;At one time, synthetic oil was made exclusively from polyalphaolefin and ester base oils (Group IV base oils). Then the landscape became a bit murky in 1999 when Mobil challenged Castrol when Castrol introduced an oil made from Group lll base oil and called it synthetic. The dispute played out before the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau and Castrol prevailed. No big problem there. Group lll base oils offer good performance, and now GTL (gas-to-liquid) base oils have joined the Group lll segment.The problem is that there is no official regulation. An oil with less than 50 percent synthetic base oil can be labeled synthetic. In fact, there is absolutely nothing to prevent motor oil marketers from labeling oils made from conventional Group l or Group ll base oils as synthetic. There is currently no testing to verify the base oil content. And even if it was proven that the product contained no synthetic oil, there are no legal ramifications since no official definitions exist for the category.The bottom line, of course, is that in many cases consumers are paying too much for oil that doesn't measure up to the high standards of synthetic as AMSOIL defines the term. And on the flip side, consumers purchasing synthetic oil for $3.43 a quart are, in all likelihood, not getting what they think.Tom Glenn, the author of an article in Lubes 'N' Greases Magazine (an oil industry trade magazine), offers this as a call to action:Now is the time to take a closer look at the term synthetic and officially define what constitutes synthetic motor oil, based on measurable and meaningful attributes and clear-cut rules. In doing so, we can protect consumers from cheaters and level the playing field for those that play by the rules. If we don't do it now, it may be too late to do it when synthetics dominate the passenger car motor oil segment.I certainly hope that gets done. In the meantime, AMSOIL can set consumers straight.Not all synthetics are created equal, and it may be that not all synthetics are actually synthetic at all.AMSOIL created the synthetic motor oil market, and we continue to set the standard for performance. Our definition of synthetic doesn't waver. Consumers can be assured that what they see on the label is what they'll see in the bottle. With AMSOIL, people get what they pay for.