Costco diesel

Yankinwaoz

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 17, 2005
Location
San Diego, CA
TDI
2012 Passat SE
Two San Diego Costco's now offer diesel. One down by the border, and one in Escondido off I-15. Both too far from me to make it worth going over there.
 

GetMore

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 10, 2003
Location
Patterson, New York
TDI
1997 Passat TDI, 2010 Jetta Sportwagen
So, basically you're saying both you and your car can get "tanked" in Escondido! :D
;) Well, they do have tours, and a really interesting layout/landscaping, and great food, but yes, I believe Escondido sounds like a great place to get tanked.
 

hooville

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 13, 2003
Location
Marietta, GA
TDI
2000 Golf GLS, 2016 GTI, 2015 TDI Sportwagen S
Atlanta now has 2 Costco's with diesel, Alpharetta & Town Center. I've gotten the Jetta tanked at Town Center twice now, but no brewery or BJ in Kennesaw so I remain "untanked" :p
 

murphyslaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Location
Alaska
TDI
'14 TDI JSW/Sunroof/Nav/Man
Just filled up with my very first tank of Costco Diesel $2.06 (~15-20c cheaper than anywhere else).
 

jrm

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 24, 2013
Location
Oregon
TDI
2013 Passat SE with nav (totaled)
that's a real good price for AK, id find a old 500G tank and pack rat that for the summer driving season (filtered and treated of course)
 

murphyslaw

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2014
Location
Alaska
TDI
'14 TDI JSW/Sunroof/Nav/Man
I dont frequent fueling stations much. I have 2 500 and a 300 gallon tank at home. I buy ULSD bulk from the tank farm. Haul it home in my truck. Once in the tanks its additised, and goes thru 3 stages of filters before it hits the nozzle.
 

2OO2TDI

Active member
Joined
Oct 10, 2015
Location
Fowler California
TDI
2015 Passat DSG, 2003 Jetta Wagon 5 Speed Malone Stage 4, Wuzetem .230’s VNT17, Southbend stage 3 endurance, 21# balanced flywheel
Costco diesel is bad bad bad, I've filled up twice in my 7.3 Excursion and my mileage went down the tubes, the fuel is watered down. I'll always use chevron from now on unless I'm in a pinch I'll go to 76.
 

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
Costco diesel is bad bad bad, I've filled up twice in my 7.3 Excursion and my mileage went down the tubes, the fuel is watered down. I'll always use chevron from now on unless I'm in a pinch I'll go to 76.
Chevron is way over priced. Is there a Propel location reasonably near you? If so, you should use them.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
Costco diesel is bad bad bad, I've filled up twice in my 7.3 Excursion and my mileage went down the tubes, the fuel is watered down. I'll always use chevron from now on unless I'm in a pinch I'll go to 76.
"Watered down with what? Water...........I think not:D
 

> Luke <

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2011
Location
West Los Angeles
TDI
Golf 2011 TDi DSG
............ I'll always use chevron from now on unless I'm in a pinch I'll go to 76..........
And I made that commitment, shortly after driving my car off the lot. Thought that since VW worked with Chevron to produce the recommended oil for my car, and concern for bad or weak fuel, I went to Chevron.
 

hey_allen

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 25, 2006
Location
Altus, OK
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI
I've had no issues with the fuel from my local Costco either, and have watched truck drivers pull through and fill their tanks at the same Costco.

With the fuel being ~30 cents less a gallon at the Costco versus any of the other local stations, I will keep buying it there.
 

pdq import repair

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
idaho
TDI
09 Jetta
We got Costco diesel about a year ago. They came in much much cheaper than the local stations at first, but by now they are similar to the cut rate stations in pricing. I have used their fuel with no issues and have no reservations about using it at all except that it is out of my normal travel routes. If I need fuel and go to Costco for another reason, maybe fuel up then. Otherwise I use the Chevron station close to me.
 

Mark_J

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Deer Park, Washington
TDI
2015 TDI Passat SEL Premium, 2017 Fiat Spider, 2017 Ford F350 6.7 Diesel crew cab PU, 2016 Harley Trike, 2016 Tesla Model X P90D (I know went to the dark side)
VW has not worked with Chevron for their motor oil. Castrol oil the dealers used is a BP product and VW has worked with BP. Also I work at a refinery in the Hydrocracker unit where we make jet and diesel. The diesel is the same for everyone, it is not like gas where each company like Chevron has their own recipe of additives added to gas. I agree Cheveron gas is more expensive but I feel it is the better gas due to the additives they add. But their diesel is no different than others. As long as Costco's diesel gets turned over in their storage tanks often there should be nothing wrong with it.
 

MichaelB

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2009
Location
SE Wisconsin
TDI
2014 Passat SE DSG
VW has not worked with Chevron for their motor oil. Castrol oil the dealers used is a BP product and VW has worked with BP. Also I work at a refinery in the Hydrocracker unit where we make jet and diesel. The diesel is the same for everyone, it is not like gas where each company like Chevron has their own recipe of additives added to gas. I agree Cheveron gas is more expensive but I feel it is the better gas due to the additives they add. But their diesel is no different than others. As long as Costco's diesel gets turned over in their storage tanks often there should be nothing wrong with it.
The Costco that I shop at sells about 8 to 10k gals a week. I did ask them about turn over. I was told that the majority is sold to contractors, pick up and a few diesel powered cars. Costco gets their diesel from the same supplier/distributor that many name brand stations do. It is always competitive price wise and most of the time considerably less expensive. I have never experienced a drop in fuel economy. I don't believe there is any "watered" :confused:down diesel in the market place. As has been said here many many time diesel fuel is diesel fuel. :p Low turn over is what you want to stay away from. I think this horse has been beaten even after it is dead.:D
 

pdq import repair

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 6, 2016
Location
idaho
TDI
09 Jetta
I have purchased diesel at several different stations around here with no discernible difference between them that I can detect as far as power and economy is concerned. I buy from the high volume cut rate places so price is not an issue either, even Chevron.

My father in law worked at various place at an Exxon refinery before he retired after 35 years there. He worked on the hydrocracker and the tank farm quite a bit. He did comment that at the tank farm they had their different fuels, regular, super, and diesel. Whatever truck showed up with a job ticket got filled from those three tank arrays. Sometimes the trucker would have a large can of additives they would add before filling, but otherwise everyone got the same fuels, no matter what the tanker truck said on it's side.

Gasoline blends of regular, mid grade, or ethananol laced fuels are mixed at the batch plant or even blended at the station when you select mid grade.

Diesel is diesel for sure, but what about cetane levels? Do they run different batches or is it all hype and advertising at the different stations? The only reason I would gravitate towards Chevron is that I read on the internet somewhere (I know) that Chevron had higher cetane levels. Again I have noticed no certifiable difference from station to station on fuel economy and power. Weather and temp changes seem to be the biggest factor altering fuel mileage, and that probably boils down to air density as the large factor there.
 

romad

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2011
Location
Prescott, AZ
TDI
2005 Jetta GLS Wagon "Cranberry"
The only diesel that I know is over 50 cetane is CARB Diesel as that is the minimum allowed.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
For those filling up at Costco, have you seen any signs of biodiesel mixed in?
 

Mark_J

Veteran Member
Joined
Aug 17, 2003
Location
Deer Park, Washington
TDI
2015 TDI Passat SEL Premium, 2017 Fiat Spider, 2017 Ford F350 6.7 Diesel crew cab PU, 2016 Harley Trike, 2016 Tesla Model X P90D (I know went to the dark side)
Wouldn't it have to be posted if biodiesel is blended in the diesel? I don't know so just asking because it is posted if alcohol is blended into the gasoline. Our Costco was just built with new pumps and there is nothing posted regarding biodiesel.

Also note to (pdq import repair), I work in the Hydrocracker at the Ferndale BP Cherry point refinery and what you say is correct and tell your father in law hi for me from another refinery operator who also boils oil.
 

Dieselmonkey02

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2011
Location
Edinburg, Pa
TDI
02 jetta
Thanks to the drive of our state’s biodiesel producers, we quickly reached the first in-state production threshold, triggering a B2 mandate. In 2010, every gallon of on-road diesel fuel sold in Pennsylvania will contain at least two percent biodiesel.
 

2015vwgolfdiesel

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 1, 2016
Location
Oklahoma
TDI
2015 VW Golf S DSG Silver
Oklahoma @ QT post on the pump diesel has 5% BIO

Not to my liking:mad:

Wife buys 100% "GAS" for her RAV4 LIMITED

IMO

100% petro is best for engines:cool:
 

Geordi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2002
Location
Somewhere between Heaven and Hell. But it is reall
TDI
14 JSW DSG, 03 Wagon 01M, 400k and IPT performance auto!
You obviously have never tried biodiesel - it is NOT like ethanol is in gasoline!

Bio makes diesel better, up to about 20% biodiesel is the generally accepted mix for best lubrication and performance. Biodiesel has WAY MORE cetane than USA rotgut dinosaurs, which are all 40 and that is if you are lucky. Your engine will run quieter and smoother, which is not a bad thing at all. The injectors and pump will be happier, as ULSD has very little if any lubrication value in it, and actually may have cost me an engine b/c of wearing out an injector which caused overfueling (metering needles wear badly on ULSD) and thus melted a piston crown.

Higher bio percentage would not have done that. My ALH got a tankful of 100% bio from the rack in Phoenix a few years ago on a trip, and it ran SO SMOOTH all the way to the pier at San Diego on that fuel. Yes it cleaned out my tank and plugged my filter about 1000 miles later... But I was expecting that and planned ahead. Didn't happen again but the smooth running continued for several more tanks after.
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
Cetane minimum spec is 40 but it is usually above that around 45 according to the Infineum fuel reports. California requires 50 IIRC. I have seen very little evidence of any of them running at 40.
 

Geordi

Veteran Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2002
Location
Somewhere between Heaven and Hell. But it is reall
TDI
14 JSW DSG, 03 Wagon 01M, 400k and IPT performance auto!
What seems to be delivered to the East Coast is on the lower end of the quality spectrum, but since the pumps don't have it marked and officially anything that is above 40 is acceptable... It is safe to assume it is 40 or just barely above. If it takes more effort / materials / cost to raise it higher, then why would refiners do that, when the customer is just big industry? Big trucks, trains, and now ships and power plants don't care about a couple points of cetane number... It is only those diesel car fools that pay attention.
 

tikal

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 18, 2001
Location
Southeast Texas
TDI
2004 Passat Wagon (chainless + 5 MT + GDE tune)
Cetane minimum spec is 40 but it is usually above that around 45 according to the Infineum fuel reports. California requires 50 IIRC. I have seen very little evidence of any of them running at 40.
I would say metro areas that are struggling to meet state/federal air quality standards have a higher chance of getting minimum 45 cetane.


Some states mandate bio blending but in general terms the business justification is not there right now (bio $$ vs D2 $) to regularly blend at least 2% biodiesel (which is the minimum to get the recommended lubricity for the TDI according to Bosch).
 

Lightflyer1

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Sep 13, 2005
Location
Round Rock, Texas
TDI
2015 Beetle tdi dsg
The 2014 Infineum fuel report shows a range of 48 to 39 with a mean of 44 for the East coast. I couldn't find the 2016 report anymore.
 
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