Trackin' The Deals: Oil Rebates!
One of my favorite sites to visit is Bobistheoilguy.com. Why may you ask?
Well, it isn’t because of the riveting commentary on various forms of vehicular lubrication. It isn’t the 475th Amsoil ‘associate’ visiting the site to hawk their premium priced wares. It’s not even the never-ending flame wars on Lucas oil products and “fuel treatment” fix-em-ups in a four ounce bottle.
It’s because of the deals on stuff I use. Namely motor oil.
One company called G-Oil has been a perennial coupon clipper’s dream as of late. With their $20 rebate on 5 quarts of oil the out the door deal comes to only a visit to Walmart, an envelope with a stamp, and tax. Not bad if you do your own oil changes.
Then you also have the Valvoline, Quaker State, and various store brand oils that always see fit to couple their rebates with clearances to remove old inventory at the parts stores. I average about 30 gallons of oil a year for top-off’s and such. Net cost per quart is usually right around $1.
There is a lot more to the site than motor oil if you’re looking to cut your costs. Want $40 off a $100 order from Advance Auto Parts? Keep track of the AAP Codes in this forum. Free car wax and cleaning products? Turtle wax and Armor All tend to throw a lot of their older product into the discount bin.
Over the course of the year I’ll typically go to three places that are accessible for most folks.
1) Car-part.com
2) Bobistheoilguy.com
3) The discount and clearance bins at the nearby parts stores.
In my business this activity turns into a healthy mid-four figure amount of savings. For most car owners, you can pretty much save at least a c-note’s worth for what amounts to minimal browsing.
More by Steven Lang
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Could someone explain, or possible idea for future column, what is the big deal with Amsoil? I had a friend that used it and to listen to him you'd swear it was created by Jesus and blessed by a dozen Popes.
Wish I could find good discounts on oils with pre-EPA levels of ZDDP, needed for flat tappet engines. Certain weights of Mobil 1 and Valvoline's "Racing Oil" have it, but I never see deals on them.
I have to wonder: How much oil are y'all buying that it's worth the time to scour for coupons and rebates to save $5? I can understand it in Lang's case, but one jug and a filter or two is all I use in a year.
The FAR G-Oil deals were pretty sweet. I got myself 2 jugs. However, I usually don't bother with chasing oil change special, coupons, etc, unless it's FAR deal. Why? I change my oil once a year. One jug of Mobil 1 motor oil costs $26 at a local Walmart. The cost of 6 quarts and a quality filter is less than $40. I don't really think this is expensive considering I buy it once a year, and Mobil 1 is one of the top quality oils. My favorite motor oil store is Walmart's motor oil section. They have all the major brands, and always low prices. What's the point of chasing AutoZone's or Advance Auto's $5-10 off weekly oil change specials (always budled with a low quality filter) when I can just walk into W-M any day of year, and pick something as good or better for pretty much that price?