Trying to find GC....

TSoA · Sep 29, 2003

quote:

he "had called"

-He is F.O.S. try another store. Tell them "I called corporate and they said for you 'Zoners to just order some (for you) regardless if yewz gots the 'ol Yeller still". I went through corporate, difference being corporate called the store in advance of my arrival. Hey, I'll send you a brick if you really want it, UPS.

quote:

...not able to find any...Chevron Supreme

Why not use Dello 400? Sold everywhere. if you really want some Chevron Supreme 5w30, 10w30, 10w-40, I'll send you some at your expense.
Ha ha, check out what I bought on EBay...
Am I loosing it?http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&category=20863&item=3627647684

[ September 29, 2003, 11:22 PM: Message edited by: TSoA ]

VeeDubb · Sep 29, 2003

quote:

Congratulations on your find! I just hope the manager was making his comment on continued supply based on solid information and not just thinking to himself, "That's the way it always works, so I am safe in saying that about GC." [/QB]

Thanks. I couldn't tell whether he had it together or not. He was very friendly and eager to help. As for his knowledge of the supply chain? Well, we'll find out in the coming months.

pscholte · Sep 29, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by Patman:

quote:

Originally posted by Mystic:
I wonder if Castrol might be getting a good laugh at the people searching all over the place for their German Castrol. If they were really serious about selling this stuff, then it seems to me that it would be everywhere and easy to find.

Click to expand...

I don't think it's Castrol's fault here. I think any Autozone in the country can get it, but they just aren't ordering it since nobody has been buying up the old stock yet! A lot of stores won't order new stuff if they haven't been able to sell what they've already got. I bet you most of the managers at all the Autozones don't even have a clue that people are looking for this oil.

I think with winter coming up, the chances of them selling the old 0w30 stock is good (at least in northern areas) so you'll see a lot more GC 0w30 showing up soon.

Castrol does need to allow this stuff to be sold in other locations though. I remember how AC Delco would only allow it's Ultraguard Gold filters to be sold in Pep Boys, and look what happened to it, discontinued due to lack of interest! Well duh!

How stupid was AC Delco? Put the product in more locations and it would've sold you idiots!!

Mystic,

I'm beginning to think we give Castrol too much "credit" for being clever and devious. I am not confident they have a coherent marketing strategy and that German Castrol happened more by chance then by design and, if it did happen by design, that design is being thwarted, in part, but Autozone's marketing/resupply schemes. Patman, you are sort of correct in that if a certain UPN doesn't move off the shelf the Autozone stores don't get new product in. I say sort of because the Autozone staffers I talk to tell me, "WE don't order anything; as product moves off the shelf an automated ordering system generates replenishment." I believe them because a guy in one of the stores had called either corporate or the area distribution center and was going to call them again to see if he could get some in. That was long enough ago that it should have happened by now...it hasn't. I believe, however, there is one variation to this theme. Based on a conversation with one Autozone employee, I believe that Autozone has certain "special" stores in their market regions to which they push product, maybe as a market test, or because of that store's sales patterns/histories. The store where I have gotten most of my GC is one of those stores. In fact, when I did my Denver Autozone run, one of the stores that I suspected might have it, had a large supply, while the other 12 had little or none (the vast majority, none). In my mind this substantiated the "special store" idea. I will tell you this also, the location of the GC seemed very much linked to the demographics of the store's neighborhood.

sbc350gearhead · Sep 30, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by VeeDubb:
I hit the jackpot today. Went and checked out yet another Autozone and loaded up on three cases. So I've cleaned out just about every Autozone in the Columbus area, which means I'm set for oil changes for two cars for the next 40,000 miles (catching up to pscholte

).

Spoke to the manager and he was very friendly. He said the GC will continue to show up as long as there is demand. If somebody buys two cases at a govem autozone, it will trigger an automatic reorder.

Not every autozone.

I have bought 49 quarts from various stores in columbus. The pickrington, gahanna, and reynoldsburg stores have a consistant supply.

VeeDubb · Sep 30, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by sbc350gearhead:

quote:

Originally posted by VeeDubb:
I hit the jackpot today. Went and checked out yet another Autozone and loaded up on three cases. So I've cleaned out just about every Autozone in the Columbus area, which means I'm set for oil changes for two cars for the next 40,000 miles (catching up to pscholte

).

Spoke to the manager and he was very friendly. He said the GC will continue to show up as long as there is demand. If somebody buys two cases at a govem autozone, it will trigger an automatic reorder.

Click to expand...

Not every autozone.

I have bought 49 quarts from various stores in columbus. The pickrington, gahanna, and reynoldsburg stores have a consistant supply.

sbc350,
So your the one stealing all the German Syntec in Columbus?

Seriously though, the store I was referring to above is the Gahanna store. They must stock it regularly if you and I both had success there. I also found limited amounts at the Cleveland Ave store and the Livingston store. No luck in Westerville, 5th street, or Broad. I'm sure between the two of us, we can keep the Gahanna supply chain active.

p.s. is it me, or does it seem like every Autozone is in the hood?

[ September 30, 2003, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: VeeDubb ]

tenderloin · Sep 30, 2003

Many of the Auto Zones it seems, restock from the front. They keep pushing old stock back as fresh oil bottles are put on the rack.

[ September 30, 2003, 06:28 PM: Message edited by: tenderloin ]

pscholte · Sep 30, 2003

I am glad they do that...it would really be embarassing to get my arm stuck while trying to get back to bottle 45...LOL...if you had been lurking in one of our local Autozones, you would have been entertained (well...maybe not) to watch me reach W___A___Y back in the bottle train to make sure that no GC was lurking back there!

thrace · Sep 30, 2003

Building up the oil shrine is very interesting. Not too expensive and endless discussion. From time to time I would buy cases of conventional oil long before there was a bobistheoilguy site. Sometimes just due to low price, sometimes due to the rumor that a certain oil was good. Sometimes the oil would take so long to use up that higher rated oils were introduced before the old oil was finished. This was in the days of starburst SC, SD, SE rated oils. I knew nothing about ACEA then. I wonder when ACEA will issue a new standard that exceeds A3, A5. Happy oil collecting.

medic · Sep 30, 2003

GC finally showed up in Salamanca, NY! I don't know why I am excited, but I feel like I found something that I was missing for a long time.

I imagine I'll buy a case or two soon, but why? I can get Amsoil for a similar price, and I know that Amsoil works good. I haven't seen any extended drain used oil analysis on GC yet.

What is the longest anybody has run GC so far?

Patman · Sep 30, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by medic:

What is the longest anybody has run GC so far?

So far it's the UOA I posted on my sister's car, at 5500 miles. It looked good though, it's TBN was still 6.90 (virgin for this oil from this lab is 9.39) Depending on when my sister sells her car before she moves (my mom is no longer buying it) she'll probably have about 6k on it when I do it's final oil change.

Patman · Sep 30, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by pscholte:
I am glad they do that...it would really be embarassing to get my arm stuck while trying to get back to bottle 45...LOL...if you had been lurking in one of our local Autozones, you would have been entertained (well...maybe not) to watch me reach W___A___Y back in the bottle train to make sure that no GC was lurking back there!

My local Walmart (the Winston Churchill Walmart!) recently rearranged their oil section, and much to my delight, they put GC right on the very end. This means it's super easy for me to be able to reach to the very back of the line, since it's all out in the open with no reaching or removal of the bottles in front of it.

pscholte · Sep 30, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by Patman:
My local Walmart (the Winston Churchill Walmart!) recently rearranged their oil section, and much to my delight, they put GC right on the very end. This means it's super easy for me to be able to reach to the very back of the line, since it's all out in the open with no reaching or removal of the bottles in front of it.

Pat,

Sometimes I think you live an unfairly charmed life...I bet you have never had to smile sheepishly at the video security camera while trying to reach that last bottle of GC (well, come to think of it, neither have I but it makes a great point in support of you living an unfairly charmed life)...they don't put mousetraps back in those trays do they (you know, what with that delightful gummi bear nectar smell and all)?

[ September 30, 2003, 08:54 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

sbc350gearhead · Oct 1, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by pscholte:
I am glad they do that...it would really be embarassing to get my arm stuck while trying to get back to bottle 45...LOL...if you had been lurking in one of our local Autozones, you would have been entertained (well...maybe not) to watch me reach W___A___Y back in the bottle train to make sure that no GC was lurking back there!

Believe it or not.......that happened to me.

Veedub.....The reynoldsburg and pickrington stores aren't in the hood........but I agree with the rest of them.

[ October 01, 2003, 03:47 PM: Message edited by: sbc350gearhead ]

stglock · Oct 1, 2003

My best kept secret here in Santa Clara County (Bay Area), is that I am the only one buying these oils
(GC) at Autozone, eversince I read about them here at this board.I have since loaded them up (36 quarts) and I have about 2k miles on my first use.

Btw, I am a newbie and after perusing this board
I have become an oil fanatic.

Thanks a lot guys for the oil facts.

ryansride2017 · Oct 1, 2003

This GC craze is similar to the newest toy everyone must have at Christmas! Driving me nuts!

pscholte · Oct 1, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by stglock:
My best kept secret here in Santa Clara County (Bay Area), is that I am the only one buying these oils
(GC) at Autozone, eversince I read about them here at this board.I have since loaded them up (36 quarts) and I have about 2k miles on my first use.

Btw, I am a newbie and after perusing this board
I have become an oil fanatic.

Thanks a lot guys for the oil facts.

stglock,

to the wonderful world of BITOG, oil fanaticism, and GC. Hope you find this a great "ride."

ryansride2017,

If you will just put a little GC on a rag, lie down and breathe in the vapors all your frustration will go away and you will find tribological contentment

pscholte · Oct 1, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by stglock:
Thank you for the warm welcome. I am learning a lot
from this board.

More power to all of you

You are quite welcome...be sure and keep your stock of GC in a safe place!

medic · Oct 2, 2003

Do you think Castrol has noticed an increase in sales of Syntec 0w30 recently? After all, you guys are buying up every last quart of this stuff. Good news, I stop in AutoZone yesterday and my full supply is still there - I'm gonna go get it before the "buy 5 get one free" sale ends on Saturday.

UncleS2 · Oct 2, 2003

The A-Zones in Longview, TX had no Castrol 0w30 at all on the shelves earlier this week; the one in Mt. Pleasant has some C 0w30, w/red on the label, but it says "made in USA" on the back. Guess I'll just have to use the Lubro-Moly 0w40 or the BobZoil 5w30 this weekend on the 15K oil change.

[ October 02, 2003, 02:49 PM: Message edited by: Stuart Hughes ]

pscholte · Oct 2, 2003

quote:

Originally posted by medic:
Do you think Castrol has noticed an increase in sales of Syntec 0w30 recently? After all, you guys are buying up every last quart of this stuff. Good news, I stop in AutoZone yesterday and my full supply is still there - I'm gonna go get it before the "buy 5 get one free" sale ends on Saturday.

I don't see how they could help but notice. Based on reports to this board from all over NA that (OY) "Old Yeller" is gathering dust while the GC is going like crazy, whoever at Castrol tracks sales should be ashamed of themselves if they haven't noticed! Sales should have jumped enormously.

Trying to find GC....

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