Monday, during lunch hour:
Man comes into Advance Auto. I am already there, in the back, looking at oil prices. Salesman asks him, "may I help you?"
Man quickly and gruffly replies, "No, I know what I'm looking for and where it ought to be."
I hear his foot steps quickly approaching me. I nearly out of time anyway, so I begin to slowly head out of the oil section. I pause, pretending to look at the grease, but really I am curious about just 'what' is supposed to be 'where'. The man quickly scans a diesel-type display island with Delo and such- the 15W40s. The man throws his arms up and pivots quickly to place is gaze squarely at the Castrol Section in the main oil shelves (GTX is on sale for $1.77, no rebate required). He looks directly towards every offering, individually, studying them each, and then shuffles to the left. He's in the Valvoline section now, nothing special going one there, and his effort seems to be reduced. He continues to the left at a stroll. By the time he gets to the Mobil section, the oil seems to be calming him. I circle around through a row full of crap, shining things that don't serve a purpose. Chrome tire valves or some-such. I don't let them distract me. I approach from his blind side and begin competing for shelf space like just another shopper on an oil mission. He leap-frogs around me which places him near the end of the oil section - the Shell section ($1.24 but you have to buy in multiples of 12). He figits with one of the bottles to get a better view. He needs to move some of that "between the shelf crap". You know some sort of bending funnel, or 3-packs of rags, or something.
The calm is abruptly shattered as he spouts "I knew I wouldn't be able to find this she'it anywhere" (I'm in the south, fecal material is pronounced with two syllables here - shee-it). Since it is clear that he wants something that belongs in the oil section I slide into his flight path to slow him down. When he looks up, I look directly into his eyes and ask with curious disgust, "so what have they quit carrying now?" I thought I would allow him to be the provider of info.. some sort of authority position in the interchange. He looks at me as though he had an unsolvable question but then began to explain with animated disgust and clinching teeth, "I just let my daughter talk me into get'n one of those foreign Accord things and it needs 5W20. Who has ever heard of 5W20. Where am I supposed to get may hands on some crazy Japanese oil." He continues to rant about 20 weights and american cars, and the way things use to be, and something about a sewing machine or sewing machine oil or something. Since we were still positioned in front of the oil, Havoline even, I reach around from memory, without looking, and grab a bottle of 5W20. I display it like wine across my arm. "Here's some" I interject. "It's pretty good stuff too."
I had to look this time, but I found a bottle of Motorcraft 5W20 and while pointing at it I added "a lot of the Ford's are using it these days"
I went down the row and pointed at essentially the first offering of nearly every brand. While I was overdoing it, he added "yea...but I bet Mobil does make stuff this watery."
I had skipped the Mobil because it started on the bottom row and my arthritis doesn't appreciated unnecessary bending. But, since he asked, I pointed with my toe, "sure they do..and in a few more years you probably won't be able to get anything heavier."
I had quenched my curiousity, helped a guy, and was a little late. I walked out of the store.
And that .. that guy .. and forested acres of guys just like him, is why I really thought that the GC around here might last forever.
My world
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I would have just opened the bottle and poured it over his head and said "see, thin oil is good for something!". ![[LOL!]](/forums/graemlins/lol.gif)
Interesting, but isn't GC, despite the 0w30 moniker, quite a thick oil (almost a 0w40)? With European manufacturers pushing 5w40 (despite EU attitudes toward fuel economy), I think there will always be some thicker oils for as long as we are using the internal combustion engine.
IOW, once all the domestics and Japanese have fully switched to 5w20, won't the "old timers" gravitate to the Euro oils to get the "thickness" they desire?
quote:You are correct sir! Something like 12.2 cSt @ 100C.
Originally posted by akuska: Interesting, but isn't GC, despite the 0w30 moniker, quite a thick oil (almost a 0w40)?
i had a similar experience saturday... a young fella was holding a $10 b&s oil filter at lowes, kind of staring at it. i told him he could get a purolator filter for $3 at aap. really? yep. thanks!
Originally posted by akuska:
"Interesting, but isn't GC, despite the 0w30 moniker, quite a thick oil (almost a 0w40)?"
Sure, like AndyH said, it does border the 40 range. But if the bottle has a zero on it, it is going to need a lot of STP to become acceptible to some.
So which oil did the "good 'ol boy" finally choose?
He had the Havoline in his hand when I left.
Yeah ain't gonna run no 0 weight oil in my pick-um-up truck.
That mentality works the same in the urban "Ghetto" AZ stores too. Leaves the oil racks full of GC green just ripe for the picking. ![[Big Grin]](images/icons/grin.gif)
My 80 y/o neighbour worked for CAT and did the whole oil sampling training thing. 100 gallon oil changes, he claims. Anyway, he asked about the RSX and I told him "20 weight". He was dumbfounded...even more when I told him about 30 weight diesel-oils. I gave him the Forum address, we'll see if he chimes in.
About two months ago I went into the local Autozone to get six quarts of the Castrol 0w-30 to put in my wife's Volvo. Must have been a dozen or so bottles of it collecting dust. The kid at the register asked if it was for a BMW. I said no, a volvo turbo. He said they don't sell much of it, just once in a while, seemingly to fellas with BMWs, not the kind of owner who would never open a hood, but to the kind who are really DIY types into cars.
For what it is worth,
Brock in Bristol
Jett Rink (Brock)
I used to live behind the Kmart in Bristol (Tenn. side of town). I put thousands of miles on a VW Rabbit driving for the Domino's on Euclid (Virginia side of town).
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I was hoping that he was looking for GC (sigh).
akuska, HT/HS at +150c is what people are looking for, not just +100c visc. GC has a 3.6 HT/HS while at 12cSt (+100c) Mobil 1 0w-40 needs a thicker 14(+-)cSt base to make the same HT/HS rating.
akuska, HT/HS at +150c is what people are looking for, not just +100c visc. GC has a 3.6 HT/HS while at 12cSt (+100c) Mobil 1 0w-40 needs a thicker 14(+-)cSt base to make the same HT/HS rating.
akuska, HT/HS at +150c is what people and specs are looking for, not just +100c visc. GC has a 3.6 HT/HS while at 12cSt (+100c) Mobil 1 0w-40 needs a thicker 14(+-)cSt base to make the same HT/HS rating.
Whoo hoo tripple post! ![[Smile]](images/icons/smile.gif)
First time for everything I guess...
Be happy Groucho Marx - the less GC he buys - the more for us! lol...
First time for everything I guess...
Be happy Groucho Marx - the less GC he buys - the more for us! lol...quote:That's why/where I got most of my GC!
Originally posted by audi_guy: That mentality works the same in the urban "Ghetto" AZ stores too. Leaves the oil racks full of GC green just ripe for the picking.
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