Used Motor Oil
Rerefined Oil
Responsible drivers throughout California are making a
change for the better. They're switching to re-refined motor oil. And it's easy
to see why:
- Test after test has shown that re-refined oil is just as good, if not better, than virgin oil.
- Re-refined lubricants that are American Petroleum Institute (API) certified comply fully with vehicle manufacturers' warranty requirements.
- The price of re-refined oil is comparable to virgin oil. In some cases, it
costs less.

Rerefined oil products are subject to the same stringent refining, compounding, and performance standards applied to virgin oil products. API-licensed re-refined oils must pass the same cold-start, pumpability, rust-corrosion, engine-wear, and high-temperature viscosity tests that virgin oils do. The API and American Automobile Manufacturers Association (AAMA) have developed the Engine Oil Licensing Certification System (EOLCS) to ensure all engine oils consistently meet performance specifications.
Rerefining is an energy-efficient and environmentally beneficial method of managing used oil. Less energy is required to produce a gallon of re-refined base stock than a base stock from crude oil.
Lubricating oil does not wear out, it simply becomes dirty as it does its job. Once water and contaminants are removed from collected used oil, it is returned to a full and useful life as a rerefined base oil. There is no compromise in the quality of rerefined oil.
Select from the links below to learn more!
- Myths and Questions About Rerefined Oil
- Facts About Rerefined Oil
- The Process of Rerefining
- Who Uses Rerefined Oil and Why
- Automotive Industry Positions
- List of Rerefiners, Blenders, and Distributors
- Encouraging Re-Refined Oil’s Use at the Quick Lube: Re-Refined Oil Outreach. This 60-page report (October 2005) summarizes a two-year market research project on the use of re-refined oil at quick-lube oil change businesses in Southern California.
For Local Government and State Agencies
Links to Other Sites
Used Oil Recycling Program, http://www.calrecycle.ca.gov/UsedOil/
Contact: UsedOilHHW@calrecycle.ca.gov (916) 341-6457
