# I heard on the news that Costco is limiting purchase of motor oil **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [September 16, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259 "2026-09-16T23:30:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 11:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/1 "2026-09-16T23:30:56Z")
To some amount weekly. I think it was just their store brand. Who’s buying motor oil weekly? ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 11:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/2 "2026-09-16T23:36:45Z")
One strange member of this forum just bought 750 dollars of motor oil so it may happen more than you think. ---
**Author:** ![RandomTroll](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/randomtroll/32/12184_2.png) [@RandomTroll](https://community.cartalk.com/u/RandomTroll)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2026, 11:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/3 "2026-09-16T23:47:51Z")
Could have been Jay Leno for his Merlin. My only guess is people buying oil for their family and friends. ---
**Author:** ![Old-Days-Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7feea3/32.png) [@Old-Days-Rick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Old-Days-Rick)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 12:53am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/4 "2026-09-17T00:53:38Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > One strange member of this forum just bought 750 dollars of motor oil so it may happen more than you think. Completely incorrect statement. I have bought a total of 750 dollars worth of oil since may. I just bought 300 or so on monday, I got receipt it may have been 337. I was without certain things in 2020 and im not doing that again. Im actually getting more oil but thats a different story. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 1:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/5 "2026-09-17T01:13:15Z")
@Old-Days-Rick you ever consider you may have gone overboard? What if the car that needs the viscosity you bought gets crashed and is unrepairable? And maybe the next car uses yet a different viscosity ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 1:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/6 "2026-09-17T01:38:41Z")
> [@RandomTroll](#): > > Could have been Jay Leno for his Merlin. I’m sure that Leno buys oil by the barrel. He, at least, will use it in a timely manner. ---
**Author:** ![TwinTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8baadc/32.png) [@TwinTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/TwinTurbo)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/7 "2026-09-17T14:01:54Z")
I was at the store yesterday and there is an obvious reduction in stock- the shelves are emptying. I bought another round of oil- I now have enough for two oil changes in every vehicle. A safety bridge in the event it becomes even more scarce or expensive. The heating oil guys showed up yesterday. $6.59 a gallon…could be an expensive winter… ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 2:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/8 "2026-09-17T14:07:59Z")
> [@RandomTroll](#): > > To some amount weekly. I think it was just their store brand. Who’s buying motor oil weekly? Some small garages do. I’ve seen them at [BJs](https://www.bjs.com/). ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 2:10pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/9 "2026-09-17T14:10:12Z")
> [@TwinTurbo](#): > > The heating oil guys showed up yesterday. $6.59 a gallon…could be an expensive winter… We just locked in for the winter. Diesel prices are expected to rise and continue to rise for at least til mid 2027. With our oil company - if oil prices drop below the locked in price we get it at that lower price. ---
**Author:** ![davesmopar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/davesmopar/32/41750_2.png) [@davesmopar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davesmopar)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 3:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/10 "2026-09-17T15:21:56Z")
This is what a guy on another forum said: _**It’s a 2 pack of two 5qt jugs. So four 5qt jugs (20qts total) per customer, per week. You could buy up to 80qts in a month from Costco…**_ ---
**Author:** ![bcohen2010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bcohen2010](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bcohen2010)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 4:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/11 "2026-09-17T16:19:23Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > What if the car that needs the viscosity you bought gets crashed and is unrepairable? > > And maybe the next car uses yet a different viscosity I think most people would just use the oil in their next vehicle regardless. For example, if I had stocked up on 5W30, and suddenly I ended up having to buy something else which specifies a different viscosity, such as 5W20, I would use the oil which I already had, and hope that it doesn’t harm anything. Most likely, it would not. ---
**Author:** ![LoudThunder](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/loudthunder/32/27769_2.png) [@LoudThunder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LoudThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/12 "2026-09-17T16:34:05Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > gets crashed and is unrepairable I am offering you this old idiom: _ **"If ifs and buts were pots and pans, there’d be no work for tinkers’ hands”** _ This idiom is used to stop people from making excuses or arguing over imaginary scenarios because it does not produce real results. Your remark about his car is it “gets crashed and is unrepairable” is just an imaginary scenario… Don’t be such a fatalist. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/13 "2026-09-17T20:00:37Z")
@bcohen2010 @LoudThunder one of my cars DID get crashed awhile back and was unrepairable I had lots of spare parts and fluids None of that stuff worked for any of the other cars So it all went here 🗑 And the engine oil viscosity wasn’t even CLOSE to what the other cars get No I’m not being a fatalist or predicting doom What I described is a VERY realistic possibility ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:15pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/14 "2026-09-17T20:15:11Z")
> [@LoudThunder](#): > > Your remark about his car is it “gets crashed and is unrepairable” is just an imaginary scenario… Don’t be such a fatalist. Not a fatalist theory, a very real possible event. ---
**Author:** ![LoudThunder](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/loudthunder/32/27769_2.png) [@LoudThunder](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LoudThunder)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 8:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/15 "2026-09-17T20:44:11Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > a very real possible event. A “possibility,” but not a “very real” possibility… in the real world only about 25% of all vehicle are wrecked (crashed) and become unrepairable, while 75% of all vehicles are driven into the ground… ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 9:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/16 "2026-09-17T21:07:45Z")
So 25% chance is NOT a realistic scenario. . . ?! 1 in 4 is NOT a realistic scenario . . . ?! If your car is older and it gets crashed, there’s a pretty decent chance it’s not financially worth it to fix it, imo ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/18 "2026-09-17T22:36:07Z")
> [@LoudThunder](#): > > I am still going to pay my insurance policy 6-months in advance. Of course you are, that is how insurance premiums work. ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 8:08am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/20 "2026-09-18T08:08:17Z")
> [@db4690](#): > > one of my cars DID get crashed awhile back and was unrepairable > > I had lots of spare parts and fluids > > None of that stuff worked for any of the other cars > > So it all went here 🗑 Must have been a unique car if no one can use the oil or parts. I have oil and parts I can give to friends if they need it. Years ago, my manager told the shop porter to clean out the work area next to me in preparation for the new technician. The cabinets had oil, coolant and other supplies left behind by the previous tech. The shop porter dropped gallons of motor oil and coolant into the trash can, the old man was not given proper instructions for oil disposal. 30 minutes after he finished, I collected the oil and coolant and stashed it away to take home. > [@LoudThunder](#): > > in the real world only about 25% of all vehicle are wrecked (crashed) and become unrepairable During the life of the vehicle, not necessarily during the first, second or third owner’s possession of the vehicle. > [@LoudThunder](#): > > So, perhaps when you have crashed your car and it is unrepairable, you are left with spare windshield wipers, lightbulbs, tires, oil, fluids, etc… I have supplies for cars I never owned; 15 quarts of 0W16, 10 quarts of 5W20, 20 gallons of coolant, 40 bottles of brake fluid. I don’t plan on throwing these in the trash. When did I get it? Remaining supplies from multiple repairs; two half bottles become one bottle etc. Most techs discard the half bottles of fluids, I don’t waste supplies. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 12:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/21 "2026-09-18T12:03:15Z")
> [@LoudThunder](#): > > they pay by the month not wanting to lose 5-months of insurance premiums when they crash their car and it is unrepairable… (Pro-rated premium refunds are outside their concept of reality…) 🤣 Some of those monthly payment people do that because their budget just will not allow the 6 month amount all at once. Thunder, maybe you are lucky and everyone you know is as well off as you. ---
**Author:** ![db4690](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/db4690/32/2583_2.png) [@db4690](https://community.cartalk.com/u/db4690)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259/22 "2026-09-18T12:21:49Z")
> [@Nevada\_545](#): > > I don’t plan on throwing these in the trash. I disposed of the fluids at work, in the proper drums Metal went in the waste metal bin Cardboard boxes went into the blue recycling bin and so forth I’m not saving fluids and stuff for older cars which are gone I have no regrets and don’t miss the stuff [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/i-heard-on-the-news-that-costco-is-limiting-purchase-of-motor-oil/206259.md?page=2)