I think as you go east in Europe, the number of people DIYing their car maintenance goes up. Tons of "breakers" (part out shops) in the Baltics, large aftermarket scene in Poland, etc. Contrast this with the experience friends have in Spain, Italy, etc. where almost no one seems to service their own cars and you'll never see shelves like this. Hard to discern what lies are being told based on a well-stocked home improvement store.
Engine Oil choices at a Ukrainian version of American Lowe’s
- Thread starter The Artillerist
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- Oct 14, 2023
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This isn’t exactly right wording. I’ve seen the same one, but the guy below was an Eastern European mechanic vs Western European
Imagine how much we'd argue if we had that many here.
That’s because it didn’t have anything to do with the store. Has to do with information and evidence that diverge in the story they tell. Can’t go into more than that on the board because those topics aren’t allowed.
The story that is being told is that the country's military is moving toward a position to get the invaders out, or at least holding their own. How does that conflict with an observation of civilian life in areas away from the front remaining rather normal?
I'm wondering how many of those oils are real and not fakes.
This is likely spot on. There seems to be a lot of questioning about whether Ukraine has money or not in this thread which is rather odd.
Like Scrllock has said, a lot of people in Eastern Europe work on their own cars. Way more than in the likes of the UK and the US. It's no surprise that there is a good range of choice for oil as it probably sells very well. There is also a much larger amount of old cars as well which are just not worth paying to get oil changes done on when someone can just spend £30 on some oil and chuck it in themselves. (Older European cars are really easy to work on meaning it's easy to just do it at home).
It's interesting to see the viewpoints of people from the US who think that Ukraine has been somehow "ripping them off" when in reality they are facing one of the largest armies in the world and have been doing a dam good job of stopping them from taking their whole country so far. You have to remember, Ukraine is one of the largest countries in Europe. These is around 750 miles from some major cities to the front lines so they are in the most part unaffected.
There are also wealthy individuals in Ukraine, like in every country. The videos of clubs etc maybe true and likely are real videos. But remember, just because a country is at war doesn't mean EVERY other life event stops taking place. For example during WW2 parties were perfectly common all across the UK, in London, even when there were nightly bombing raids by Germany.
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I thought it was just me. Wife is always confused why Im looking in the car section or want to stop at a auto parts store on vacation.
I thought that was just me as well. I love a mooch around the car section in random shops when I'm traveling.
If you ever get a chance to visit Japan, find one of their used car parts stores. Tons of cool, obscure stuff.
Drink the koolaid, bro. It’s entertaining.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Not cheap by Walmart standards, true, but most people shop at the smaller box stores. That price seems to me, to be on par with AZ, AAP, Oreilly's.
It's great how folks pursue their interests and passions while traveling.
I visited friends in Lviv, Ukraine two months before Covid shut down all travel. We went to a couple gas stations, and I paid more attention to the different types of chips and soda. I assume they had motor oil and engine additives. Old Lviv reminds me of Vienna; it's so charming. I spent a good amount of time--and money--in several of Lviv's fancy chocolate shops. Previously, I wouldn't have associated high quality handcrafted chocolates with Eastern Europe.
My return luggage overflowed with boxes and bags of Ukrainian chocolates. And a bottle of cherry liqueur. Not a single jug of motor oil.
I visited friends in Lviv, Ukraine two months before Covid shut down all travel. We went to a couple gas stations, and I paid more attention to the different types of chips and soda. I assume they had motor oil and engine additives. Old Lviv reminds me of Vienna; it's so charming. I spent a good amount of time--and money--in several of Lviv's fancy chocolate shops. Previously, I wouldn't have associated high quality handcrafted chocolates with Eastern Europe.
My return luggage overflowed with boxes and bags of Ukrainian chocolates. And a bottle of cherry liqueur. Not a single jug of motor oil.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Member posts images of oils sold in Ukraine and now the conspiracy theories pop up.
Some people aren't very smart.
We are definitely spoiled in the US. Recently visited Mexico City, saw a shop manually changing a tire on the ground, transmission shop changing out transmissions and clutches by the curb on jackstands. Definitely a different frame of mind.
Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
That was rude, unnecessary, and ridiculous. Instead of a conspiracy theory, how about the obvious. A country in Europe has more access to Euro oils than we do in USA.
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Carlostrece
$100 Site Donor 2025
They have easy access to European products, including Euro oils.
If I lived in Ukraine, I'd use the cheapest oil available because why not? In a country at war where my car could get blown up anyday, would fancy synthetic oil make my a car last longer?
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