR code which you can verify authenticity through apps such as Scantrust, but most times it comes too late for many a consumer.

Earlier, the ministry of domestic trade and cost of living (KPDN) said that strict action will be taken against any importing company, distributor or seller who sells uncertified products and does not have a valid compliance label from the authorities

Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (FOMCA) said the introduction of certification labels will assure consumers that a product meets regulatory and quality standards. “The initiative is not just about protecting vehicle engines. It’s about upholding consumer rights, safety and long-term savings,” said its CEO Saravanan Thambirajah.

He voiced caution over irresponsible quarters attempting to forge or imitate the labels, and proposed that the government implement a mechanism similar to what is done by the health ministry to verify the authenticity of medication through its Meditag hologram. With this, users can scan the hologram using their phone cameras, and the authenticity results will be displayed.

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