Costco Gasoline? Yay or Nay?

J

JaCkaL829

it was my first time...
I'm wondering what is the consensus on Costco gasoline? Yay or nay? It's always about $0.15-20 cheaper than anywhere else, and my new commute requires me to pass one everyday, so it's not like I'm going out of my way to get it. I've been trying to find information on the topic, but most threads seem older or have contradicting information. I know someone my mother knew was saying they wouldn't put it in their car. I'm not sure what the reason was, but the guy had some sort of experience in a related oil/gasoline field. Members on another forum recommend nothing but top tier gas (toptiergas.com) which I've been using Shell regularly since it's the only one on the list in my area. I can't say I notice any big improvement over the Sunoco/Exxon I use to use regularly.



From what I understand yes, gas is gas, it all comes from the same pipe, but once it's in different companies truck's they put their own additives and detergents in it. I've read on quite a few places that Costco gasoline, and I'm assuming other generic/wholesale stations get their gas in bulk and don't put additives and detergents in it, or not nearly as much as whats suppose. This over time creates carbon buildup on your upper cylinders, valves and fuel injection.



I'm just curious what you guys think about it? I'm considering getting my ECU flashed for performance reasons, but it would require me to put premium (91 octane) in it. I wouldn't mind doing it if the Costco gas is safe for it. Costco premium(93) is actually only a couple cents more than Shell regular(87). I do want the car to last me a long time, and not get carbon build up. If my car was a lease I'd get the Costco gas all the time.



I thought this would be an interesting discussion regarding Costco gasoline and the top tier gas topic since gas is so expensive. I know many of us are smart consumers, but also have our car's engine in mind. I'm just wondering if the 'you get what you pay for' saying applies to gasoline in today's context.
 
In the little hawnduh you might be fine, but generally I'd see nay.





I work at a BMW dealership and we have lot's of driveability complaints due to crap gas.
 
I used to only fill up at top tier gas stations (Chevron, Exxon/Mobil, Shell), but with gas being so expensive, any savings I get helps. I used to be one of those that only believe in filling up high quality gasoline, but the few times I've experienced problems directly related to crap gas was when I filled up at a particular Shell station I used to live near. I've never noticed any difference just from using more expensive gas or even a higher octane gas, for that matter.



For the past 2 years now, I've been filling up at Costco instead because it's much cheaper, and I can do my shopping there and gas up at the same time. I also get 2% back since I am an Executive member, and if you have an AMEX Costco card, I believe you can get even more cash back.



Plus, I find that the Costco stations are maintained to a very high quality. Their pumps flow pretty fast, it's clean, it's updated (technology-wise). I find that out of all retailers, Costco stands behind the product they sell the most and to do so, requires the product to meet their quality standards. Based on how they operate their gas station, to me it seems they have a higher standard of quality in their gasoline also.



To sum it all up, would I ever fill up my car at a generic station? No. But I would not hesitate putting Costco gasoline at all in my car because I feel they have higher standards than most places.
 
If they dont advertise a cleaning additive in there gas I dont use it. Gas is $4.00 + a gallon , a few cents more a gallon doesent make much difference. Most of my driving is city driving. If all your driving is hiway driving then I suppose you could get away with low detergent gas.
 
Keep in mind that gasoline is gasoline, there is no difference from one brand to the next as they all buy and sell it to each other. There is no way to tell where the gasoline was refined when it comes out of the pump. The difference between the brands is their additive pack that gets added on the truck when it is being shipped to the gas station. There are federal standards as to the makeup of those additives. I seriously doubt that even "top tier" gasoline ventures to far above those minimums.



Where Does My Gasoline Come From?
 
lawrencea said:
If they dont advertise a cleaning additive in there gas I dont use it. Gas is $4.00 + a gallon , a few cents more a gallon doesent make much difference. Most of my driving is city driving. If all your driving is hiway driving then I suppose you could get away with low detergent gas.
Click to expand...



Detergent additives are NOT optional, it is federally mandated that ALL gasoline have detergents. Supposedly Top Tier fuels have more of these additives...
 
I use Shell gas most of the time. Sinse I started useing Shell my gas mileage went up 1 1/2 to 2 miles per gallon, not a big jump but enough to show me that the car likes it. The car idles smother and has better pick up especially with the ac on. The mininum detergent that the goverment wants the gas companys to put in there gas is not enough.If a gas company doesent advertise higher detergent in there gas you know that they are not puting it in.In my area the companys that advertise high detergent gas is Shell, BP Amoco, Phillips 66, and Marathon. Shell and Phillips 66 are Top Tier.
 
lawrencea said:
I use Shell gas most of the time. Sinse I started useing Shell my gas mileage went up 1 1/2 to 2 miles per gallon, not a big jump but enough to show me that the car likes it. The car idles smother and has better pick up especially with the ac on. The mininum detergent that the goverment wants the gas companys to put in there gas is not enough.If a gas company doesent advertise higher detergent in there gas you know that they are not puting it in.In my area the companys that advertise high detergent gas is Shell, BP Amoco, Phillips 66, and Marathon. Shell and Phillips 66 are Top Tier.
Click to expand...



I have similar experience. I've been using Shell for the longest time. But since gas prices are so high now, I began to use Costco gas. It's usually about $.10-$.15 cheaper than other stations.



I used Costco gas for about 1 month, and noticed I get about 375-380 miles per tank using Costco gas, while I used to get about 395-400 miles per tank using Shell.



After that 1 month, I've switched back to Shell, and I'm now back to 395-400 miles range per tank again. I've also noticed the car idles a bit smoother using Shell gas.
 
rjstaaf said:
Keep in mind that gasoline is gasoline, there is no difference from one brand to the next as they all buy and sell it to each other. There is no way to tell where the gasoline was refined when it comes out of the pump. The difference between the brands is their additive pack that gets added on the truck when it is being shipped to the gas station. There are federal standards as to the makeup of those additives. I seriously doubt that even "top tier" gasoline ventures to far above those minimums.



Where Does My Gasoline Come From?
Click to expand...



Since your a senior member, and I value your opinion on similar topics (motor oil) how do you feel about the Costco gasoline? Would you use it in your car on a regular basis? That website is pretty interesting. I definitely need to sit down and spend some more time on it.
 
The only gas stations I see around here (Northern NJ) that advertise having 'cleaning agents' is Shell and Lukoil. Most of them don't mention anything about cleaning detergents or additives, especially Costco since I was just there with my friend. I'm pretty observant of little things like that. Now that I think of it I don't think the Shell I've been going to says anything about the 10% ethanol. I'm wondering if they don't add or just fail to mention it.
 
JohnnyDaJackal said:
Since your a senior member, and I value your opinion on similar topics (motor oil) how do you feel about the Costco gasoline? Would you use it in your car on a regular basis? That website is pretty interesting. I definitely need to sit down and spend some more time on it.
Click to expand...



I don't claim to be an expert here, just sharing what little I learned from working for a small oil company (shell distributor) after high school. I got to see first hand the tail end of how gasoline gets from distributor to station.



Don't have a Costco anywhere near me. I really don't frequent any particular brand but rather buy from whoever has the lowest price at the time or whoever is closest when the low fuel light comes on :) I go to the local Ingles grocery station as well as the WalMart station but most often and mostly for convenience as they are on my commute, I frequent an Exxon near my house or a BP near my office. I generally avoid small, slow stations though in favor of busy stations that have a lot of traffic as I think the fuel doesn't have time to sit in the tanks collecting crap.



I am just not as picky as I used to be about brand with prices as they are these days. I am spending in the neighborhood of $12 a day for my daily commute and pennies do count. I am not all that concerned about the issue with cleaners as I use a fuel additive with every fill-up, have for years. I have had great results with FP60 from Lube Control.



FP60 Gallon
 
rjstaaf said:
I generally avoid small, slow stations though in favor of busy stations that have a lot of traffic as I think the fuel doesn't have time to sit in the tanks collecting crap.
Click to expand...



This is another reason why I like the Costco stations. It doesn't matter what time of day you go to fill up, there's always a line. The lines look pretty intimidating, but because they keep their pumps operating at its best efficiency, the wait is not as bad as other stations. Plus, it's more orderly. I hate going to stations where one car is facing one direction and another is in another direction. Sometimes I've had to end up waiting for someone else to finish in order to get out of the station and onto the road.
 
BlackElantraGT said:
I hate going to stations where one car is facing one direction and another is in another direction. Sometimes I've had to end up waiting for someone else to finish in order to get out of the station and onto the road.
Click to expand...



ain't that the truth...
 
BlackElantraGT said:
This is another reason why I like the Costco stations. It doesn't matter what time of day you go to fill up, there's always a line. The lines look pretty intimidating, but because they keep their pumps operating at its best efficiency, the wait is not as bad as other stations. Plus, it's more orderly. I hate going to stations where one car is facing one direction and another is in another direction. Sometimes I've had to end up waiting for someone else to finish in order to get out of the station and onto the road.
Click to expand...



In addition, seems like most car has the fuel door on the drive side of the car, so there's always a line on those pumps, where as the pump facing the other direction has no line. Too bad you're not allow to turn your vehicle around to use those available pumps, unless you don't mind tugging the pump across your vehicle.
 
I use Costco gas in all of my cars and haven't had an issue to date. Many Honda cars have issues with EGR clogging and I haven't had any even in high mileage cars.
 
nlkccom said:
In addition, seems like most car has the fuel door on the drive side of the car, so there's always a line on those pumps, where as the pump facing the other direction has no line. Too bad you're not allow to turn your vehicle around to use those available pumps, unless you don't mind tugging the pump across your vehicle.
Click to expand...



yeah, i've noticed that too so the driver's side lanes tends to get more traffic.



But, to get around that the Costco pumps have extra long hoses that will easily reach the other side and that's what I've been doing so I don't have to wait as long. Not only does the hose reach to the other side, but there's also a swivel on the "head" end of the hose to more easily facilitate fueling on the wrong side. You just have to be careful about how you drag that hose, that's all.
 
Test all of the stations around you and see which one produces the most favorable results for you. No one brand, or even station, is going to produce better or worse results across the board for every car. Even two cars coming off the assembly line in succession may have different results of what gas they run best on, not to mention it will vary depending on which truck brought the gas (how much leftover gas was in it, how long it's been in there, etc.), the temperature of the gas (how much vapor vs. liquid you are actually putting into your tank), your air density/altitude,... I could seriously go on for many more variables. Everyone just needs to do their own research and use what works best for them.
 
I have used BJ Wholesale Club (Similar to Costco) gas for the past year with no issues. Also judging by the lines at their gas stations and the variety of cars I see buying gas there I'm pretty confident that they sell "good" gas.



I also ride on Kumho tires. So according to some people i'm really living on the edge lol :D I guess I could go with Michelin tires and Shell V-power gas but I think i'll bank the cash saved and stick with what i've been doing ;) Besides my gas cap is on the passenger side so I get the short lines hehe :)
 
All the gasoline comes from the same places. The thing to avoid are small, slow stations that don't sell a lot of gas. Generally the stations that move the most gas are the cheap ones.
 
I feel I'm never really going to get a definitive answer. I tried reading about where Costco gets it's gas, and really didn't find anything. I'm 'guessing' it's because they buy in bulk and are buying from different companies so frequently so the consistency might not always be the same, but it is fresh since it's being pumped so frequently. I could be totally wrong, but oh well. I also read people saying Costco doesn't make huge profits off the gas since it's sold so cheap, but more of a way to 'draw' people into the store. I knew someone back in college who worked there and said the same thing.

I guess I'll try the Costco gas next fill up and see if my mpg and car performance differs at all, which I doubt.



Thinking about it though even if there are less additives/detergents in the gas or not the highest quality, I could keep carbon deposit down by simply putting some Seafoam in the gas maybe twice a year when I change the oil. I remember someone doing a Seafoam treatment and they only used generic gas, and they still didn't get any carbon blowout when treating the upper cylinders.



On the other side of the spectrum I feel the toptiergas.com is a little questionable. Not sure if it's just a marketing ploy or what. I want to call the guys at Hondata and see how necessary a CAI is for the reflash. If I do go that route I would stick to Costco gas exclusively since the savings on premium are even greater, average $.25-.30 cheaper than most gas stations in my area, which would add up if I only got it there, plus the AMEX true earnings are nice too :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top