From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
The problems of recommending specific oil brands and suggesting a move to S.A.E. specifications instead.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 145\3\ scan0144 | |
| Date | 6th December 1937 | |
| 1235 Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} from Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} O I L S. The oil situation is becoming increasingly embarrassing. In the first place, we recommend so many brands of oil that it is quite impossible for us to test more than a small percentage of those inserted in the Instruction Book. It is, therefore, quite possible that we may recommend an oil which is definitely bad for the engine, a recent case of this occurred with Prices. In the second place, we recommend small Companies like Prices and Duckhams, and omit brands like Essolube, which next to the Vacuum Oil Co., has probably the largest sale in the World. Essolube have already been round to point this out to us. All the people whose oil we recommend come round at regular intervals, because they have either modified the oil recommended in our Instruction Book and want our approval of it, or, they have something new they want us to test. We think that when Rolls-Royce put their name to a recommendation it should mean that they have tested the product in question. We do not know what our oil recommendations are worth to us in £.s.d. per annum, but we should like to see the American procedure adopted. You will never find any oils recommended by name in an American Car Manufacturers Instruction Book; presumably this is because a long time ago they arrived at the present situation in which we find ourselves. We should like consideration to be given to eliminating the names of oil manufacturers from the engine oils in the Instruction Book, and merely specifying the S.A.E. number of the oil recommended, and stating that the customer is recommended to use only oils of reputable manufacturers. In the case of E.P. oils, it will still be necessary to mention the brands. Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} | ||