Euro oil prices

[Trav]

I am back in Germany for the summer.My car needed an OC since its been a year since i last started it so i went to store and these are the current prices.My car holds almost 10 litres of Castrol 10w-60 @ almost €20 ($26) a litre plus filter.
And the Americans think PP,PU, and Amsoil is expensive.

Plenty of mobil 1 and LM here also,not the same as the U.S. version though,similar prices.

 

[Trav]

Please don't bring politics into this.This is about oil prices only not possible political reasons for the high prices.There is plenty of cheap dino oil available for $20 a gallon.

Yes almost $300 to change the oil.

 

[meangreen01]

Sorry. Why are Syn's so expensive there? I'd be running dino at 3k OCI's if there's that big of difference in price.

 

[WBoer]

Castrol is very expensive in Europe, I would say a very overpriced oil.

I would never buy it.

 

[yannis]

Brainwashing, i see it all the time.
People think it's normal to pay these prices , they even go to the stealerships for regular jobs and at the end of the month complain that they can't make it with their salaries.

 

[S2500Dog]

Man, the motor oil is definitely not cheap in Germany.

 

[Gary Allan]

Petroleum is expensive. If we weren't processing so much crude for fuel, I doubt our lubricants would be so cheap. The rest of the globe is paying higher prices for finished lubes. North America appears to be in this unique position. Are we to assume that 6-7% (guestimate out of my behind between US/Canada) of the global population "gets it right" and the vast majority is getting taken to the cleaners?

I say that they're paying a more realistic cost of bringing the product to market and that our position/costs are unique.

It doesn't seem to keep people from buying and driving cars.

 

[Boomer]

Part of this is the VAT (Value Added Tax). A fee of say 16% is added everytime something changes hands. So if the components of an oil pass through several layers (refiner, blender, additional belnder, wholsaler, retailer),this tax is imposed many times and the final product can get to be quite expensive.

 

[Falcon_LS]

How much does Liqui-Moly's Synthoil series of lubricants cost in Germany (either Energy 0W-40 or High Tech 5W-40), if you don't mind me asking?

Back in the UK, it used to cost a fortune to change my oil and I certainly agree Castrol is overpriced for no good reason. Had LM products been readily available in store, that's what I would have been using. But it was either Mobil 1 or Castrol Edge at the time, and you had to reserve Mobil 1 where I used to buy. Then again, I started buying Mobil 1 at Costco for roughly $45 for 4 litres...wasn't bad at all compared to other places.

Originally Posted By: Boomer
Part of this is the VAT (Value Added Tax). A fee of say 16% is added everytime something changes hands.


Used to be 17.5% in the UK, and now it's up to 20%!

 

[Gary Allan]

There was one on line lube store ..I think in Greece, where Amsoil products were at a discount to every other oil offered. A decent discount too. All the prices were about 3X what we pay in the US.


All of our costs are compartmentalized for the most part. In other nations they may assess the costs of recycling at the point of sale as opposed to just billing for such things in another manner ..and surely, at least at this point (still) petroleum being traded (mostly) in USD has something to do with it. It's a mandated currency drain of increasing cost.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted By: Gary Allan
Petroleum is expensive. If we weren't processing so much crude for fuel, I doubt our lubricants would be so cheap. The rest of the globe is paying higher prices for finished lubes. North America appears to be in this unique position. Are we to assume that 6-7% (guestimate out of my behind between US/Canada) of the global population "gets it right" and the vast majority is getting taken to the cleaners?

I say that they're paying a more realistic cost of bringing the product to market and that our position/costs are unique.

It doesn't seem to keep people from buying and driving cars.




My in-laws in Europe pay no property taxes. Here in the great liberal state of NY our property taxes are OBSCENE. I also pay $8 to cross the GWB when going to work. Some days when I have to work in Queens or Brooklyn I pay $8 plus $11 (round trip) for the second bridge. (that's $19 in tolls to get to work)
My point is that the differences in taxes between here and Europe aren't really that much....it's just the method of collecting it that differs. It's scary (to me) that our 'leaders' are now talking about a VAT also. They aren't talking about getting rid of any of the other taxes after the VAT comes in.

 

[Gary Allan]

Oh, pal. You know our Yankee leanings. Never turn back. Never stop. Always advance ..always move forward

 

[BBDartCA]

There is very little Group iii or greater refining capacity in Europe. Thats one reason for the high prices.

 

[Johnny]

Trav, if you don't mind, the next time you go in to that store could you take a straight on shot of each brand so we can see all the different brands/weights they carry. Appreciate the pictures and the report.

 

[rshaw125]

Just about everything is expensive in Europe. When I was there last summer it was amazing. sometimes 3 times what I pay in NC.

 

[WBoer]

I buy Mobil1 0W40 5Liter for 50,20Euro.
Castrol Edge Formula RS 0W40 5Liter same suplier 71,50Euro

Mobil1 ESP 5W30 5Liter 49,25Euro
Castrol Edge longlife 0W30 5Liter 89Euro

You just need to know where you buy.

 

[OpelFever]

I've also noticed that Castrol is more exprensive than other oils. For example the popular 5w-40 synthetic category:

Teboil Diamond 25,90€ a jug
Shell Helix ultra 26,90€ a jug
Mobil super 3000 29.90€ a jug
Castrol Magnatec 36,90e a jug

All the above are 4 liter jugs, some oils are available in 5 liter ones which are more convenient. The oil I use costs 21,90€/5l

The longlife oils are ridiculously expensive, a 1l top-up bottle costs 20€ and many VW's use several liters over the 30k OCI. Ouch!

 

[Papa Bear]

Trav, what kind of vehicle specs 10L of 10W-60 ??

 

[Trav]

6.0 ltr MB SL with big oil coolers.
I believe U.S. variants hold 8.5 qts 5w-40 because of the less severe operating conditions i.e. no autobahn driving.

 

[Nederlander75]

This is why I bring over a quart or 2 at a time for my car kept overseas. Not sure I will work that if leave my current job that has me going over once every other month or so. Then again, the Co will have to pay to ship my car back.