Costco gas?

[AndyLien79]

Hi all,
I just got back from Costco and I see that they have premium 93 gas for $3.39/gallon around the NOVA area. I'm not sure how brands differ etc and if it would affect the S4's performance or reliability etc.. opinions please. Thanks in advance!



Regards,

Andy

[Heresy]

I'm no expert, but I will give my 2 cents. I know Costco advertises that their gas has the same detergents and additives that "Top Tier" gas has. I seem to remember that so-called "Top Tier" gas has to meet some kind of detergent/additive standard to be listed, and it seems that there was a monetary component to that listing, as well. I'm guessing that Costco, in an effort to provide the gas to its members at the best price possible, decided to forgo the Top Tier listing and just provide the product at a reduced price. In contrast, Sam's Club, a similar retailer, does not advertise their gas as having extra levels of detergents. Therefore, I avoid getting gas at Sam's Club, but do not hesitate to get gas at Costco.

If I am wrong, I welcome corrections. I am always looking to learn.

[DownhillA4]

Dislike the fact that our Costco gas is open to everyone, including the public. Figured when they built the gas station on site it would be a perk for us members only, getting discounted gas.

[FuchsB]

I use it the premium 24/7 in all my vehciles and have never had a problem. Just my .02

[FuchsB]

Dislike the fact that our Costco gas is open to everyone, including the public. Figured when they built the gas station on site it would be a perk for us members only, getting discounted gas.

The Costco stations in Arizona require you to swipe your Costco card prior to payment only allowing Costco members to utilize. Is that not the case at your Costco?

[AndyLien79]

Dislike the fact that our Costco gas is open to everyone, including the public. Figured when they built the gas station on site it would be a perk for us members only, getting discounted gas.

You actually have to swipe your Costco card to get the gas at the one close to me but i'm not sure about other locations

[DownhillA4]

The Costco stations in Arizona require you to swipe your Costco card prior to payment only allowing Costco members to utilize. Is that not the case at your Costco?

Negative, that is exactly what I thought it would be but it is not. Any Joe Schmoo can drive up and purchase the gas. Since they are the cheapest around... it is pointless to wait in the line.

Sorry, I digress from the topic. Not sure what additives are used. I've heard all fuel companies get their gas from the same depot; whether its Shell, Hess, Delta, BP, etc. Personally, I stick too Shell 93oct or Quickcheck 93oct as that is the most reputable and reasonably price 93oct in the county.

[FuchsB]

Negative, that is exactly what I thought it would be but it is not. Any Joe Schmoo can drive up and purchase the gas. Since they are the cheapest around... it is pointless to wait in the line.

Sorry, I digress from the topic. Not sure what additives are used. I've heard all fuel companies get their gas from the same depot; whether its Shell, Hess, Delta, BP, etc. Personally, I stick too Shell 93oct or Quickcheck 93oct as that is the most reputable and reasonably price 93oct in the county.

Man that sucks DownhillA4!! Thats one of the perks of Costco IMO is not having to fight the lines. I wouldnt wait in those lines either if it only saved my a few cents a gallon.

[integroid]

Negative, that is exactly what I thought it would be but it is not. Any Joe Schmoo can drive up and purchase the gas. Since they are the cheapest around... it is pointless to wait in the line.

Sorry, I digress from the topic. Not sure what additives are used. I've heard all fuel companies get their gas from the same depot; whether its Shell, Hess, Delta, BP, etc. Personally, I stick too Shell 93oct or Quickcheck 93oct as that is the most reputable and reasonably price 93oct in the county.

The Costco's in Georgia you have to swipe your membership card before pumping.

[b8audis4]

I only use shell VPower. I am sure that Costco is fine but I tend to like VPower a bit better.

[Trench]

There are tons of threads across several different forums (different car makes) discussing Costco gas. There are a couple that dive into the top tier standards and whether Costco falls into that category. I would link some here but there are too many to post. Google if your friend.

Personally, I go out of my way to use Costco gas. As I do with all of my cars, I'm statiscally monitoring fuel consumption characteristics to see whether Costco provides any real advantages over the others such as Exxon and Shell.

[phxS4]

When I had my 135i - the BMW dealer tried telling me that costco gas was worse than going to QT or Shell. My SA was trying to convince me that was the reason I was going through so many HPFP... I call BS. I have only used 91 premium in all my cars - nothing less and never had any probe with the exception of the BMW.

I know this doesn't necessarily answer the question but just my experience in AZ at my costco.

[blackfunk]

Simply quick answer is this. Gas is Gas. Period. Anyone who tells you different is misinformed. Gas is HIGHLY regulated and the additives allowed in different quantities can only change its composition but so much. Maybe over hundreds of thousands of miles maybe but get the recommended octane and move on.

[13allroad]

Just so everyone knows, gas stations such as Shell / Chevron / Mobil and other top tier gas stations use their our formula for their detergents before it gets sent to the gas stations. Yes, the fuel comes from the same pipeline but when it comes into the depot, for lack of better words, the company's do their thing from their. Certain, low quality gas stations simply put it in the truck and fill the stations with the minimum amount of detergents possible to acheive the 87/89/91 or 93 octane rating.

Costo - follows the same as Shell / Mobil and Chevron and their gasoline is formulated differently after it comes from the refinery. The one main reason Costo does not advertise 'top teir" is due to the fact that ALL of the Costo gas filling stations must sell the new formula which they advertise at many of their locations.

If your wondering I have spoken with many people who are responsible for filling various gas stations and based on info will only use, Shell, Chevron, Costo, or Mobil, at least in my area or other top tier gasolines no matter the brand of vehicle.

Just my 2 cents.

[s4buckeye]

Simply quick answer is this. Gas is Gas. Period. Anyone who tells you different is misinformed. Gas is HIGHLY regulated and the additives allowed in different quantities can only change its composition but so much. Maybe over hundreds of thousands of miles maybe but get the recommended octane and move on.

This.

Run premium from any Big Oil station, including Costco, and you are fine.

That is all.


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[Chris@RevoUSA]

Dislike the fact that our Costco gas is open to everyone, including the public. Figured when they built the gas station on site it would be a perk for us members only, getting discounted gas.

Not sure what state you are in but some states like NJ have laws against requiring membership or the need to belong to a club in order to buy fuel. So companies like Costco must sell to the general public and cannot limit it to only their members.

[raudiace4]

Illinois resident here, can confirm. You HAVE to swipe your membership card before getting gas at all Costcos.

[stoked_S4]

No issues with Costco gas. Last tank I bought was better than previous fill-up because car pulls better.

[shadycrew31]

This thread makes me sad :(.

I would encourage all of you to do a little research.

[Brooklyn]

Add useful information or don't type brother. To the OP, I worked at a gas station in college briefly. Same dude who filled the tanks at my Gate Gas Station filled the tanks up the street at Texaco and Hess. I suspect with the exception of some small differences between the big brands, the juice is pretty much all the same.

[SwankPeRFection]

Around where I am, I don't ever see a specific BP or Shell truck delivering gas to the specific gas stations. It's all a few distributors and it's my understanding from a few people in the business that local gas stations just order from whomever the cheapest local distributors are apparently. I doubt the distributor uses specific tanks or trucks to house fuels from each of the name brands. I think it's all marketing crap for the most part... with a few exceptions where fuel is actually crappy from a few stations/names. It may be regulated, but it sure as heck doesn't seem like it's brand name specific from the reality of it all.

[stactum]

I use costco 93 octane in WI all the time. Never had problems.

I am sure there are purists that will say Shell is the only brand you should be using in your $50K+ vehicle; however as some people already mentioned: Gas is Gas! :)

[shadycrew31]

Super excited to see all the carbon buildup complaint threads over the next few years.

I assume you will blame Audi at that point and not your costco gas.

[Dr GP]

The only difference between a Top Tier gas and one that is not MAY be is the type and amout of detergents in the fuel. I put in the least expensive 92 or 93 octane gas that I can find. Usually at BJs which does require a membership card here in PA. But that was not always the case. If you are really concerned about the detergents, just add a bottle of Techron fuel system cleaner once a year and forgetaboutit.

[d.p]

Around where I am, I don't ever see a specific BP or Shell truck delivering gas to the specific gas stations. It's all a few distributors and it's my understanding from a few people in the business that local gas stations just order from whomever the cheapest local distributors are apparently. I doubt the distributor uses specific tanks or trucks to house fuels from each of the name brands. I think it's all marketing crap for the most part... with a few exceptions where fuel is actually crappy from a few stations/names. It may be regulated, but it sure as heck doesn't seem like it's brand name specific from the reality of it all.

Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong but a lot of those BP/Shell/Chevron/Texaco/etc.. are just people paying to have those names on their gas stations, IE branding. Therefore just because its a <insert gas company here> station doesn't mean the gas is from them as well.

[d.p]

Super excited to see all the carbon buildup complaint threads over the next few years.

I assume you will blame Audi at that point and not your costco gas.

Holy shit man, we found the culprit to the carbon buildup! COSTCO!!!!11!!!

[shadycrew31]

Maybe someone can correct me if I am wrong but a lot of those BP/Shell/Chevron/Texaco/etc.. are just people paying to have those names on their gas stations, IE branding. Therefore just because its a <insert gas company here> station doesn't mean the gas is from them as well.

Most gas stations are franchises they need to purchase the gas from the corporation who setup their franchise. Tankers then transport gasoline to multiple franchise's these tankers have several compartments, so you might see a tanker filling up Shell 93 at one station and a BP 87 at another station because they have different sealed compartments.

Holy shit man, we found the culprit to the carbon buildup! COSTCO!!!!11!!!

Top tier gas has a higher concentration of proprietary detergents which equal a cleaner engine/less carbon buildup, thats common knowledge.

Its all about age of the gas and the detergent's used. So the best bet is to get gas from a high volume Chevron or Shell and be done with it.

If you guys are really interested in having a proper discussion I might be able to have someone talk to you all about oil/gas and fuel delivery he's been in the business for 20+ years and has a wealth of knowledge. But at this point none of you are using the tools you have at your fingertips so I'd rather not hassle him.

[gendry]

So.... do you have any reason or evidence to say costco gas will cause more carbon build up? Are you claiming they don't have the same detergents? The gas is "old?"

[d.p]

Figured you worked in the industry and have some thing against costco. What is it?

[cspcrx]

I just noticed the coscto by me had a lable on it indicating it had detergents now. I do not ever recall seeing that sticker before and the way it was phrased made it sound like this was new.

I use costco and sams club gas all of the time and have for years. Never any issue. But I also run fuel cleaner every 3 to 5 k.

[SwankPeRFection]

Super excited to see all the carbon buildup complaint threads over the next few years.

I assume you will blame Audi at that point and not your costco gas.

No, we'll blame direct injection and the fact that nothing gets sprayed on the intake valves to clean them as part of normal engine running, but thanks for playing.

[VMRWheels]

Costco gas has never caused any issues for me, when I did use it. I don't go there often though, as it's really not that convenient as far as locations go. There's a Shell station that's 1/4 of a mile from my house that has some of the lowest prices in the area, so I tend to go there.

[AudiDTMA4]

You need to look at the refinary where the gas came from, not the specific station if you're worried about the gas itself. Each company buying gas will specify a detergent package.

For example, there is one refinary in Minneapolis, it supplies ALL of the stations in the area. So its the same gas from the same refinary.....no matter if you get it at Costco, BP, Mobil, Kwik Trip....etc....again, the difference is the addative package supplied to the customer (gas station)

For the most part gas is just gas....pick your octane, addatives and ethanol content as you desire.

[Seerlah]

Found that Pilot stations have pretty cheap priced gas. After 2 tanks (actually, like 1 1/2), turned the fuel line hose in my tank to mush. Don't know what lines were in there prior (picked up Bosch 044 pump with lines from a very knowledgeable member, so knew they were fine), but ran them for years with no issues prior to this. I doubt it to be a coincidence. Swapped in SAE J30R9 replacement lines and switched back to Shell V Power. Learned my lesson on cheaping out on gas. My Maxima still gets the pilot treatment though . 87 octane all day. haha

*not a B8 S4

[gendry]

You really think a couple of tanks of not the most expensive gas ruined your fuel line hose? You would think that this side effect would run them out of business.

Or perhaps you accidentally filled your tank with sulfuric acid rather than gasoline?

/snark off (sorry to be an ass).

but in all seriousness, have you considered that saying about causation vs. correlation? Especially where you picked up used lines from someone in the modding scene?

Found that Pilot stations have pretty cheap priced gas. After 2 tanks (actually, like 1 1/2), turned the fuel line hose in my tank to mush. Don't know what lines were in there prior (picked up Bosch 044 pump with lines from a very knowledgeable member, so knew they were fine), but ran them for years with no issues prior to this. I doubt it to be a coincidence. Swapped in SAE J30R9 replacement lines and switched back to Shell V Power. Learned my lesson on cheaping out on gas. My Maxima still gets the pilot treatment though . 87 octane all day. haha

*not a B8 S4

[Seerlah]

Looking at your join date I see you are most likely new to the scene. I'm no novice, nor are the people I choose to pick up parts from. Person I bought it from also did a VR6 conversion on an A4 putting down 700whp (got tired of it, sold it, and not sure what his latest project is). Like I said, I ran it for "years" with no problem (who knows how long he ran it before selling it to me).

You really think a couple of tanks of not the most expensive gas ruined your fuel line hose?

Yes, I do.

[gendry]

That's right. I bought the S4 in 2013, so I am woefully unqualified to comment on the inanity that one brand of premium gas would turn rubber to mush in 1-2 tanks while other brands are completely fine with it for years.

But you doubt its a coincidence and have a join date of 2007 so I guess it makes sense.

[Seerlah]

I run rubber lines in my tank. I doubt other manufacturers use that versus flex hose, which also came stock on my car. Crack open your tank and tell me what the line is made out of.

[s4buckeye]

lots of stupid in this thread. I am enjoying it though.


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[Chris@RevoUSA]

Found that Pilot stations have pretty cheap priced gas. After 2 tanks (actually, like 1 1/2), turned the fuel line hose in my tank to mush. Don't know what lines were in there prior (picked up Bosch 044 pump with lines from a very knowledgeable member, so knew they were fine), but ran them for years with no issues prior to this. I doubt it to be a coincidence. Swapped in SAE J30R9 replacement lines and switched back to Shell V Power. Learned my lesson on cheaping out on gas. My Maxima still gets the pilot treatment though . 87 octane all day. haha

*not a B8 S4

NO..

sorry but if you already had that aftermarket pump in there it was shipped with the wrong lines, actually quite common and I see it all the time.

It was not 2 tanks of fuel or you would have so much other damage you probably would have destroyed the engine.