Buying oil from Amazon

[Trackrig]

I changed oil in three generators and two vehicles this weekend so it was time to restock my oil supply.

The O'Riley's down the road wants $32.99 a gallon for Rotella T6 Synthetic 5-40W oil. I just ordered six gallons from Amazon for $21.36 per gallon using Prime which includes the shipping.

It surprised me they'd ship the oil (45#) to Alaska as a Prime item due to the weight. Right now my good buddy Jeff and I are discussing why he won't ship a set of Timbren FRTT350F suspension helpers to me Prime as they weigh and cube a lot less than the Timbrens. While I like Amazon, they're very hit and miss on what they'll ship to Alaska.

Bill

[IdaD]

If you use subscribe and save you can get it down to about $18 a gallon with free shipping.

[ctilsie242]

I don't know what the stores are in the area, but I prefer shopping local when I can, just personal preference. For example, I prefer to buy oil at a local car parts store. It may be slightly more expensive, but at least there is a far less chance at getting an off brand or counterfeit item.

[Deb_and_Ed_M]

The only thing I'll say - watch who actually ships the product. I'm seeing more and more "oddly-named" sellers on Amazon - and they aren't always selling what they show?

Example: Twice now, I've ordered batteries thru Amazon, and received what appeared to be fresh Duracell batteries - only to have them leak within a month of purchase and destroy the item I put them in 😞 By the time I went to complain about the batteries that killed my Garmin Vivofit - the company had vanished off Amazon's website. But I'll bet they resurface under another name, selling outdated batteries with new dates on the packaging?

So now I make a practice of checking the supplying company - is it a North American company? Especially for something like oil - if it's a "knockoff" - it could do a mind-boggling amount of damage. I'd go to WalMart, personally.

[RinconVTR]

Trackrig wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
Go to techbargainsdotcom and search for 'mobil 1'. You will find a $12 rebate on Mobil 1. Walmart sells it for about $24 for a 5 qt jug. Good saving.

Gary,

I used Mobil 1 for a long time and have nothing at all against it. I switched to the T6 as it has the additive required by the wet clutch packs in my quads which Mobil 1 doesn't. In the quads the same oil supply feeds both the engine and transmission. This point would matter to very few people, but it allows me to only carry one type of oil with me so that nothing winds up with the wrong oil in it.

Bill

Its not what Rotella has for additives, its what it does NOT have for "energy saving" additives that makes it ok to use in anything that has a wet clutch.

Amazon has been very good at matching 1 gallon and 5qt jugs of oil (all sorts of brands and weights) compared to Walmart for the last 2 years, at least. There have been times Amazon's prices exceeds Walmart, but its never for very long.

[Grit_dog]

Trackrig wrote:

garyemunson wrote:
Go to techbargainsdotcom and search for 'mobil 1'. You will find a $12 rebate on Mobil 1. Walmart sells it for about $24 for a 5 qt jug. Good saving.

Gary,

I used Mobil 1 for a long time and have nothing at all against it. I switched to the T6 as it has the additive required by the wet clutch packs in my quads which Mobil 1 doesn't. In the quads the same oil supply feeds both the engine and transmission. This point would matter to very few people, but it allows me to only carry one type of oil with me so that nothing winds up with the wrong oil in it.

Bill

Great minds think alike..... I run T6 in everything than wants or needs syn oil including the bike and quad because of its wet clutch compatibility. $20-25 a gallon beats $10-15 a qt for Jaso MA oil at the bike shop.
I do run on sale Dino 15-40 or 5-40 in everything else though. Right now Valvoline blue is stocked In the shop since that was on sale last. Just went through about 5 gal this weekend anywhere from 8 oz to 8 qts per machine.....and I didn't change the oil in the truck!

[garyemunson]

Crcr, the rebate covers ALL Mobil 1 and does not require you buying it at Walmart (although if you go to Walmart's site and do a search, they DO sell that grade). It's just not mentioned in the Tech Bargain's post. If you can find your grade elsewhere at a price that makes sense with the rebate, you are also good to go.

[pconroy328]

Trackrig wrote:


It surprised me they'd ship the oil (45#) to Alaska as a Prime item due to the weight.

About 15 years ago, I bought my 400 pound Table Saw from Amazon. Days before prime, it was still Free Shipping. Arrived via FedEx Heavy. Driver rolled it into my garage.

Gotta love Amazon... 😉

[theoldwizard1]

I change the ATF in my last car and needed 12 quarts to be sure enough I had enough. The cheapest source was Amazon.

[crcr]

garyemunson wrote:
Go to techbargainsdotcom and search for 'mobil 1'. You will find a $12 rebate on Mobil 1. Walmart sells it for about $24 for a 5 qt jug. Good saving.

Thanks. I checked it out, but unfortunately the Mobil One oil recommended for our Honda Accord, 0W-20, is not on the list. Plus, I went to the site and read the terms and conditions, which list "participating retailers", and Walmart isn't even listed!

[Ductape]

Yeah, AK shipping is nuts. Last year I could not get a replacement battery shipped for my GPS. LION battery too hazardous. But I could get a new GPS, which included -you guessed it- a LION battery.

[Lynnmor]

RedRocket204 wrote:

Trackrig wrote:
I switched to the T6 as it has the additive required by the wet clutch packs in my quads which Mobil 1 doesn't.

The T6 definitely has a popular following around power sports circles for those that have a wet clutch. The price is definitely right!

Just be aware of the fact that T6 has changed recently. The anti-wear additives have been reduced to meet the new CK specs and it is no longer on Ford's approved list for Diesel engines. How it works for you is only a guess because it is now different.

[RedRocket204]

Trackrig wrote:
I switched to the T6 as it has the additive required by the wet clutch packs in my quads which Mobil 1 doesn't.

The T6 definitely has a popular following around power sports circles for those that have a wet clutch. The price is definitely right!

[Trackrig]

There are no Amazon warehouses in Alaska - only about 700,000 people here even though we do a lot of "mail ordering".

The oil weighs 45# and you know how large six 1-gal jugs are. Out of curiosity I emailed Timbrens this morning. They replied that the kit box dimensions are 8.5" x 10" x 6.0" - basically the same as a single jug of oil, and the weight is 9#, a little more than one gal of oil.

The oil doesn't say who stocks & sells it so I'll assume it's not Amazon. The Tembrens though are stocked and sold by Amazon.

Bill

[GordonThree]

Trackrig wrote:
I changed oil in three generators and two vehicles this weekend so it was time to restock my oil supply.

The O'Riley's down the road wants $32.99 a gallon for Rotella T6 Synthetic 5-40W oil. I just ordered six gallons from Amazon for $21.36 per gallon using Prime which includes the shipping.

It surprised me they'd ship the oil (45#) to Alaska as a Prime item due to the weight. Right now my good buddy Jeff and I are discussing why he won't ship a set of Timbren FRTT350F suspension helpers to me Prime as they weigh and cube a lot less than the Timbrens. While I like Amazon, they're very hit and miss on what they'll ship to Alaska.

Bill

Jeff is funny like that. He often blames his "partners" or "vendors" for weird shipping issues. It's a gray area on whether you're actually buying something from Amazon itself or some 3rd party where Amazon is only the broker.

I wonder if your oil is being shipped from some warehouse that is in Alaska already?

I bought a simple inexpensive extension cord from Jeff Saturday afternoon, and for some reason, he sent it next-day air - it was at my door today when I got home from weekend camping.