Your Oil Change Is Going Too Get Much More Expensive

Issue #217

​Today, we’re discussing how expensive motor oil has gotten and why it’s unlikely to go down.

Or, you can continue to read by scrolling down.

Market News

• The White House has scaled back on fuel emissions. Here’s what it means. (Spoiler: almost nothing)

• This article explains that fixing used EVs might cost more than they're worth.

• Research shows that tariffs on the Canadian market have backfired on US automakers. Here’s why.

• Ford and GM would be no match for Chinese cars, as this article explains.

• Volkswagen is offering $12,500 off its ID-4 SUVs, but there’s a catch. They can only be 2025 models. Here’s more.

Safety and Recalls

• Ford recalls 11,000 Ford Rangers due to screen problems. Here’s more.

• Rivian recalls almost 99,000 vehicles due to rear camera issues, as explained here.

Car Culture

• This Dodge comeback could be the answer to what we’ve been missing for decades: a fun, nasty, no-holds-barred muscle car.

• Ford reintroduces this paint scheme for the F-150, and it’s the obvious decision to make.

• There have only been 5 SUVs sold with V12 engines in the US. Can you guess them all? Here they are.

• Honda and Toyota refused to kill the sedan. Now it’s paying off; here’s why.

• The Subaru WRX gets what everyone asked for as part of its 25th anniversary edition. Is the wing big enough?

Video Of The Week

Scotty Kilmer explains why it’s impossible to find a good mechanic nowadays.

In The Know

Owning A Car (Any Car) Has Gotten More Expensive

It’s no secret that fuel prices have skyrocketed recently, with AAA reporting a national average of 4.47$ as of the writing of this newsletter. You can check out their interactive map here, where you can see how fuel prices behave in each state.

In some states, the price per gallon of gasoline is already more than $5. Diesel prices are another universe entirely, with the national average close to double what it was a year ago. As this article explains, it seems that the prices won’t drop any time soon.

So, owning a car is expensive. If you buy a new car, you won’t only pay an average of $50,000. It will also cost you around $1,100 a month to maintain, which is also the highest it has ever been, as this article highlights.

Now, there’s another factor piling up, and it’s a crucial one for vehicle owners: motor oil prices are spiking upward, faster than anyone expected. Let’s take Walmart and Costco as an example. The Drive reports that motor oil prices have increased by close to $40 in four months.

10 quarts of Costco Kirkland’s engine oil sold for $22 in May. Now, it’s $58. The monthly $10 price increase responds to international oil prices surging due to the Iran war. However, as research has shown, it isn’t only about expensive motor oil. This surge is actually changing how consumers change their oil.

Many prefer to buy their oil at a cheaper store and take it to their mechanic, rather than having the mechanic provide the oil. Therefore, the consumer avoids the mechanic’s markup, if any. We might soon see customers prolonging engine oil changes to save money.

Then, there’s the product rotation itself. This article highlights how oil simply stands idle in the storage racks.

So, if you want to know how much an oil change could set you back, you can check out this interactive chart.

Many people are wondering whether prices will keep going up. Geopolitical uncertainty makes a clear answer difficult. However, as explained here, it’s unlikely that fuel prices will go down in the coming weeks and months.

So, where do we go from here? Most research indicates something that’s obvious: hybrids, smaller engines, and EVs are less subject to heavy price variations. However, we’re going to see the cost creep up in our daily lives, one way or another.