Costco gas

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tmsul100
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Costco gas

Post by tmsul100 »

Do you go out of your way to buy gas at Costco? Those who drive a "premium" tier car, do you buy premium gas? Thanks!
Drovor
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Drovor »

We have a Costco nearby so almost always fill up there. I go before work to avoid the lines. We don't own a high-end car but I would only use premium if the manual says to do so.
Gryphon
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Gryphon »

I find when I'm at home I always wind up getting gas at Costco, but the Costco is at a convenient location for me, so I take advantage of that - I'm near to it on a regular basis, so it's easy to get gas there even if weeks go by without any Costco shopping trips. I sometimes top off the tank sooner than I would otherwise, but aside from that I don't feel like I'm going out of my way.

When I'm away from home, I don't go looking to see if there's a nearby Costco, I just get gas wherever.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by ClaycordJCA »

Costco gas is Tier One and has been for a couple of years. Buy premium only if the vehicle specs call for it (Lexus Rx450h). Regular is fine for the Lexus 300h, which specifies regular gas.
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quantAndHold
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Re: Costco gas

Post by quantAndHold »

Costco has Top Tier gas, which is the good stuff. I fill with whatever my owners’ manual says to use.
TravelforFun
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Re: Costco gas

Post by TravelforFun »

Costco gas is high quality, cheaper than other brands plus when you buy it and use Costco Visa card, you'd get 4% back or 10 cents discount per gallon.

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jeff1949
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Re: Costco gas

Post by jeff1949 »

Yes, I go out of the way to buy gas at Costco. I get a 4% rebate using my Costco Business Visa Card plus their prices are about 20 cents cheaper per gallon to begin with.

We used to have a car that was supposed to have Premium (1998 Acura RX) but I found it ran fine on regular. That car is still in the family and has over 400k miles on it with no engine problems!
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Drovor »

I believe you get 4% at any gas station with the Costco Visa card. We still primarily use Costco as stated in previous post.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by jeff1949 »

Drovor wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 2:13 pm I believe you get 4% at any gas station with the Costco Visa card. We still primarily use Costco as stated in previous post.
True, as long as it is a major brand.
euroswiss
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Re: Costco gas

Post by euroswiss »

For some reason, in our area, Costco, while always at the lower end of the price scale, is not really that much cheaper than other local options. So for me, its not worth "going out of my way" to fill up at Costco. Plus, I don;t have the patience to wait in 5+ cars long lines at Costco, so when it is really busy, I skip and go someplace else for an additional couple of pennies/gallon.
02nz
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Re: Costco gas

Post by 02nz »

Yes the lines do get long, but note that most Costco gas stations open well before the store itself, and during those hours the lines tend to be much shorter, since you're not waiting in line with everyone else getting gas just before/after their Costco shopping.
ROIGuy
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Re: Costco gas

Post by ROIGuy »

I almost always get my gas at Costco. Just the regular unleaded, our cars do not need premium.
Their prices are always cheaper than the other gas stations. Premium and Regular.
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tennisplyr
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Re: Costco gas

Post by tennisplyr »

Always gas up there as price is cheaper than other gas around....worth the wait.
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Silk McCue
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Silk McCue »

I buy gas at Costco on occasion and use Premium for my 2005 Honda S2000. However, we live in Florida and pretty much every two weeks Publix lets you buy one $50 gas card for $40, for every $50 you spend in groceries (with very few exceptions). We usually spend north of a $100 and get two cards. You can choose whatever gas station card you want but of course they don't have Costco. So, when we go to a gas station that has competitive prices (albeit slight higher than Costco by 4 or 5 cents usually), we get a 20% discount on the gas. Priceless. We never run out of gas cards and of course we can use them on road trips.

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squirm
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Re: Costco gas

Post by squirm »

Our Honda runs fine on just about any gas I buy. I've seen very long lines at Costco. We are members at Sam's, we've never had to wait in line.
TLC1957
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Re: Costco gas

Post by TLC1957 »

When on vacation we will try to fill up at Costco, our recent 3 week trip to Hawaii we used Costco a lot as well as our 2 month stay in Scottsdale, AZ. But at home we do not because Delaware is 3 miles away which is always cheaper, we drive by the Pa Costco location to buy the DE gas. I noted some of the Costco's in AZ also had car washes which were very nice.

I use the https://www.gasbuddy.com app to locate gas prices and compare to see if driving a few extra miles is worth it. This app lone has saved me a lot of $$$ sometimes just going 1 more block can save .20-60 cents per gallon.
3dream3
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Re: Costco gas

Post by 3dream3 »

We primarily use costco gas all the time... there is one by my wife's work and one by my work so it is pretty convenient. There is even a couple right off the highway that we can stop at if we are heading to/from the city. Talking about going out of my way... when I drove out of state for work once, I happened to pass by a costco on the way to the hotel. I actually drove to that costco again (about 10mins away) and filled up before heading home even though there was another gas station by the hotel.
Iliketoridemybike
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Iliketoridemybike »

It’s on my way home from work and I still don’t go there. Not worth the wait to save pennies.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by denovo »

tmsul100 wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 11:13 am Do you go out of your way to buy gas at Costco? Those who drive a "premium" tier car, do you buy premium gas? Thanks!
If you have a smart phone I suggest getting the gasbuddy app. It shows you gas prices in your area and it has been fairly accurate for me.

At least in my neck of the woods, Costco is always the best deal. Citi Costco gives you 4 percent cash back. Keep in mind you will NOT get the 2 percent exec. rewards on gas purchases.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by CULater »

squirm wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:39 pm Our Honda runs fine on just about any gas I buy. I've seen very long lines at Costco. We are members at Sam's, we've never had to wait in line.
I've noticed that too. Wonder why. They always have the same price and is the lowest in the area.
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queso
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Re: Costco gas

Post by queso »

No, been members for years, but almost never get gas there. Lines are too long and it isn't on the way home for either of us from our offices.
Jags4186
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Jags4186 »

30 minutes to get gas to save literally $1. But I do it every now and then if I’m driving by. It’s hard to pass up a “deal”. :oops:
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I would have to drive an hour out of my way to even find a Costco. Back when I worked right near one, I did go check the place out and found nothing I would buy. Oh, I did get a hot dog.

I've taken advantage of the stop and shop gas points for groceries. Last week, I was able to buy Visa gift cards and get 3x gas points so a single $500 card ($5.95 activation) took $1.50 per gallon off. My Freedom and Discover cards both have 5% off this quarter, so there's $25.29 cash back. Shell gives me at least 5 cents off on top of that and I always fill the max of $20 gallons. At $2.69.9, that's $1.14.9 a gallon or $22.98 for the 20 gallons. I use a shell gift card (got the 5% for that purchase) to pay for it. Sure, the whole thing is long and convoluted with a lot of steps but it beats spending 54 cents a mile to drive out of my way for more expensive gas that I have to wait in line for.
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RickBoglehead
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Re: Costco gas

Post by RickBoglehead »

We don't pass Costco in our normal daily routines, but try to plan gas stops for the commuting vehicle on the weekend. I know how far out of the way Costco is, so like anything else I do a quick breakeven analysis in my head, i.e. is the cost savings for driving that incremental 7 miles worth the savings? Sometimes Kroger is the same price (usually because Costco hasn't dropped yet), and I get it there (3 cent discount for Kroger loyalty members).

On our way to our cottage we pass Costco, and always gas up either coming or going, as well a filling gas cans for the boat. Every trip home we bring the empty gas cans to fill on the next trip up.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by seawolf21 »

Iliketoridemybike wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 9:50 pm It’s on my way home from work and I still don’t go there. Not worth the wait to save pennies.
This.

My usual fill is 15 gallons. The price difference is not worth the wait.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by bloom2708 »

Our Costco is not in a great location for frequent fill-ups. But, it is 15 cents cheaper on Premium and 4% on the Costco Visa makes it hard to pass up if I am in that area.

Regular unleaded is almost all the same price, but Premium varies widely. There are two stations of the same brand about 1.5 miles apart. They are 20 cents different on Premium. Two across the intersection are 15 cents different.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Wagnerjb »

tmsul100 wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 11:13 am Do you go out of your way to buy gas at Costco? Those who drive a "premium" tier car, do you buy premium gas? Thanks!
I drive a premium car, and I buy premium gasoline. I try to fill up at Costco, although it isn't very close to home. As a retiree, I try to avoid filling up on weekends since the lines are longer. But I save maybe 40-45 cents a gallon when I fill up so it is worth it to me. I won't drive 15 miles just to fill up, but when I am in the area and anywhere close to half full (or less), I top off.

I won't go out of my way in this manner for generic cheap gasoline (at a supermarket), but Costco is not only less expensive, but it is Top Tier quality as well.

Best wishes.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by alfaspider »

The "top tier" stuff is essentially just a certification that the gas contains a certain group of additives. It's not necessarily better quality than any other gas. If you have a motor with direct injection (many newer cars), your engine will not benefit from any of the detergent additives, although there is likely some benefit to the fuel system to running them occasionally.

The difference between "premium" and "regular" gasoline is knock resistance. Knocking occurs when gasoline combusts where/when it is not supposed to- which can lead to destruction of the engine in some cases. A more knock resistant gasoline allows more advanced timing, higher compression ratios, and more boost (for forced induction applications). This is why it's often required in more powerful premium cars. However, it provides no benefit whatsoever if the engine and engine computer programming are not designed to take advantage of the additional knock resistance of premium.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by TheGreyingDuke »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:07 am The "top tier" stuff is essentially just a certification that the gas contains a certain group of additives. It's not necessarily better quality than any other gas. If you have a motor with direct injection (many newer cars), your engine will not benefit from any of the detergent additives, although there is likely some benefit to the fuel system to running them occasionally.
SOME direct injection engines seem to benefit from the detergency of Top Tier:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015 ... ines-.html
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clutchied
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Re: Costco gas

Post by clutchied »

it's on my wife's way home so she fills up there.

our other car is electric so the filling station is our garage :)

I've been surprised how little the EV costs to drive $35/mo over 1200miles vs. about $150 worth of gas @ 22mpg.

$115 savings per month is not bad!
alfaspider
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Re: Costco gas

Post by alfaspider »

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:25 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:07 am The "top tier" stuff is essentially just a certification that the gas contains a certain group of additives. It's not necessarily better quality than any other gas. If you have a motor with direct injection (many newer cars), your engine will not benefit from any of the detergent additives, although there is likely some benefit to the fuel system to running them occasionally.
SOME direct injection engines seem to benefit from the detergency of Top Tier:

http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2015 ... ines-.html
The article you post doesn't seem to make that claim. The main issue with direct injection is that fuel never hits the valves. No amount of detergents can help if they never come into contact with critical parts. However, as I said, detergents may be helpful for the fuel system (rather than the engine itself). Some direct injections actually are multi-port injection, which means they also have port injectors- those engines could benefit.
open_circuit
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Re: Costco gas

Post by open_circuit »

I've never bought gas at Costco in my life. I presume you'd need to be a member to buy gas there? Regardless, I'd have to drive 15 minutes out of my way, past many other gas stations, to get to one, so I can't imagine doing that.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Helo80 »

No, I usually never get Costco gas.

1. No love for AMEX anymore and that means no 5% CB for me.
2. The lines are usually long (3-4 cars just waiting to fill up)
3. The price is within a nickel of Sam's and other gas competitors around my Costco location. 9 times out of 10, Sam's matches the Costco price... the 1 time out of 10, it's a penny or two more expensive or cheaper

But, it's mainly the lines and lack of AMEX support that causes me to go elsewhere.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by DesertDiva »

I “drive out of my way” in the sense that there are closer gas stations ⛽️ but it’s in an area where I frequently shop. I will go to a closer station if I have an urgent need. When we travel, I always see if there are Costco gas stations along the way. The savings are substantial, esp in California.

I believe that buying gas at Costco more than offsets my membership cost.
Last edited by DesertDiva on Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Helo80 »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:36 am The article you post doesn't seem to make that claim. The main issue with direct injection is that fuel never hits the valves. No amount of detergents can help if they never come into contact with critical parts. However, as I said, detergents may be helpful for the fuel system (rather than the engine itself). Some direct injections actually are multi-port injection, which means they also have port injectors- those engines could benefit.


There's another BH thread from about 4-6 months ago that more or less mirrors this thread... the Costco gas debate. Based upon your comments thus far, you are going to be banging your head against the wall.... a lot.

I don't think many are aware of how downstream and refineries work. In a very simple and understandable sense... it's a co-op.
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FireSekr
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Re: Costco gas

Post by FireSekr »

The nearest Costco is about 25 minute drive from me. If I need things from Costco I fill up while I am there, but I do not go out of my way to Costco just to fill up gas. I’d rather spend an extra 50 cents a gallon and save an hour of my time.

Always use the octane rating recommended by the manufacturer and always top tier gas
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Re: Costco gas

Post by jminv »

CULater wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 10:56 pm
squirm wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 4:39 pm Our Honda runs fine on just about any gas I buy. I've seen very long lines at Costco. We are members at Sam's, we've never had to wait in line.
I've noticed that too. Wonder why. They always have the same price and is the lowest in the area.
I think the simple explanation is that Costco has more shoppers per store than Sam's. Costco has a greater return on capital because they keep the stores they have very busy instead of opening more stores. This is one reason I like shopping at Sam's when I'm in the states as it's less busy than Costco.

In many areas, Costco gas is cheaper than Sam's and in general Sam's has decided to stop competing with Costco where they can't win, which is what many of their recent store closures were about.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by bombcar »

I found sometimes if I get the HotDog I also get the Costco Gas, but that's neither here nor there.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Psyayeayeduck »

No. Lines are too long, and the "savings" translate to, maybe, a couple of dollars, at most. My time is much more valuable.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by unstartable »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:07 am The "top tier" stuff is essentially just a certification that the gas contains a certain group of additives. It's not necessarily better quality than any other gas. If you have a motor with direct injection (many newer cars), your engine will not benefit from any of the detergent additives, although there is likely some benefit to the fuel system to running them occasionally.

The difference between "premium" and "regular" gasoline is knock resistance. Knocking occurs when gasoline combusts where/when it is not supposed to- which can lead to destruction of the engine in some cases. A more knock resistant gasoline allows more advanced timing, higher compression ratios, and more boost (for forced induction applications). This is why it's often required in more powerful premium cars. However, it provides no benefit whatsoever if the engine and engine computer programming are not designed to take advantage of the additional knock resistance of premium.
The manual for my turbocharged direct injected car specifically states to use Top Tier gas.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by atomicrc11 »

unstartable wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:46 am The manual for my turbocharged direct injected car specifically states to use Top Tier gas.
If you bought any car from BMW, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Ford, Honda, Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Audi then your manual will tell you to use Top Tier Gas. These automakers are part of the top tier alliance. My Volkswagen manual says to use top tier gas and 87 Octane is what the engine runs on.

Thankfully you don't have to pay top dollar since Costco gas is top tier.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by alfaspider »

unstartable wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:46 am
alfaspider wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 8:07 am The "top tier" stuff is essentially just a certification that the gas contains a certain group of additives. It's not necessarily better quality than any other gas. If you have a motor with direct injection (many newer cars), your engine will not benefit from any of the detergent additives, although there is likely some benefit to the fuel system to running them occasionally.

The difference between "premium" and "regular" gasoline is knock resistance. Knocking occurs when gasoline combusts where/when it is not supposed to- which can lead to destruction of the engine in some cases. A more knock resistant gasoline allows more advanced timing, higher compression ratios, and more boost (for forced induction applications). This is why it's often required in more powerful premium cars. However, it provides no benefit whatsoever if the engine and engine computer programming are not designed to take advantage of the additional knock resistance of premium.
The manual for my turbocharged direct injected car specifically states to use Top Tier gas.
As above, it's likely not due to mechanical necessity, but because those manufacturers are part of the alliance.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by BolderBoy »

tmsul100 wrote: Sun Apr 15, 2018 11:13 am Do you go out of your way to buy gas at Costco? Those who drive a "premium" tier car, do you buy premium gas? Thanks!
I have such a car and it has never seen "premium gas" in its entire life (13 years, 92k miles). Pretty much only use Costco gas.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Balance »

We have a Chevron right down the street from us and a Costco one exit away (5 minute drive). We are in the Bay Area, CA and our gas prices are very high. Yesterday I got gas on both of our cars. The Chevron was at $3.89/gallon while the Costco was at $3.19/gallon. It was a pretty big spread while typically its at least a 50 cent per gallon difference. Like others have said, we try to go early or on weekdays when there isn't a line.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by jabberwockOG »

Almost never any lines for gas at the local Costco where I live. Wait averages 5 minutes when there is a line but apparently some Costcos are much busier especially on weekends at 1 PM or other silly times to shop.

Costco gas price is a great deal - usually .25-30 less expensive per gallon for high quality gas so we are saving several dollars not pennies. We shop Costco every 2 weeks and always get gas there for the car.

Use regular if your car manual says you can run regular. If the car manual specifies premium it is best to run premium over the long run although running regular will not hurt the engine (other than slightly lower mpg on average) unless it is extremely hot outside and/or you are driving up and down mountainous terrain or your are towing something. Under normal driving conditions the car's ECU can modify engine timing as well as a couple of other parameters in real time to deal with lower octane regular gas.

However if the manual specifies premium, sustained driving in high heat conditions (90+ F) and/or high stress/heavy load driving should be done using premium to avoid possible engine damage (due to excessive pre-detonation).

If your car's manual specifies regular gas there is absolutely no benefit to running premium gas regardless of any driving condition or environment temp.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Helo80 »

jabberwockOG wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:51 pm
Costco gas price is a great deal - usually .25-30 less expensive per gallon for high quality gas so we are saving several dollars not pennies. We shop Costco every 2 weeks and always get gas there for the car.


What makes Costco gasoline higher quality than other gasoline?
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Helo80 »

alfaspider wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 12:41 pm
unstartable wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 11:46 am The manual for my turbocharged direct injected car specifically states to use Top Tier gas.
As above, it's likely not due to mechanical necessity, but because those manufacturers are part of the alliance.


It's also because cars sometimes go to true third-world countries where genuine problems exist in fuel delivery and/or you have refineries that cut corners.
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Helo80
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Re: Costco gas

Post by Helo80 »

https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/01/texas-f ... nsues.html

Image

Here are fuel tankers waiting in line to fill up. There exists an even better, aerial footage of gas trucks waiting to fill up.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by sport »

Helo80 wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 9:44 am No, I usually never get Costco gas.

1. No love for AMEX anymore and that means no 5% CB for me.
2. The lines are usually long (3-4 cars just waiting to fill up)
3. The price is within a nickel of Sam's and other gas competitors around my Costco location. 9 times out of 10, Sam's matches the Costco price... the 1 time out of 10, it's a penny or two more expensive or cheaper

But, it's mainly the lines and lack of AMEX support that causes me to go elsewhere.
For the last year or so, Costco has stopped accepting AMEX cards. They now accept Visa cards instead.
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Re: Costco gas

Post by jabberwockOG »

Helo80 wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 3:07 pm
jabberwockOG wrote: Mon Apr 16, 2018 2:51 pm
Costco gas price is a great deal - usually .25-30 less expensive per gallon for high quality gas so we are saving several dollars not pennies. We shop Costco every 2 weeks and always get gas there for the car.


What makes Costco gasoline higher quality than other gasoline?
Retailers like Costco that use the Top Tier label have agreed to use a high quality additive pack added to the gas loaded onto their delivery from the local gas wholesaler in their region. Non top tier brands buy their gas from the same wholesaler but typically do not add the extra cost additive pack to their gas. The add packs contain engine-cleaning detergent additives that make a difference in keeping your engine running right.

Running bargain basement non detergent gas over time will cause engine issues like dirty fuel injectors and excessive carbon buildup in the TB and on various sensors mounted on the intake manifold.


https://clark.com/cars/top-tier-fuel-detergent-gas/
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