Canadians..think we'll actually get Ultra up here?

[addyguy]

In the Pennzoil Q&A, they said Ultra was coming up to Canada for the SN/GF-5 roll-out in October.

But, the stuff appears to be selling like carp in the US.

Pennzoil put a lot of work into this oil, so I can't see them discontinuing it....but I can see them not bothering to offer it up here. Edge hardly sells, from what I can see, and M1 was supposed to bring the AFE oils up here years ago, and never did.

What say you?

 

[saberz]

It's not selling well here because of the premium price it started at which was $28. Also the product line much like Mobil's gets confusing for the non-informed.

You have PP which is a synthetic, then PU which is a synthetic. Only those in the know, know what is what, and the differences between them. Much like M1 and M1-EP. Doesn't help that oil prices have been going up little by little. I think that it will be out in Canada and you might luck out price wise.

 

[Spyder7]

I think they will. Bigger question is whether the two big chains (WM & CT) will carry it. I notice the WMs here are fully stocked with Edge all the time. They even stock GC.

Also noticed that not only are the PP & PYB rollbacks continuing, but the one I visited Saturday was also pushing PYB for oil changes (and they had tons of it bulk containers).

I consider all of this to be strong indicators that we will have Ultra here at WM whenever it rolls out. BTW, they barely stock Mobil at the ones here, and what they do carry is always among the most expensive choices.

Not as optimistic about CT but I don't really care about them anyway. Their prices and selection tend to suck.

-Spyder

 

[RF Overlord]

Originally Posted By: Anies
Only those in the know, know what is what, and the differences between them.
The issue is that even those of us who do know the difference know that it is not enough. I am a long-time Pennzoil fan, but I think they dropped the ball on this one. I hate to say it, but they should have "upgraded" PP to PU and dropped PP. I hope they prove me wrong...

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Anies
It's not selling well here because of the premium price it started at which was $28. Also the product line much like Mobil's gets confusing for the non-informed.

You have PP which is a synthetic, then PU which is a synthetic. Only those in the know, know what is what, and the differences between them. Much like M1 and M1-EP. Doesn't help that oil prices have been going up little by little. I think that it will be out in Canada and you might luck out price wise.
$28 would be a steal up here for an oil like that. I would use it for sure instead of RLI!

 

[saberz]

Thats my mentality as well. PU should replace PP, Edge should replace Syntec, M1-EP should replace M1. Don't clutter the product line. Keep it simple and you will increase the market segment for those products. They could then pass the price difference to the consumer. Less products to market and produce means less overhead.

Conventional
Blend
High Mileage
Synthetic.


Right now its:
Conventional
Blend
High Mileage
Synthetic
Super Synthetic


Thats all that is needed.

 

[robshelton]

The good news for you canucks is if Pennzoil offers similar rebate deals as they did for the US roll out it will be time to stock up! From what I'm seeing, Ultra is just sitting on the shelves while M1 is selling well so I bet Ultra will be dropping off the plan-o-gram soon.

 

[Jim 5]

Originally Posted By: robshelton
The good news for you canucks is if Pennzoil offers similar rebate deals as they did for the US roll out it will be time to stock up! From what I'm seeing, Ultra is just sitting on the shelves while M1 is selling well so I bet Ultra will be dropping off the plan-o-gram soon.


We don't really get rebates/promotions on oil in canada to speak of. The odd chance to win a car, but no noticible MFG rebate on price of oil.

Our friends south of the border would be shocked to see what we have to pay for oil, so with Ultra being a high priced option in the US, it may be obscenely priced in canada. For that reason alone, I wouldn't be surprised if we never see it.

 

[Spyder7]

The same day I bought PP for $19, Edge was on the shelf for $45. Beside it was GC for $29. I hope they don't price Ultra up there with Edge. If they do it won't sell.

-Spyder

 

[demarpaint]

I don't think Ultra is selling like Pennzoil hoped it would. I visited another Wal-Mart store in a more affluent area and they don't have Ultra. That is now 2 Wal-Mart's I've been to in the past week that didn't carry Ultra. If it flops in stores like AAP they aren't going to waste space on it either, so getting it will be difficult even in the US. Maybe Pennzoil will bite the bullet and cut the price on it, and then put it in direct competition with PP.

In the two Wal-Marts I went to Mobil 1 is filling up the shelf space that PU had.

 

[Spyder7]

Side note: CT is running a "fuel & additives 101" online sweepstakes. I won one of the $100 coupon books, and the only oil maker featured was Mobil. Aside from the coupons on their in-house brand, its probably not much of a coincidence that these coupon book give-a-ways are supposed to hit mail boxes right around the same time Ultra is expected to debut here.

The way Mobil is priced now (here anyway), they'd have to knock at least 20% off the price to make it even remotely competitive.

I also consider the PP & PYB rollbacks telling that WM will be carrying Ultra. Easiest way to grease the path to Ultra sales is by expanding the Pennzoil customer base with steep cuts to PP & PYB prices, like they are doing now. It may even debut at rollback price - before they jack it up to $45/jug.

-Spyder

 

[demarpaint]

If our Canadian friends are anything like us Americans I have a feeling PU will flop in Canadian Wal-Marts too. BTW I like and use Pennzoil products, I just think they might have screwed up with PU. Time will tell.

 

[Lethal1ty17]

i got the ultra thinking my car would fly to the moon and back...well, it doesnt seem to be any different than the platinum.

 

[Spyder7]

I think it might succeed here, simply because we don't have as many choices as you guys down south have. On the high end here, its only competition is Mobil, Edge, RP, and RL. But where WM only carries Edge and Mobil, even at their inflated prices, they're still much cheaper choices than RP & RL. And the high price of Edge hasn't stopped them from carrying the full line of grades and keeping them stocked.

I think they rollback GTX and Syntec so often to sell Edge. And I think it works (not on me, but I bet it does on others - else they wouldn't give it so much shelf space).

And it looks like they're following the exact same playbook with Pennzoil. Its a win either way. Even if its priced at $45/jug, the $19 rollbacks on PP will continue awhile longer - then it'll go up to $28 instead of $35. Meanwhile they'll keep selling PYB at $11 at the same time they're selling GTX for the same price, or on alternating rollbacks.

Best case (and I think likely) scenario is that when it comes, where you guys got rebates, we'll get a good initial rollback before they jack it up. Maybe priced around $29, the same as GC. Then it'll go to $45 and stay there.

-Spyder

 

[demarpaint]

As with everything, time will tell. I was a little disappointed to see if vanish from my local Wal-Marts. But then again I'm still waiting for them to produce it in 0W20 so no great loss for me.

 

[Vilan]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: Anies
It's not selling well here because of the premium price it started at which was $28. Also the product line much like Mobil's gets confusing for the non-informed.
$28 would be a steal up here for an oil like that. I would use it for sure instead of RLI!


I chuckled at that too. $28 synthetic oil jugs would sell out in no time flat up here. You Americans don't know how good you have it! I would guess PU jugs would appear around the $50 mark here. I'm sure it'll be available, but it might only be at the smaller auto part chains. The average Walmarter is not blowing $50 on oil. Plus a filter, plus eco-fee, plus taxes? Not happening.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Spyder7
Side note: CT is running a "fuel & additives 101" online sweepstakes. I won one of the $100 coupon books, and the only oil maker featured was Mobil. Aside from the coupons on their in-house brand, its probably not much of a coincidence that these coupon book give-a-ways are supposed to hit mail boxes right around the same time Ultra is expected to debut here.



I won one of those $100 coupon books as well! (still haven't got it yet though)

I enter just about every contest I can find actually, been doing pretty good at it too (won $6,649 back in April!)

Back to the original topic though, I thought I recall Pennzoil telling us that Ultra would be here in May, so it worries me that it didn't arrive yet. I sure hope that Pennzoil doesn't give up on this oil and decide not to bring it up here, although as long as it isn't discontinued entirely I can always find ways to get it from the US (either through friends or I could even just make the trip myself, I'm only about 75 minutes from the border)

 

[Smokescreen]

I frankly don't care if we get it up here or not. We have access to XD-3, Petro Canada, Rotella and other high performing products that would be cheaper than the $40/4+L Ultra would most likely be at. If it came out at $40 I wouldn't even consider it. Not when PP is going on sale for $20 every 3-4 months, it doesn't offer that much more performance over PP to warrant that huge of a price jump, not a chance.

Anytime I have been in WM there are only a select few that are buying M1 and Castrol Edge, poseur teenagers with 'look-at-me' grins and some serious little older crowd who buy it for other reasons. The majority of the higher $ shoppers are getting Quaker State synthetic and PP because they are still $10-15 cheaper than M1 and CE when everything is at normal price, the rest get the conventional.

The only time I'd ever get oil at CT is if there wasn't another store in town. They are almost always more expensive than anywhere else for all the oils. There is the odd occasion they are cheaper than WM but not likely more than once a year.

 

[Scum_Frog]

I'm very happy with the PP and have no plans to pay the extra $ for Ultra. PP at my local WalMart is $35.00 Ultra would be priced with Edge & EP which are at around $44.00.....all before tax of course;-)

 

[Spyder7]

I have no plans to actually buy Ultra (unless it debuts at a really good rollback type price), but I think its behind the recent rollbacks on PP & PYB. To that end, its very useful. $19 here for it, half what every other less expensive syn is (except Syntec).

-Spyder