Can't find any oil anywhere! Except on the floor under the zed :D

[Chris_D]

Anyone else experiencing difficulty finding engine oil at the mo?

I've overrun the 7.5k oil change which I usually do on the dot. No biggie, I have just enough 5w30 Castrol GTX LL to do a service but my plan was to move along to 5w40 now that the zed's up to 150k miles. Preventive maintenance etc.

After my usual '€7/litre oil-dealer' in The Netherlands failed to come up with the goods I ordered 10L of 5w40M Castrol via my secondary supplier (€10/litre) deolieconcurrent.nl only to receive an apologetic email explaining that they couldn't deliver and didn't know when that oil would be back in stock due to a worldwide base-oil shortage.

I then set about scouting around alternative suppliers to find 'niet op voorrad' (not available) at every single online oil supplier not only for the 5W40M variant but also for a lot of other brands and types.

Poor Benny will have to go on with a new bellyfull of the 5W30 he despises so much. I know this because he leaves me little messages on the floor of his parking space on a regular basis. :lol: He's had a head gasket and oil-filter housing gasket swap not long ago but I suspect the current dribblings are coming from the dipstick tube, the only o-ring I didn't replace when I did the new CCV system replacement.

 

[bigwinn]

Worth a look on autodoc Chris?

Not looked for 40 SAE for myself but they always seem well stocked?

 

[bigwinn]

Not sure if you can get autodoc over there but just had a quick search

 

[Chris_D]

Worth a look on autodoc Chris?

Not looked for 40 SAE for myself but they always seem well stocked?

I did fella. No joy. Theyre one of the biggest suppliers over here too!
Proper over-priced too!

 

[Chris_D]

Yeah, maybe I should have iterated that I always go for the Castrol EDGE variant, usually the LL04 which is now called 'Castrol Edge M'.

 

[enuff_zed]

What about Opie Oils? Do they have any? Do they ship?

 

[bigwinn]

Was just going to suggest opie as a plan b

 

[Chris_D]

What about Opie Oils? Do they have any? Do they ship?

Was just going to suggest opie as a plan b

Unfortunately, as I'm based in NL shipping here from the UK would be nigh on impossible for many reasons.

 

[bigwinn]

What about Opie Oils? Do they have any? Do they ship?

Was just going to suggest opie as a plan b

Unfortunately, as I'm based in NL shipping here from the UK would be nigh on impossible for many reasons.

An excuse for a Uk road trip then!!

 

[Chris_D]

What about Opie Oils? Do they have any? Do they ship?

Was just going to suggest opie as a plan b

Unfortunately, as I'm based in NL shipping here from the UK would be nigh on impossible for many reasons.

An excuse for a Uk road trip then!!

Not a bad idea, but I'm holding off getting jabbed (don't ask), so that's also a no-go.
Looks like he's gonna have to settle for another 7.5k miles worth of 5w30 and a new dipstick o-ring. :lol:

 

[bigwinn]

 

[Zulu4]

Eurocarparts maybe ?
Or ebay :
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5W-40-Ca...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=707-127634-2357-0

 

[oilman]

What about Opie Oils? Do they have any? Do they ship?

Was just going to suggest opie as a plan b

Unfortunately, as I'm based in NL shipping here from the UK would be nigh on impossible for many reasons.

You could get it from us off Ebay, they will handle the international shipping side of it if the order is under 150 Euros.

Cheers,

Guy

 

[Chris_D]

I'll av a butchers. ta.

 

[Chris_D]

What about Opie Oils? Do they have any? Do they ship?

Was just going to suggest opie as a plan b

Unfortunately, as I'm based in NL shipping here from the UK would be nigh on impossible for many reasons.

You could get it from us off Ebay, they will handle the international shipping side of it if the order is under 150 Euros.

Cheers,

Guy

OK, I had a butcher's at your ebay store and found the same oil Castrol Edge 5w40 M.
Sadly, from a financial standpoint it's not going to work.

Castrol Edge 5W-40 M 10L = £100.62
Postage = £11.72
Import charges = £29.58
Total = £141.92 / €166

At the equivalent total of €166, makes you €66 more expensive than my retail supplier in The Netherlands (olieconcurrent.nl) for the same oil, which is not just a bit more expensive but a LOT more expensive.
Added to this if I had to pay in sterling I'd get hit with Paypal's crap exchange rate too, making it even more expensive.

If you can price-match €100.45 and include postage to NL then we have deal.
Otherwise, I'll carry on looking or just wait it out until it's back in stock over here thx.

 

[oilman]

Sorry Chris_D, I cannot even get close to that.

Hope you find some out there soon

Cheers,

Guy

 

[Dr. Zed]

Chris,
Where in Holland are you? Have you thought about nipping across the border to Germany or Belgium or even France to see stock levels there if you're in the south. Just a thought.

 

[Chris_D]

[/quote]

Chris,
Where in Holland are you? Have you thought about nipping across the border to Germany or Belgium or even France to see stock levels there if you're in the south. Just a thought.

Yeah, thought about that but I'm in Utrecht so it would be a bit of a false economy with the cost of fuel to get there and back. Have done that previously with tyres though when I was working in Arnhem to the East. Popped over to Koln after work to pick up 2 sets of Vreds for Eu300 cheaper than I could find anywhere in NL. Ironic with Vredestein being a Dutch brand!

But no worries- I found some Castrol 5W40M today in NL. Yay. But 1 Euro more expensive than the other supplier. Boo. :lol:
Rang them up to confirm they had it in stock and subsequently ordered.

 

[Dr. Zed]

Yeah, thought about that but I'm in Utrecht so it would be a bit of a false economy with the cost of fuel to get there and back. Have done that previously with tyres though when I was working in Arnhem to the East. Popped over to Koln after work to pick up 2 sets of Vreds for Eu300 cheaper than I could find anywhere in NL. Ironic with Vredestein being a Dutch brand!

But no worries- I found some Castrol 5W40M today in NL. Yay. But 1 Euro more expensive than the other supplier. Boo. :lol:
Rang them up to confirm they had it in stock and subsequently ordered.


901da0e25a31acf0d1832e2c2a5860e7.png

Well glad you managed to find something in the end!
I'm over there myself soon for a few weeks to see family. Be curious how my family have done this as I know a few of my cousins are into their cars too.
Although I'm from Brabant so I imagine they're popping to Belgium if needs be.

 

[Chris_D]

Yeah, thought about that but I'm in Utrecht so it would be a bit of a false economy with the cost of fuel to get there and back. Have done that previously with tyres though when I was working in Arnhem to the East. Popped over to Koln after work to pick up 2 sets of Vreds for Eu300 cheaper than I could find anywhere in NL. Ironic with Vredestein being a Dutch brand!

But no worries- I found some Castrol 5W40M today in NL. Yay. But 1 Euro more expensive than the other supplier. Boo. :lol:
Rang them up to confirm they had it in stock and subsequently ordered.


901da0e25a31acf0d1832e2c2a5860e7.png

Well glad you managed to find something in the end!
I'm over there myself soon for a few weeks to see family. Be curious how my family have done this as I know a few of my cousins are into their cars too.
Although I'm from Brabant so I imagine they're popping to Belgium if needs be.

Thanks! I go to Brabant regularly. There's a fantastic MTB route through the Loonse en Drunense duinen that I do on a regular basis and I sometimes go between there and denBosch with the roadbike along the Afwateringskanal. Love it round that way.