Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco • Hacker News Board

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#141

Post by mingus88 » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:14 PM UTC

AngryData wrote: post #100

adocomplete wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

And idea like this is why EVs will still have poor depreciated values even if the battery holds up. Yes it is common for people to ignore all the non-powertrain maintenance items on cars before EVs, but at least in ICE half of them regularly dripped oil down its body and lines and still semi-regularly had somebody kicking the tires and shit when the oil was changed to try and sell you a repair before it fails. Body,…

I don’t understand this criticism. I have owned an EV for five years now. The app and the vehicle display clearly let you know when you are due for scheduled maintenance.

Due to how online the whole platform is, it’s so much better than my older ICE car that has a cryptic wrench light on the dash.

Did I mention that the intervals are also so much cheaper? Tires are the one standout but pretty much every thing else is a dream

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#142

Post by stickfigure » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:20 PM UTC

ffsm8 wrote: post #92

what-the-grump wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

Bought a old Nissan juke in 2021 - built in 2011. Haven't had to change or refill oil once. Ymmv

There is a YouTube channel sponsored by people like you:

https://youtube.com/@i_do_cars

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#143

Post by SlightlyLeftPad » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:24 PM UTC

stouset wrote: post #125

omgwtfbyobbq wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with drawdowns is they can and have compromised the structural integrity of the caverns used in the SPR. Like oil, they're a finite resource and should be used judiciously. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/2585591

I love that you think the current administration will actually consider this when deciding whether or not to suck it dry anyway.

Belief in science is a prerequisite.

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#144

Post by razster » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:30 PM UTC

CursedSilicon wrote: post #133

latortuga wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now when your friends call you have to decide if they're oil-worthy

I think they made a movie about that

Time to grow some gills and dive for sunken oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. . .

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#145

Post by loeg » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:31 PM UTC

20 qts every 7 days is far more than any home consumer needs -- this must be to prevent shops from just buying out their entire stock.

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#146

Post by loeg » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:33 PM UTC

sschueller wrote: post #21

medler wrote: post #16

Not having to deal with oil changes is one of the many benefits of driving an EV

Is there really nothing that has oil in it that at some point needs changing?

Yeah, but the intervals are much longer.

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#147

Post by ebbi » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:34 PM UTC

6SixTy wrote: post #87

ebbi wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same trend here in NZ. People buying utes/trucks just because they want, not because they need. They're not as big as the American F150s etc, more a Toyota Hilux or Ford Ranger. And they're often driven by reckless road ragers, often modified with uncertified suspension, bush lights turned on at night blinding oncoming traffic, and wheels extending past the fender flares. These vehicles are often financed to the hilt…

Remember that the US is it's own market with different regulations and has a complicated history with imports, so no Hilux. Though it does look like the Ranger is externally the same between NZ and US. I'm not counting maybe 1mm as different. I am somewhat familiar with a Ute since I've seen Subaru Bajas before. Not old enough to see Subaru Brats around or El Caminos. It does seem like those people are emulating Amer…

My comment wasn't necessarily to talk about model parity across markets - more to highlight the growing trend of people buying large utility vehicles with a tray as a fashion statement (for lack of a better term) than for its utility.

> "a lot of those mods are passable without certification" Not true. Besides the bush lights, any changes in suspension and wheel size require a certification, with a LVVTA cert plate attached to the vehicle.

There is definitely a case of double standards with police enforcement. 'Boy racers' with modified coupes and sedans - typically lowered, with larger wheels - get way police scrutiny compared to utes with obviously illegal modifications like colored lights, and wheels jutting out past the fenders.

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#148

Post by goalieca » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:35 PM UTC

sandworm101 wrote: post #140

3eb7988a1663 wrote: post #24

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…

What a great time to start a trade war with the largest oil exporter. Think there is a shortage now? Just think what happens when canada turns off the taps. Even the threat could trigger covid-style hoarding.

Our oil travels across our country via the USA. We also depend heavily on USA refining in certain provinces. This will never happen.

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#149

Post by loeg » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:35 PM UTC

6yyyyyy wrote: post #55

sschueller wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there really nothing that has oil in it that at some point needs changing?

The seal between the piston and the cylinder isn't perfect, so when the engine runs combustion products will mix with the oil, making the oil eventually unusable. That's why ICE engines meed oil changes so often.

And in fact it is necessary for it to be imperfect, and the oil is what lubricates the interface. So it is necessarily exposed to lots of heat and pressure.

Re: Global shortage has led to motor oil rationing at Costco

#150

Post by bawolff » Sun, Sep 13, 2026, 10:41 PM UTC

3eb7988a1663 wrote: post #24

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 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.

it probably depends on what exactly happened to the pipeline, but normally i'd expect this to be a short term disruption, as replacing a small segment isn't really that hard.

The real question is will it be struck over and over again.