The difference between
API cert process and
ATSM process.
For the atsm it is a one time charge under a grand for the entire company and for API it is 4500 per cert.
There is a reason why they don't simply don't heat an oil to 230f and toss it on a modified one arm bandit one time and brag about how they are the only resource needed in testing engine oils, ***** x2. In the past, imo it didn't really even matter much with the dumb inefficient engine of yesterday. But with the complex and complicated modern engines, it is necessary to put real work in research if you want that engine to last long. The triangle is a simplistic approach, you can research all of the atcm's for an even better standard of testing oils. The triangle is just testing the base oil, where as the atsm's test many other things too many to list. There is a reason why literally every oil uses the atsm's but many specs even by conglomerates like m1 aren't being carried. I would suggest it isn't so much the API fee, but some of the process's being demanded by the auto manufacturers. IMO auto manufacturers are going well past certifying oil organizations standards because they are being asked by our gov't to squeeze every ounce of fuel economy out of their vehicles, so there requirements are more stringent then an atsm.
An example would be our spec, FCA required the oil to be field tested for two years. So companies that already know their quality would handle the test w/o issue, they don't want to spend the money for something they already know. So they say, recommended for the spec as opposed to paying for the field trial and the api fee. I secretly think those oil manufacturers would love for a auto manufacturer to blame their oil for a failure, lol. Sue their ass off!
All of this auto manufacturer extremism is because they are forced into using 20 weight oil and soon to be 16 weight oils, so you can't blame them. But to blame engine oil producers for not wanting to put up with massive headaches of an ever evolving process to get their simple oils certified is being pretty simple minded imo.