Costco gas

[Meghan54]

Fortunately both of my cars have their fuel filler hoses on the passenger's side (BMW does this on all their cars so you aren't hit by a passing car if you have to refuel on the side of the road in an emergency). There is never a line at my Costco for the pumps that feed the right side of the car, since many/most American and Japanese cars seem to have their fuel filler hoses on the driver's side.

I didn't realize there were pumps that filled cars with gas caps on a particular side. I always thought it depended on how you drove up to the pump whether it'd be easy (on the same side) or difficult (on opposite side and you have to drape the hose over the trunk.)

Damn, learn something every day.....and in all my 40+ years of driving, I always drove up to either set of pumps, depending upon which way I was entering. Whodathunkit?

 

[MrChad]

I didn't realize there were pumps that filled cars with gas caps on a particular side. I always thought it depended on how you drove up to the pump whether it'd be easy (on the same side) or difficult (on opposite side and you have to drape the hose over the trunk.)

Damn, learn something every day.....and in all my 40+ years of driving, I always drove up to either set of pumps, depending upon which way I was entering. Whodathunkit?

Pro Tip: On the fuel gauge on the dashboard, you'll see a small arrow that will point to the side of the car with the gas tank. This is especially handy when driving a rental or other car that you're not familiar with.

 

[mvbighead]

I would have to guess that there are specific locations of varying brands that simply have old equipment that contributes to crappy gas being received at a gas station. So whether Costco, Shell, BP, or other, one location of Shell may have good gas, and another may have something that is tainting the fuel. Just a guess.

In any case, I buy at Costco when I can, never seems to be too big of a line there when I go. Elsewise, I just go for name brand gas wherever. Shell, BP (which tends to be way more expensive around here), or others. I generally hit one of three different locations, all of which claim to have additives.

Additives, I would assume, are the one thing that likely keep engines clean. I am sure not all are the same, but I strongly doubt it is just marketing. I figure if you run gas all the time with 1% detergent vs. sporadically adding a mix to clean the fuel system, you're likely going to have a cleaner engine when running a consistent amount of detergent in the fuel at all times. From what I've read, if you do a major cleaning of the fuel system at an interval, it is possible that a strong dose of detergent can cause larger pieces of contaminants to break free and cause various issues (big or small). If you consistently run a small amount of additive through your fuel system, it should theoretically clean out little by little over time without causing any serious issues in the fuel system.

 

[RPD]

I didn't realize there were pumps that filled cars with gas caps on a particular side. I always thought it depended on how you drove up to the pump whether it'd be easy (on the same side) or difficult (on opposite side and you have to drape the hose over the trunk.)

Damn, learn something every day.....and in all my 40+ years of driving, I always drove up to either set of pumps, depending upon which way I was entering. Whodathunkit?

Some stations only allow one entraces and one exit. Others not so much.

In the case for Costco, every one I've been to has been a single entrace and single exit.

 

[Aikouka]

$2.95/ga here at our costco.

Do you normally go there? I think we're both on the opposite side of town, right? I normally just go to Kroger, because it's only 2-4 cents more than Costco anyway. I get 5% off gas stations this quarter with Chase Freedom too. 😀

 

[JTsyo]

Some stations only allow one entraces and one exit. Others not so much.

In the case for Costco, every one I've been to has been a single entrace and single exit.

This one definitely is one way. They put it into the parking lot and modified the entrance for it. Though I guess it doesn't stop you from looping around after you get to the pumps. I've also pulled into the wrong side before and had them just run the hose to the other side.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

I didn't realize there were pumps that filled cars with gas caps on a particular side. I always thought it depended on how you drove up to the pump whether it'd be easy (on the same side) or difficult (on opposite side and you have to drape the hose over the trunk.)

Damn, learn something every day.....and in all my 40+ years of driving, I always drove up to either set of pumps, depending upon which way I was entering. Whodathunkit?

Well, in most cases you CAN use a pump on the wrong side (not in all cases, since the hose is sometimes too short), but it's an awkward procedure and I've only done a few times in my life.

 

[blackangst1]

I didn't realize there were pumps that filled cars with gas caps on a particular side. I always thought it depended on how you drove up to the pump whether it'd be easy (on the same side) or difficult (on opposite side and you have to drape the hose over the trunk.)

Damn, learn something every day.....and in all my 40+ years of driving, I always drove up to either set of pumps, depending upon which way I was entering. Whodathunkit?

+1 (I got it 😉 )

 

[Train]

Do you normally go there? I think we're both on the opposite side of town, right? I normally just go to Kroger, because it's only 2-4 cents more than Costco anyway. I get 5% off gas stations this quarter with Chase Freedom too. 😀

IIRC, those 5% cash back for gas programs only apply to stand alone gas stations. Kroger, Meijer, Costco stations will not count.

 

[Brovane]

I use Costco gas all the time. I have a Costco about 5mins from my house so it is real easy to get over there. I know what people mention about the lines. I try to go during off times. They are open by me from around 6am-9pm. Sometimes on the weekend I will run over there around 7am and fill up my car and then drive back home and then go back and fill up the wife's car, 7am on Saturday no lines. Sometimes it is a pain because you have to plan when you go over and they are not open for holidays like a 24-hour station would be.

On travel trips sometimes I will stop at Costco for gas. There is a Costco in Victorville just off the freeway on the way to Vegas. If we time it right when we leave the house we can get to the Costco around lunch time. We fill up the car and then we go into Costco and I can feed my entire family for like $10 at the foodcourt. We can then continue to Vegas and get into town right around 4pm when the hotel rooms are usually available for check-in.

Anyway I noticed this with Costco gas prices. When gas prices are going down overall Costco will drop quicker than anybody else and the gas can be be 30-cents a gallon cheaper. When the gas prices are stable are going up the Costco prices are usually around 8-10 cents cheaper. For chain gas stations they really don't make any money when gas prices are going up. Where they can really make most of their profit is when gas prices are dropping so they will tend to hold back before dropping the price. Costco since they use Gas as a loss leader they drop the price immediattelly depending on how much they buy it for.

I have no issues with the gas and use the 87 without issue. For people that have had issue I think it is more about getting water in your gas tank. That is more about the quality of the pump/storage tank than what brand of gasoline. Costco seems to take really got care of their pumps and there tanks so I have never been concerned.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

I always use Costco. Its usually 20 cents less than the average place and I commute 50 miles one way a day so it adds up.

 

[Jeff7]

www.pure-gas.org

Had a quick look, doesn't seem like there are a lot in Colorado. There are a few around here, but some are just for boats and because it is on the water they charge a lot. The regular gas stations that sell ethanol-free charge about a dollar more per gallon.

Wow, Erie's a deadzone for this stuff. There is one place shown there, in a marina right on the lake.

Do they usually blend in more ethanol in winter or summer?
I don't know if it's the temperature, the gas, or maybe my driving style, but I've gone from 29.7mpg to 31.8mpg over the same route, February vs June.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

Fortunately both of my cars have their fuel filler hoses on the passenger's side (BMW does this on all their cars so you aren't hit by a passing car if you have to refuel on the side of the road in an emergency).

My last BMW loaner was a 2013 328i that had the fuel filler cap on the driver's side. I wonder if they changed it for that model year - sure as hell confused me when I had to fill it up.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

My last BMW loaner was a 2013 328i that had the fuel filler cap on the driver's side. I wonder if they changed it for that model year - sure as hell confused me when I had to fill it up.

Wow - that is somewhat surprising/disappointing. Both my cars have been reliable for the last year or so (knock on wood) so I haven't had any dealer loaners. Did you like the F30 other than the gas cap location?

 

[Anonemous]

All the costco gas pumps I go to allow you to fill the gas on passenger or driver side since the hose is long enough for both sides.

 

[Baked]

Did somebody say Costco!? Yes, I fill up gas at Costco too. I have 2 options to choose from. Funny thing is they have different prices at different locations.

 

[Aikouka]

IIRC, those 5% cash back for gas programs only apply to stand alone gas stations. Kroger, Meijer, Costco stations will not count.

Hmm I thought I saw Kroger Fuel Co in their list once. I'll have to look at my rewards summary from last year to make sure.

 

[zerocool84]

Always insane lines for gas at all the Costco's near me so I never go.

 

[ArizonaSteve]

Wow - that is somewhat surprising/disappointing. Both my cars have been reliable for the last year or so (knock on wood) so I haven't had any dealer loaners. Did you like the F30 other than the gas cap location?

Not so much me, but my GF (who has a 2012 335i Convertible) was positively gushing over the placement of the cup holders and other seemingly insignificant things 🙂

 

[boomerang]

I get the impression that Costco here prices their gas based on the latest delivery. What I mean is that the don't play games raising and lowering the prices multiple times a day like typical gas stations do. They pay a price and the price stays until their next delivery. So...in a climate of falling prices, it's best to know what other stations are getting or you can pay more at Costco. There is a Meijer's down the street from Costco that is often cheaper.

 

[Charlie98]

I get the impression that Costco here prices their gas based on the latest delivery. What I mean is that the don't play games raising and lowering the prices multiple times a day like typical gas stations do. They pay a price and the price stays until their next delivery. So...in a climate of falling prices, it's best to know what other stations are getting or you can pay more at Costco. There is a Meijer's down the street from Costco that is often cheaper.

Costco, like most volume retailers, get their fuel based on spot price... it may come from XYZ in the morning and ABC that afternoon... based on what the price does. Costco, WalMart, Kroger... all of those 'store brands' are called 'unbranded' gas... that is to say it's not advertised as Shell, BP or whatnot, even though it very well may be. The difference between Shell gas from a Shell station, and Shell gas unbranded at Costco is the additive package (in most cases.) It all comes from the same storage tank at the loading terminal, the additive is injected into the fuel at the time of loading.

The big volume retailers have one thing going for them, however... maintenance. Water levels in underground storage tanks are monitored constantly and will be pumped out at as low as 1" sometimes... you might as well forget that at some 'mom & Pop' station. They maintain the pumps and actually change the filters on a scheduled basis. They also usually get deliveries in whole units... i.e. an entire load of regular NL, or an entire load of Premium NL... much less chance of a cross-drop or something silly like that.

All gas comes from one Central location within your area.

Yes and no. NJ gas may come from as far away as Richmond, VA, Wilmington, DE or Baltimore... depending on the price. It sounds stupid, but if they think they can save $40 on a truckload of fuel, they'll do it.

Where do I buy my gas? Preferrably at Chevron. When I wind up buying no-name fuel (down here in TX it's QT or Racetrac, among others) I buy the premium.

I get the impression that Costco here prices their gas based on the latest delivery. What I mean is that the don't play games raising and lowering the prices multiple times a day like typical gas stations do. They pay a price and the price stays until their next delivery.

Yes and no. There are Costcos around here that get 3-5 loads of fuel (9000gal each delivery) per DAY. Damned right they change their prices...