How to Identify Fake Shell Helix Motor Oil

Check Shell Helix engine oil by barcode:

Have a nice time of the day, dear motorist! In our article, you will learn about how unscrupulous engine oil manufacturers deceive ordinary people and how you can protect yourself from this deception. And also you will be able to understand how to bring to clean water (in the literal sense) producers of bad oil. But first, we will talk about the dangers of low-quality fuel.

Counterfeit car oil can cause a lot of damage, not only from a wasted purchase, but also from the threat to the vehicle's engine, its repair and even possible replacement. Therefore, it is important to be able to distinguish the original Shell oil from a fake even before the acquisition by indirect signs.

Be vigilant, because fake engine oil can harm your car.

We recommend buying original Shell Helix oil here

Why fake Shell Helix oil

The quality of the oil is, first of all, the key to the smooth operation of the engine. Trying to save it, car owners do not skimp when buying, but for the same reason, the activities of scammers selling counterfeit goods are directed at them.

Most often, the more expensive and sought-after oil is counterfeited - Shell Helix Ultra.

Products, in the development and advertising of which manufacturers have invested heavily, are expensive and in demand at the same time.

However, the increased awareness of consumers does not allow offering outright fakes, especially since the manufacturer, trying to protect his products from fakes, uses several protection methods at once:

• packaging with characteristic features;
• labels and stickers, incl. holographic;
• marking;
• QR codes that allow you to quickly get all the necessary information.

Therefore, an extensive underground business is working on the production of counterfeit oil, which is trying to repeat all the manufacturer's protective markers close to the original. For this, specialists from various industries and fields of activity are involved, which allows criminals to achieve some success. But they have not yet succeeded in achieving identity with branded products.

Read also: how to check oil Liquimoly and don't fall for a fake

How to distinguish real oil in a store

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It is impossible to obtain a full guarantee of quality without laboratory tests, but even a high-quality fake can be identified. It is enough to look closely at the packaging.

The appearance of the canister

First of all, you need to understand whether the color of the canister corresponds to the declared characteristics.

For 3 types of oil that differ in viscosity, the manufacturer has provided canisters in 3 different shades:

• for HX7 - blue;
• for HX8 - light gray;
• for Shell Helix Ultra - dark gray.

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Nothing will force the manufacturer to pour oil into a canister of a “foreign” color. This discrepancy is the first sign of a fake, as well as the lack of a metallic sheen in plastic, which is quite difficult to repeat. The inclusions of metallic, due to which this effect is achieved, should be evenly distributed throughout the package.

The second clear sign of counterfeit is the transparency of the plastic. The branded canister, even through the light, does not allow you to see the level of content, incl. in a hollow thin handle.

The plastic itself should be so soft that it can be easily deformed when compressed even on the handle. A suspicious canister, most likely, will only be able to bend slightly somewhere in the middle of the container, or, on the contrary, will be too flimsy.

A small amount of flash (technological excess plastic) is allowed on the seams. The joint of both halves around the entire perimeter should be smooth, even, without traces of soldering, but the excessive unnatural smoothness of the seams also raises suspicions.

Read also: determine fake Denso spark plugs

If there is nothing but a seam on the flat and smooth bottom of the canister, then it is a fake. There should be transverse ovals and clear convex brand marks about 12 mm in size. For fakes, they are either absent, or of a different size, or convex, but vague. For a fake, they may contain incomplete mandatory information. Sometimes only their outlines are indicated.

Branded packaging lid

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The container lid of the original must match the color of the canister. The plastic is even, smooth, without inclusions and defects. On the top plane there is a convex circular contour (around the label or along the edge). With rare exceptions, sagging may be present (depending on the country where the delivery is made).

The fixing ring (one!) On the original must fit snugly against the canister and not rotate in order to remain on the neck after opening. This is a prerequisite. However, the ring must not be soldered to the canister. The seam between it and the lid is not smooth. The fingers clearly feel the places of point soldering, but there is no gap (slit).

You can’t see this in the store, but when you open it under the lid on the neck, the original should have a white membrane. For fakes, it is either silver or absent.

The label on the canister

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Basic requirements for it:

• printing must be of high quality;
• inscriptions and colors - clear and rich (especially black);
• manufacturer's logo - PurePlus Technology - mirror (sprayed);
• the image of the piston is sufficiently shiny and even (no graininess);
• mirror areas of the label - clearly reflect objects and faces.

On both sides of the original canister, labels are pasted without distortions, bends, bubbles of bent and outgoing corners. Spelling errors can be equated with a sincere confession of forgery.

At the canister from the official manufacturer, the top layer of the back two-layer label shimmers in different colors in the light and easily leaves without traces of glue under it.

You can evaluate the font of the text and the style of individual letters, and not only the Russian version. So, in the text in the Kazakh language in the letter “f”, the dash on the fake crosses the leg, as in Latin. But in the original in Kazakh, the real letter is “f”.

When choosing an oil, pay attention to the text of the canister to make sure that there are no errors in it.

Protective sticker on the oil cap

If there is no sticker on the canister lid, no explanation from the seller is worth listening to. This is fake. If it is, it is important to understand what protection measures are used in it. The discrepancy of any of them means that it is better to refuse the purchase.

Read also: checking oil for authenticity

The large white numbers on the round label must:

• repeat the last digits of the barcode;
• blush when wet with water.

A drop-hologram at an angle should change bright colors that are easy to remember: red - yellow - green (and only in this combination). Especially important is the presence of green, which fakes do not have.

Read also: motul how to distinguish a fake

On the drop (except for Helix Ultra liter packaging) there are inclusions of special powder, giving the effect of silver sparks.

If you peel off the top layer of the double sticker, it will not be possible to return it to its place. It will no longer hold on the original packaging. It should not come off along with the QR code below it either. Sometimes the label may be single-layer, but with double-sided printing.

In addition to the QR code, there is a 16-digit individual serial number on the bottom layer of the sticker. Its last 4 digits must match the big white ones.

In the presence of an ultraviolet lamp, another test can be performed. In its rays, the segment at the bottom of the label under the numbers turns bright pink. In daylight or artificial light, the original grid in this area changes color at an angle to the light from green to black. In fake oil, it remains green.

The test will give 100% guarantee of the right choice.

In addition, the drops of the hologram on the sticker can shimmer in different ways. On a fake from red to purple, and on the original from green to red (ocher color).

Drops are of great importance, so pay attention to them, so without much effort you can understand the fake or the original in front of you.

measuring ruler

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On the canister, it can also serve to identify a fake.

In a branded product, the measuring ruler ends below the handle and has a deliberately sloppy edge.

Matrix code of the batch.

On the back of the canister there is a digital marking with the batch number and date of manufacture. If it is missing, it means that the criminals used cheap paint to imitate, which was worn off even before the oil arrived on the counter. The same is said by an uneven or blurred series of numbers.

It is necessary to look closely at the preserved markings. When applying it, the manufacturer uses special technology and equipment, so the marking consists of many small, clear, separated dots. If the inscriptions are thick, applied in solid lines, or the dots merge with each other without leaving a gap, then this is a fake.

Neat text and well-executed codes are the key to choosing the right oil.

Comparative table of fake and original

How can you check the oil Shell Helix

At home, for the initial assessment of the oil, it is enough to evaluate its color and smell. The original product cannot smell of acetone, unlike the fake one, and looks more like black tea, while the fake one is lighter green.

Fraudsters seek to save on raw materials, so their oil is of poor quality.

Dilution with water

It is impossible to mix engine oil with water: they will delaminate, which will be revealed immediately after opening the canister. Attempts to add foreign liquids to it to increase the volume will be indicated by a broken cover seal.

QR code scanning

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In March 2016, consumers have the opportunity, in addition to external signs, to receive a prompt response from the manufacturer confirming the authenticity of the product or refuting it.

To check, just scan the QR code using your smartphone or enter the 16-digit number from the package into a special section on the company's official website (both can be found under the sticker on the canister lid).

Fraudsters repeatedly repeat the same 16-digit code on their fakes, therefore, even if it is in the company's database, a large number of checks should alert you (such information is also displayed).

Check the code on the organization's official website.

Check Shell Helix engine oil by barcode:

Oil frost resistance

You can also check car oil for frost resistance at home. Just keep it in the freezer. Branded Shell Helix does not become too viscous and does not wax.

Deep Check - Laboratory Analysis

A full analysis of the oil and an official conclusion about its quality can only be given by laboratory studies on dozens of parameters.

And although fraudsters have learned to imitate it using similar components and additives, laboratory methods of testing for chemical composition and physical properties can still detect a fake.

Memo to the buyer of Shell Helix engine oil

Only high-quality Shell Helix automotive oil provides the engine with the necessary lubrication and anti-corrosion protection. Unlike counterfeit, it does not oxidize and is able to perform its functions for a long time, forming a protective film, removing heat from rubbing parts and preventing their wear.

Where to buy branded Shell oil

We recommend buying original Shell Helix oil here

The described methods for detecting fakes can to some extent help to avoid mistakes when buying, but the surest way is to purchase products from trusted suppliers. These are primarily Shell stores and gas stations.

Residents of those regions where there are no branded retail outlets can contact official dealers or use the Shell online store, count not only on the purchase of quality products, but also on detailed professional advice.

 To better understand the material of the article, check out the video!

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