Not too long ago I stopped buying oil by the quart, and started buying
it in big plastic jugs emblazoned:
"5 1/2 quarts, A complete oil change" or some such.
So I go to my friendly local parts store, and I see gallon jugs. The tag
on the shelf still says 5.5 quart, $14.99. But the jugs clearly say 1
gallon. Oh, thinks I, what a bother. Now I have to buy a separate quart,
too, which I did.
As I'm heading over to the register, I'm wondering what they're going to
charge me for my gallon. You guessed it, $14.99. That's a 37.5% jump, in
a time of virtually zero inflation, on a commodity whose price is stable
if not falling.
Maybe I'll go to the 5k intervals after all.
If you don't want to take the oil back, I'd at least tell the manager
that I noticed. And everythihg in your 37% sentence.
> So I go to my friendly local parts store, and I see gallon jugs. The
> tag on the shelf still says 5.5 quart, $14.99. But the jugs clearly
> say 1 gallon. Oh, thinks I, what a bother. Now I have to buy a
> separate quart, too, which I did.
>
> As I'm heading over to the register, I'm wondering what they're going
> to charge me for my gallon. You guessed it, $14.99. That's a 37.5%
> jump, in a time of virtually zero inflation, on a commodity whose
> price is stable if not falling.
>
> Maybe I'll go to the 5k intervals after all.
Add in the cost of hte filter and for only a few bucks more, you can have
someone do the labor for you too. Keep in mind, if you are taking long
drives, that change interval can be 7500 miles and save even more money.
Why didnt you have them give you the extra 1.5qt
I was going to ask some questions, but I'd been standing behind some guy
whose credit card wouldn't work, for at least 10 minutes. People were
piling up in line behind me, and no one seemed inclined to open another
register. This was the longest "card won't work" episode that I've ever
seen. I was ready to walk out. Another customer behind me did walk out.
So by the time I got up there, I didn't want to slow the line down any
more.
I did pay to have my oil changed, for quite a few years. For all the
hassle, changing your own just isn't worth it economically. But I got
sick of sitting in a waiting room for 45 minutes, and I stopped trusting
any of those bastards after the whole Jiffy Lube hidden camera thing
came to light. So I went back to doing it myself, just so I'd know it
was done right.
When I was younger I abused the hell out of cars, probably changing the
oil once every two years whether it needed it or not. Of course they
were $500 beaters that leaked oil so badly that at least they got some
fresh stuff put in every time they got two or three quarts low. Anyway
I'm trying to make amends to the God of Lubrication, so I'd have trouble
sleeping if I went all the way to 7500 mile intervals.
Same sort of thing happened with 5 gal. prefilled propane tanks where
they give you 4 or 4.5 gal.
The label clearly states the content but who would be aware of this
since you cannot see if tank is full.
In your case the store is wrong. If it pisses you off enough, tell
the state attorney general's office.
I buy oil by the case at Pep Boys and pay far less for it and change
my oil twice a year as I only put on 6,000 miles per year.
I too am atoning to the oil change gods, what I do is use the 5 qt
jugs of Mobil 1 from Wally world, @ around $22. I have less trouble
sleeping at night on longer change intervals with synthetic oil in
everything. I do mean everything, from the backhoe to the lawnmower to
the Jag, even the 4 stroke weedwacker.
>I too am atoning to the oil change gods, what I do is use the 5 qt
>jugs of Mobil 1 from Wally world, @ around $22. I have less trouble
>sleeping at night on longer change intervals with synthetic oil in
>everything. I do mean everything, from the backhoe to the lawnmower to
>the Jag, even the 4 stroke weedwacker.
Yep. I still believe nothing beats Mobil 1 for protection. Even had them use
synthetic rear differential lube on my last change.
Relax, you're not even on the GoL's radar. A guy I worked for never, to
the best of my knowledge, changed the oil in his work van. Nor did he
ever put new oil in. When it got low, he'd just dip a few quarts out of
the used oil drum at his brother's gas station.
Yeah. Just shut up and give them your money. The bridge is for sale again.
What are you doing at two this afternoon?
Steve
> I did pay to have my oil changed, for quite a few years. For all the
> hassle, changing your own just isn't worth it economically. But I got
> sick of sitting in a waiting room for 45 minutes, and I stopped trusting
> any of those bastards after the whole Jiffy Lube hidden camera thing
> came to light. So I went back to doing it myself, just so I'd know it
> was done right.
Decades ago in UK my cousin was getting oil filters from his friend who
worked in an auto-service place and was checking new filters out from
the stores but not installing them in the customers' cars.
I've never been to Jiffy Lube, but I did have our old car's oil changed
at the local oil-change place a few times. I simply remained in the car
for the whole five minutes it took them. I could see reasonably well
what they were doing the whole time.
> When I was younger I abused the hell out of cars, probably changing the
> oil once every two years whether it needed it or not. Of course they
> were $500 beaters that leaked oil so badly that at least they got some
> fresh stuff put in every time they got two or three quarts low. Anyway
> I'm trying to make amends to the God of Lubrication, so I'd have trouble
> sleeping if I went all the way to 7500 mile intervals.
I remember reading a few decades ago that some manufacturers designed
their engines to use oil: people would top up but not change it, so at
least the engine did get incremental changes.
Perce
>
> I too am atoning to the oil change gods, what I do is use the 5 qt
> jugs of Mobil 1 from Wally world, @ around $22. I have less trouble
> sleeping at night on longer change intervals with synthetic oil in
> everything. I do mean everything, from the backhoe to the lawnmower to
> the Jag, even the 4 stroke weedwacker.
Next time you go oil shopping, I'd be curious to know whether they've
switched to the 1 gallon jugs, too.
>
> Yeah. Just shut up and give them your money. The bridge is for sale again.
> What are you doing at two this afternoon?
>
> Steve
At two, I'm calling a couple of CL "massage" girls and sending them over
to your place to try to relieve some of that pain, so you won't be so
cantankerous all the time. I just hope they haven't raised their prices.
>
> Yep. I still believe nothing beats Mobil 1 for protection. Even had
> them use synthetic rear differential lube on my last change.
Some years ago I was running high rpm 2 cycle engines and experimented with
synthetic oils. It is fantastic allowing for higher rpm and no seizing that
regular oil would allow. Do I use it in my cars? No.. I've never
experienced an oil related problem in any car and I change at 7500 miles.
Regular oils are pretty good these days, as are the engines. In 48 years of
driving, I've never had a differential problem and never changed oil in one.
When I buy the more expensive bourbon, I see the benefits with every sip.
With higher priced oil, I get the same results after 150,000 miles so I
don't see spending the extra money on oil when it can go to a better grade
of bourbon.
In my case I'm responsible for better 15 internal combustion engines,
sometimes I lose track of the frequency of their needs, and synthetic
makes that a little more forgivable. I can keep track of the on road
ones easily enough, the off road ones not so much. There is also the
fuel mileage improvement & while slight, you might as well have it. I
really don't think it costs me more, as the frequency of the changes
is extended enough to make up the difference, & while you could go
longer on dino oil, it does break down, & lose its ability to do its
job, and I hate changing engines.
The question is how mnay liters - and were the quarts and gallons
Imperial or American. 5 US quarts = 1 Imperial gallon = 4.546 Liters A
Yankee gallon is 3.785 Liters.
>Robert Neville wrote:
>
>>
>> Yep. I still believe nothing beats Mobil 1 for protection. Even had
>> them use synthetic rear differential lube on my last change.
>
>Some years ago I was running high rpm 2 cycle engines and experimented with
>synthetic oils. It is fantastic allowing for higher rpm and no seizing that
>regular oil would allow. Do I use it in my cars? No.. I've never
>experienced an oil related problem in any car and I change at 7500 miles.
>Regular oils are pretty good these days, as are the engines. In 48 years of
>driving, I've never had a differential problem and never changed oil in one.
I'm with you-- I used to buy cars that had 75000 miles on them &
drive 'em til they croaked. Now I get them new and put 150-200k
on them. Never touched a rear-end.
Change engine oil religiously, but never used synthetics. The only
lubrication problem I've ever had with an engine was an 84 reliant
with 30k on it- top crank had known problems and was replaced on
warranty.
>
>When I buy the more expensive bourbon, I see the benefits with every sip.
Here I have to slightly disagree. Try Evan Williams. I like it
better than Blantons & Makers Mark.
Don't take my word for it-
http://www.bourbonenthusiast.com/forum/DBvd.php?id=239&task=displaybottling
>With higher priced oil, I get the same results after 150,000 miles so I
>don't see spending the extra money on oil when it can go to a better grade
>of bourbon.
>
I like the way you think. I buy the Evan Williams and just drink
twice as much.
Jim
>When I buy the more expensive bourbon, I see the benefits with every sip.
>With higher priced oil, I get the same results after 150,000 miles so I
>don't see spending the extra money on oil when it can go to a better grade
>of bourbon.
Very wise.
--
Work is the curse of the drinking class.
I'm a bit puzzled by the link you provided. It takes you to a page with
about half a dozen reviews on EW and mostly it is described as average or
worse. There was one glowing review out of the group, but on the whole that
page hardly makes one want to dash out and by a case.
Yeah- that isn't the one that got me to try a $10 bottle of bourbon.
[I used to spend $30-50 on Makers Mark & Blanton's]. I can't find
the reviewer's page that convinced me that it was worth trying-- and
if I didn't like it I have a friend that pours good bourbon into a
glass of diet Pepsi. To me, the Evan Williams is smoother & easier
on my gut. I drink mine on ice- with a splash. YMMV
Jim
I scrambled the rear end on my69 dart when I goosed it when the
pavement was a bit slick - and then it caught a dry patch. Other than
that I've had a pinion bearing go south, along with numerous rear axle
bearings - but I buy with 100,000km and drive them another 10 years or
so.