What is the cheapest oil available for purchase?

[goblin]

Not a joke. Legitimate question. There's a reason for my madness.

- Oil will never be used in an engine.
- Preferably - available in 5qt and 1qt. Larger containers might work, but no more than 5gal preferably.
- All it has to do is - look like used oil of any standard 4stroke viscosity.

You might have guessed it - there's a certain store I love to work with, where you can return the used (let's put that in bold for those who know to write but avoid reading ) oil you bought from them and get credit for the next purchase.
Sweet deal, but I hit the following bump:

- Most of the time I prefer to have my oil changed at my local oil place. They do a good job and it works for me.
- In the best of scenarios, the kids that work there will recover my used oil in a container I'd give them, then I'll drive home, pour it back in the original container and return it to the store. However, there's always a randomness to it - I have to hit the right day to get the right kid that would agree to do it. Plus, even when they do it, I'd feel bad if I don't give them an extra 10 bucks for their trouble.
- So for the half year when I don't do my oil changes myself - it still costs me a few bucks and some trouble to recover my used oil back.

So it would be much less trouble for me if I could find the cheapest of the cheapest oil around a similar price, buy it, and just return that back. Would save me the trouble of negociating, pouring used oil from the recovery container, clean it, etc.

I'll probably still go down the rabbit hole of figuring out how to make it look used, but that's for another day.

Ideas ?
Thanks

 

[ripcord]

Schemers gotta scheme, LOL.

 

[dadto2]

Are you the guy who tells the insurance company that your teenager "lives with grandma" so your rates don't go up? I think the legal term for that is fraud.

 

[cptbarkey]

There was a moment you thought about not hitting submit when you created this post.
That must have flown by briefly.

 

[Tdbo]

That sounds like a whole lot of gyrations for little return.
However, if you feel compelled to play, just go to a local shop or an old school gas station/ repair joint (if you have one close by,) take enough jug(s) to cover what you need and get some used oil for your purpose.
What's the need to get a retailer involved, or stick some poor innocent person with some Mobil 2?

 

[goblin]

People be writers, people not be readers, huh

I am supposed to return USED oil to the store. NOT oil that they'll put back for sale.
The store recovers the USED oil and recycles it or does whatever they do with USED oil.

So let's put the fraud stuff aside.

That sounds like a whole lot of gyrations for little return.

As for getting used oil from another shop - I have considered it. But it puts me in the same hassle narrative. I have to go and ask, plus I'm not sure how they'll pump it out - especially for free.
The return is ok. The oils I buy averages $50 for 5qt. Getting the next 5qt jug for free minus my expenses is better than paying another $50 for it.

Currently, recovering my used oil averages $10 plus hassle and mess. My question is - is there any oil sold anywhere that would sell for about that price.

 

[Trav]

If you lived closer I have 50 gallons you can have. Once a year I put it on craigs list for free, guys with waste oil furnaces take it.

 

[IndyIan]

If you lived closer I have 50 gallons you can have. Once a year I put it on craigs list for free, guys with waste oil furnaces take it.

Yes, I have several pails of oil that you could have too, if no one here contacts you, just post something on facebook or craigslist or a note on the bulletin board at the local grocery store or farm supply and I'm sure you will have access to all the pails of used oil you can haul away...

 

[Tdbo]

As for getting used oil from another shop - I have considered it. But it puts me in the same hassle narrative. I have to go and ask, plus I'm not sure how they'll pump it out - especially for free.
The return is ok. The oils I buy average $50 for 5qt. Getting the next 5qt jug for free minues my expenses is better than paying another $50 for it.

Currently, recovering my used oil averages $10 plus hassle and mess. My question is - is there any oil sold anywhere that would sell for about that price.

They can take it from the drain tank that they put under the cars that they do OC's on.
If you only need a gallon or two, that's the easiest way.
Most of those that I've seen have a drain at the bottom.
If you need more than that, find someone with an external tank that has a drain on the bottom.
Many dump used oil in 55 gal. drums. Take a battery operated pump with you.
Easy peasy.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Is the cost of the $10 tip to the oil change guy to get your old oil back, plus the annoyance of filling up the original bottles worth whatever the credit is at the retail place you are buying the new oil from?

Going further, is buying new cheap oil just to return it in your old empty bottles worth whatever the credit is that they are giving you?

 

[BHopkins]

How well do you know the employees at your local Autozone or O'Reillys? Perhaps you could get them to save a few jugs of returned oil for you on one day, and then go back in the same day and pick them up. I would think they would be ok with doing that for you. It would save them from having to dump it into the collection tank.

 

[goblin]

Thanks both @Trav & @IndyIan & @Tdbo and everyone else who actually bothered reading my initial post before sending me to trial .

I have considered asking around, but the quantities I need are small, and occasional. I basically need 5qt for every 5qt I return, plus/minus a qt. I don't return it that often, three to four cars depending what I drive and when.

The idea is precisely to avoid storing used oil. I can't imagine going to ask anyone to dig around their stuff and not paying them anything.
Having a 5qt jug of cheapo oil to pour in the original 5qt jug where the used oil is supposed to go in is the most seamless experience for my case, in winter. In summer, I'll probably be playing around with changing it myself.

Is the cost of the $10 tip to the oil change guy to get your old oil back, plus the annoyance of filling up the original bottles worth whatever the credit is at the retail place you are buying the new oil from?

Yes, it mostly makes sense. The oil I buy is on the expensive side, and I am lucky enough to be within reasonable driving distance of the store where I return the oil. If I had to ship it back, it would make less sense (there are other discussions here on why even shipping it back still makes financial sense, but that's beyond the scope of the thread).

...Going further, is buying new cheap oil just to return it in your old empty bottles worth whatever the credit is that they are giving you?

And yes, precisely, if there is such an animal as a $10 5qt jug of any engine oil, it is worth it.

 

[userfriendly]

There was a moment you thought about not hitting submit when you created this post.
That must have flown by briefly.

According to Senator John Kennedy, not posting won’t cause brain damage.

 

[BHopkins]

@goblin, I'm curious, what does it cost in shipping to return motor oil?

I bought my most recent oil change for my wife's BMW from that unnamed place that does lifetime warranties on motor oil change kits, and will be doing the same return routine some time in the future. The oil change kit cost me $91, so I'm curious what the net cost of future oil changes will be.

Ah, I just say your post #12.

 

[AdmiralYoda]

Yes, it mostly makes sense. The oil I buy is on the expensive side, and I am lucky enough to be within reasonable driving distance of the store where I return the oil. If I had to ship it back, it would make less sense (there are other discussions here on why even shipping it back still makes financial sense, but that's beyond the scope of the thread).

And yes, precisely, if there is such an animal as a $10 5qt jug of any engine oil, it is worth it.

I'd suggest looking at your local Tractor Supply or whatever "Farm Supply" store exists in your area to you and buy a 5 gallon pail of the cheapest oil they sell. And by oil, I mean any oil...it doesn't have to be motor oil. I can tell you that you can get a 5 gallon pail of hydraulic fluid for tractors goes for about $40 when they are on sale, which is most of the time actually.

Along that same thought...you could probably find a 5 gallon pail of vegetable oil, canola oil or random cooking oil at a restaurant supply place. Probably cheaper than motor oil. But that might be bending the rules just a bit....

 

[OM617YOTA]

SuperTech 15w40 conventional in 2 gallon jugs is the least expensive I've found.

Woops, here's 5 gallons for slightly less.

Best of luck.

 

[K2K2]

What are they offering you per quart of used oil?

 

[goblin]

What are they offering you per quart of used oil?

Credit for the same quart of fresh oil.

And it is not per qt of any used oil technically, it's for the oil you originally bought - used, and returned in its original container.

@goblin, I'm curious, what does it cost in shipping to return motor oil?

There was another thread where shipping oil and kits was discussed, if memory serves it was probably mentioned by @TiGeo?
Can't find the thread, but I believe he was using PirateShip and waiting for a box of a specific size and weight to fill up.
If you ever stop by Fairfield county CT you can always leave it to me and I'll drop it. It can be done. Otherwise, they have physical locations in Milford, CT and in Phoenix AZ that I know of.

According to Senator John Kennedy, not posting won’t cause brain damage.

And according to the same source - actually reading the original post before jumping the sarcasm gun doesn't hurt neither
Already commented above. Never let facts get in the way of an easy burn.

 

[The_Jeff]

ISO 32 hydraulic oil from a farm store is the cheapest, or you might find a deal on bar & chain oil.

That said, I bet you can find it for free on facebook marketplace.

 

[goblin]

Thanks again, looks like Tractor Supply is pretty much in the ballpark - even for engine oil. I'm seeing 5gal pails of conventional oil for $50. Bar chain oil a strong contender too.