The share of adulterated antifreeze products in retail is close to 40%

The share of counterfeit car washer and cooling fluids in retail is close to 40%, sellers told Izvestia. At the end of May, the State Duma is planning to adopt in the second reading a bill on tightening control over methanol turnover.

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The Ministry of Industry and Trade told Izvestia that the new law establishes the requirement for labeling of methyl alcohol and technical liquids containing it. At the same time, control over methanol turnover in general, which is often used in counterfeit cooling and glass-washing solutions, will be tightened.

According to the Public Consumer Initiative (PCI), this will make it possible to remove counterfeit automotive liquids from the market, including poisonous non-freeze window washer fluid. Since 2007, the decree of the Chief Sanitary Doctor of the Russian Federation has banned the use of methanol in its composition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade added.

Up to 30-40% of the market may be counterfeit or products with violation of the composition, said Anastasia Lomachenko, Marketing Director of AvtoRus Group of Companies. According to her, manufacturers use methanol because of its low cost, although its use in such products is legally prohibited.

The share of counterfeit antifreeze and brake fluids in 2024 was estimated at 25-35%, and in some regions it reaches 40-50%, the expert added.

These data are confirmed by Ilarion Demchikov, marketing director of Emex auto parts marketplace. In the market of auto fluids up to 30% of products can be counterfeit, this applies not only to antifreeze, but also antifreeze, brake fluids, oils, he said.

Read more in the exclusive material of "Izvestia":

Evidence: the share of counterfeit non-freezing agents in retail approached 40%