Posted on 09/13/2026 10:29:05 PM PDT by nickcarraway
I'm sure you've already noticed, but oil prices are getting downright absurd. Now, those inflated costs are coming for Costco's motor oil. The wholesale retailer may be known for its solidly low prices, but even it can't help the fact that Crude Oil is trading around $100 per barrel right now. Because of that, it's upping prices and tightening how much it'll sell to any one person.
While 10 quarts of Costco's Kirkland Signature full-synthetic motor oil used to set you back $30, and you could buy as much as your heart desired, those days are over — for the time being, at least. That same oil now costs $57.99, and stores are limiting supplies to two per customer per week, according to The Drive.
While it's been par for the course for oil-related prices to increase, seeing them nearly double is unheard of. But as The Auto Wire explains, there's a good reason for it, and it all has to do with what makes the most money. Since motor oil comes from the same barrel as the gas and diesel that fuels our cars, refineries can make more money refining crude into fuel rather than the motor oil Costco sells to customers.
The chemistries of these oils have gotten far more sophisticated than they once were as they're tasked with dealing with ever-smaller engines pushing out ever-increasing amounts of boost. It has led to more rigorous testing and higher standards, making the oil more expensive. They've also got to contend with licensing fees that certain automakers force companies to pay to get their branding on the box. It's not a recipe for cheap oil, is it?
Why is this happening?
There are a few reasons as to why prices have gotten so high of late. Of course, you've got the U.S. and Israel's war with Iran and the fight over the Strait of Hormuz. That has been driving up prices on its own. However, there's now satellite imagery showing smoke in the vicinity of Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline, according to Reuters. It has become a vital means for the kingdom to divert its crude exports from Hormuz, and if it goes down, that spells trouble for everybody.
Oh, and just to make things even more fun, Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis reached the island of Perim in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, NPR reports. While it isn't as well known as Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb is another critical Middle Eastern shipping lane that, if disrupted, could send shockwaves to the global supply chain.
All of this has led to the price of diesel cracking $6 per gallon for the first time in history, with it sitting at $6.06, according to AAA. That also represents an 8-cent jump from just yesterday and a 21-cent increase from a week ago. Unless something changes quickly, I don't expect this trend to slow much in the coming weeks and months. Hell, President Trump doesn't either. He just said gas and oil prices won't come down until after the midterm election in early November, according to CNBC. We're biffed, man.
How about the obvious? Much of what Costco peddles is from the CCP. The CCP has been buying oil from Iran for years — and selling it on to the US after laundering it thru places like the Philippines — they did this with lumber into HomeDepot and the latter just got a horrendous fine for lying about the source.
With the war strangling oil shipments then the CCP has to jack up its prices.
Wanna solve this? Quit buying CCP trash.
During Trump 1.0 wages grew faster than prices, so everyone loved the economy. Unfortunately, that has not been the case during Trump 2.0, which is why people (particularly those with lower incomes that don’t own stocks) aren’t happy. Of course, leftist media will trash Trump regardless of the facts. But you can’t tell poor people they have more money in their pockets under Trump 2.0, because they know that they don’t.
Diesel now $7.10 this morning in eastern Oregon. Painful.
My dad only changed the oil when we went on a vacation..... which in the 22 years I lived at home before I got married was 3 times that I can remember.
i paid 10 bucks for 1 qt of straight 30.
That brings up a slightly OT question:
One of Trump’s legit gripes with Canada is all the Chinese steel and other products laundered through Canada into the USA. Why can’t the Trump Administration simply refuse to accept into the US any products from any Canadian exporter to the US that do not have proper point of origin documentation and labelling? Moreover, since not every item can be checked (requires too much manpower at this point), if an importer brings in, say, a stream of items, if random checks turn up fraudulent products, that trader gets looked at much more carefully and faces a hefty fine and ban on that and other products they have coming in for, say, 2 years. However, if a US manufacturer using, say, cold forged parts from China via Canada pleads for relief, they may receive the goods for up to 1 year, provided that upon retail sale the complete item is clearly & prominently marked as containing parts from China, and this must also be clearly indicated in any advertising for the product.
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