Caltex Delo 400, price variations

Those of you that use this oil, may find this interesting.

I always supply my own oil when having my vehicles serviced. I use Delo 400 for the LC 100 TD

(Obvious benefits are that you get top class oil in the motor and it costs about half what the dealer will charge for lesser oil. Furthermore if you travel and have the vehicle serviced in different locations, you get to use the same oil.)

Yesterday I found I had to buy oil for my next service. I headed off to the Caltex depot, about 15 kms away and on the way called in at a Caltex service station, thinking what the hell, I'll pick up a couple of 5 litres. They were priced at $49.95! I even took 1 to the counter to check if there was a mistake. NO - price correct. I replaced it on the shelf and continued to the depot.

I bought a 20 litre drum for $92, which was actually cheaper than the last drum I bought.

As a matter of interest I priced the 5 litre containers at the depot and was quoted $34.50.

I find the variation in these prices unbelievable. How much can a plastic bottle cost? Even allowing for extra filling and handling it seems a bit rich!