Oil availability going forward

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I axed Redline Oil not so much because of cost or availability but because I am changing oil more often and I'm more comfortable using the Castrol Edge EP 5w30 in all our vehicles. I did go with Castrol as when I was trying to source M1EP it was more expensive and extremely hard to find consistently. I will say I have noticed all oil is starting to go out. Even the Gumout Regane with PEA is over 5.xx and the shelves seem out often.
 
Just like people that were hoarding hand sanitizer ..and paper produces during the shortage..... Just purchase what you need....not what you have in the picture....I agree to each his own...for me that is wrong...
Greed.
 
Why? You could go do the same thing right now, today, if you wanted to? To each his own...
If you appreciate the community responsibility you don't hoard what you don't need.
My 2 cents, otherwise happy hoarding
 
I wonder is the manufacturers sell to the higher purchasing price buyers first?
No, at least in the instance of motor vehicle lubes.
The highest wholesale price is often charged to the customers which yield the lowest margins. It costs more to sell and deliver 100 gallons than 1000 gallons. The customer buying the larger amount will receive some of those savings in a lower price. This linear type of pricing holds true until you reach the mega customers. If they're buying a million dollars a day in lubes, they get to set the rules, and to a degree, the price.
In times of supply difficulties, a company will try to take care of all customers on which they make a profit. They'll try to keep them supplied as best as they can until better times. Conversely, it can be a good opportunity to dump those who never have been profitable, or who likely never will be.
 
I mean, IF there is a shortage/becomes a shortage...will people do extended oil changes? Somewhat serious question here...would YOU start extending oil change intervals out to 10,000-15,000 miles? I’m talking shortage/massive price increase. Neither of which will happen, but hypothetically if it does. Would you? I probably would. I’m going to start extending them out a little bit longer anyway, but if it got to the point where you’re paying 2-3 times what you’re used to paying for motor oil, would you extend those intervals out?
 
I'm more worried about parts than oil. Tires are another concern as well. I bought a set for my van because the ones on it were terrible in the snow, and it took a week to get them in. It used to be you could get a tire within 24 hours.

Like mentioned, I can extend past my normal 5000-7500 miles without causing too much harm. But if my car needs a fuel pump, it seems I can't get one locally like I once would have. That will be the biggest challenge.
 
I’m a fleet manager and it is getting harder and harder to get the oil I use for my fleet. The oil deliveries are getting fewer and farther between.
Pretty soon I will have to look into other oil options And or extend my service intervals even farther.
 
I mean, IF there is a shortage/becomes a shortage...will people do extended oil changes? Somewhat serious question here...would YOU start extending oil change intervals out to 10,000-15,000 miles? I’m talking shortage/massive price increase. Neither of which will happen, but hypothetically if it does. Would you? I probably would. I’m going to start extending them out a little bit longer anyway, but if it got to the point where you’re paying 2-3 times what you’re used to paying for motor oil, would you extend those intervals out?

Yes. One of the reasons I take such good care of my personal truck is so I can neglect and abuse it when the time comes.
Neglect and abuse it all the time and it will not be reliable during the apocalypse.
 
I am going to do some oil buying to re-stock my oil stash. I had completely used up the last "buy ahead" on oil changes. No with what I see going on I am going to start a new stash. My last stash buy was three 5 quart jugs of Chevron Supreme from walmart web site. I am not able to find Ford filters at Walmart so I have stocked up on the ST filters for my F-150. The Nissan is next for getting a stash of filters. I also need to buy a stash of transmission fluid for the F-150. I do a dump and fill once a year on the truck. I use the truck for my extra cash during retirement job so I take care of it. No truck then no job. I will not be extending my oil change intervals on the truck. Not on my Nissan either. That is my plan for the near future. Now if gasoline gets to be a problem to obtain then it won't matter anyway.
 
I just don't see an "oil apocalypse" happening, although, at least for a period of time, it may be difficult to get what you want when you want it.

I don't have a lot of storage space for oil, although a friend has said I can use a corner of his basement which I may take advantage of. That said, I'm still not going to stock up a huge stash, maybe pick up two more containers and call it a day. That'll last me at my present rate of use 2 1/2 years of changes. And, since I under-utilize the oil I have, extending the drain interval past 6-mos would be a piece of cake ... going out to a year and as much as 10,000 miles should be easy for a good running engine like the Camry's using a high-quality oil (M1 EP).

Of course, I could always stock up on some HPL and never change the oil again. I believe there's a discussion here in which @wwilson notes that he's been using HPL out to, or past, 20,000 miles. If you're concerned about the apocalypse, perhaps increasing the quality of your oil might be a worthwhile consideration.
 
Availability of oil I need for the Mercedes is currently sporadic, but always available somewhere at a decent price. The Blazer, mower, and pressure washer aren't too picky so something good is always on sale somewhere nearby. Geeze, you can get Pennzoil or Mobil at the grocery store or 7-11 pretty cheap if you're stuck.
My "stash" consist of one change for each vehicle and small engine.
I generally buy two changes at a time when the stash for an engine reaches zero. Don't see a need to have more on hand. The oil companies aren't shutting down and I am always months to a year away from "needing" oil.

Forgot the bikes. Dennis Kirk closed out Motul 10W-40 @ $12 gallon for the Yamaha and Autozone closed out Castrol 20W-50 sythetic @ $2 qt for the Enfield. So I'm set for 12k miles on each there.
 
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I’m really not worried. It is a competitive enough industry that if supplies of base oils or finished products can’t keep up here, an innovative blender/supplier will just go elsewhere - China, SK, India…you can’t tell me Sinopec wouldn’t love to have a chunk of the NA lube market.
 
For my personal vehicles, I drive a beater all highway that is very easy on oil to begin with (Ecotec), so I could easily stop changing oil and go 25-35k miles without an issue.
I’d save the small stash I do have for my wife’s Jeep that is all in-town short trips and turns oil black in 5k.
But I really don’t see a serious issue with supply long-term…blenders will crank up production and balance out supply.
 
Oil is a global commodity. China already has fairly new pipelines from Mongolia to a fairly new gas/oil dock on the coast specifically to export oil to the rest of us.
If OPEC does a 1974 move, China and Russia will take advantage. Maybe prices will rise, but they will supply.
 
I have enough oil and filters for 4 oil changes on each of the two vehicles in our house. All Valvoline synthetic 5-30. I stocked up a bit knowing inflation will cause prices to go higher, so I got what I need for two years. I’ll be moving from 7500 mile OCIs to 10,000 mile OCIs on my car. I’m already seeing those same 5qt jugs sell for triple price at amazon. Walmart seems to be holding strong on price.
 
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