Global Shortage Has Led to Motor Oil Rationing at Costco

(guessingheadlights.com)

63 points | by mikhael 2 hours ago

9 comments

  • 3eb7988a1663 7 minutes ago
    Things are really about to hit the fan. The world has been surviving off of strategic petroleum reserves, but those are quickly hitting the bottom. The US last reported at 285M barrels[0]. There is a legal floor of ~250M, after which it is reserved for government national defense. Usage has been all over the place, but the drawdown has been somewhere in the region of 1M barrels per day. Public analyses have said that the cavern integrity becomes threatened once levels fall below 300M. Current government claims the "real" floor is at 70M, but I believe this is a transparent ploy to assuage markets.

    The Saudi pipeline that was attacked had a capacity of 7M barrels per day. Gone for who knows how long. That 7MBPD that needs to come from somewhere.

    [0] https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=W...

    • WarmWash 0 minutes ago
      Trump will 100% ignore the defense reserve. Congress won't stop him either.
    • spicypixel 1 minute ago
      It’s doubly bad now China is back buying oil.
  • arjie 27 minutes ago
    Huh, neat. There was this Twitter chap who said this was going to happen a few months ago. It was a fun interaction[0]:

    > > > Just got word Mobil and Shell have informed Costco and Walmart they have no packaged product to send them and to expect bare shelves in the motor oil section in a few weeks

    > > Lol as if youd be the first person anyone tells.

    > I am Chevrons largest passenger vehicle lubricant purchaser lol

    0: https://x.com/CostaKapo/status/2053948679485009990?s=20

    • bethekind 10 minutes ago
      If you follow motor oil geek on YouTube, they've started changing the formulations of the premium oils months ago and that's not going to change until 2028 when more American supply comes online
  • medler 17 minutes ago
    Not having to deal with oil changes is one of the many benefits of driving an EV
    • sschueller 12 minutes ago
      Is there really nothing that has oil in it that at some point needs changing?
      • what-the-grump 7 minutes ago
        It does, plenty of things inside the EV require all kinds of oils, just the maintenance cycle isn't gallons and gallons every x months. You are looking at years.

        I got service centers trying to rotate my tires every 3k miles because "ev". The oil change as well, oh you need to change oil every 5k because... because why?

      • medler 1 minute ago
        They do have some gearbox oil that is usually considered to last a lifetime but some sources advise changing it every 100k miles or so. This is analogous to transmission fluid in an ICEV.
      • conception 4 minutes ago
        There is not. Just brake and washer fluid and coolant.
      • _aavaa_ 4 minutes ago
        The biggest one that needs changing would be the differential.
      • Erem 5 minutes ago
        Surely at some point, but it hasn’t yet happened in my short 3 years owning one
      • adocomplete 5 minutes ago
        Nope. I've had a Model 3 since 2018 and besides swapping out tires and window washer fluid, no maintenance.

        There was suggested battery fluid maintenance when I first got the car every 3 years or so, but they removed that recommendation.

        It's one of the reasons I just can't go back to a regular gas car.

      • toomuchtodo 6 minutes ago
        Correct. ~140k miles on my 2018 Model S, tires, wipers and wiper fluid, and one battery pack heater replaced (deprecated, no longer used in newer builds) are all that have been done. Motors are lubricated at manufacture and sealed for life.

        https://ev-lectron.com/blogs/blog/tesla-electric-vehicle-pow...

        • stoddur 1 minute ago
          Same here. Got a 2017 Model S. Only wiper fluid and tires and had to change out break disks in the front but besides that, nothing.
      • mikestew 7 minutes ago
        [dead]
  • hypfer 25 minutes ago
    YouTube channel Regular Car Reviews also predicted this ca 3 months ago.

    So now it's here. Or.. there? How's the situation in the EU?

  • cute_boi 9 minutes ago
    Ram Shortage, SSD shortage, CPU shortage, GPU shortage, diesel shortage, now motor oil shortage.......

    Are we going to have shortage of everything now ......

    • readthenotes1 6 minutes ago
      And the promise is that we will have a shortage of shortages!
  • Pxtl 5 minutes ago
    The ladies at Tran Girlismo called this soon after the blockade started.
  • pjdesno 46 minutes ago
    What kind of vehicle takes 10 quarts of oil for a single oil change?
    • mdesq 38 minutes ago
      Most often diesel engines (I used to be an auto mechanic). Even passenger car diesels can take 10+ quarts. Gas engines typically take less oil but big engines can still take 5-7+.
      • 2OEH8eoCRo0 3 minutes ago
        I remember using a large Jerry can of oil to top off a MATV. Google says 19-28 quart capacity- oof!
    • dietr1ch 34 minutes ago
      That's 11.3L for the civilised audience.

      For reference, my 3.6L 6-cyl boxer needs about 6.5L according to my service notes.

      • sdcfgy 28 minutes ago
        My 3 cylinder 1.0 litre Citroen takes exactly half that. Interesting.
        • dietr1ch 21 minutes ago
          But that's an inline engine, right? I think a model based on engine layout, displacement/cylinder, and cylinder count might be quite good at predicting the necessary oil (and will tell you when your car uses a bit too much compared to everyone else).
    • chneu 36 minutes ago
      Patriots love their big trucks. More oil = owning the lib vegans.
      • bak3y 4 minutes ago
        I'm gonna buy another truck just because of this post
      • johng 13 minutes ago
        Lots of people haul things. The US is huge compared to what most people expect. Big trucks can be a necessity depending on what you do for a living/your way of life.
        • bobthepanda 4 minutes ago
          The vast majority of pickups are not actually used for workmen like purposes.

          In fact, as carmakers have started pivoting more towards selling them to affluent suburban households, the usable cargo volume has decreased over time despite increasing size.

        • readthenotes1 4 minutes ago
          That may be true. However it does not explain how many people have big trucks that are never used as trucks
    • jervant 16 minutes ago
      Older Porsche 911s take about 11 quarts.
    • 27183 31 minutes ago
      The 3L diesel in my car takes about 8qt per change. The 5.9L diesel in my truck takes 12qt.
    • bijowo1676 28 minutes ago
      most of V8 engines need 10+ quarts
    • whalesalad 32 minutes ago
      Diesel trucks. My Ram 1500 with the 5.7 Hemi takes 7 qt. The 5.9 Cummins in my Ram 2500 takes 12 qts.
    • nycpig 43 minutes ago
      Most v8s.
    • donbox 44 minutes ago
      [dead]
  • adamsiem 22 minutes ago
    Went by classic car show today. Beautiful stuff.

    Most of the rear view mirrors were a mirror, a shaft, and a hinge.

    Replaced mine last year in a 2014 X3 for $1800.

    • phoghed 13 minutes ago
      Why didn't you go with the shaft and hinge?
  • lampe3 16 minutes ago
    Welcome To Costco, I Love You