yeah costco gas takes all form of amex. if you have the Costco amex, you get an add'l 5% cash back on all gas purchases (not just costco gas). i can't remember if they take debit, but i think they might since their stores take debit cards as well.

i don't make a special trip to fill at costco, but if we are there to shop we will get gas (it's about 15 min from my house). i have never noticed any diff in performance or fuel efficiency by filling up at costco for any of our cars. we use premium no matter where we buy.

p.s. costco only sells ever Reg or Premium, no mid-octane.

 

i have never put anything but chevron in any of my cars, ever. Call me crazy but its premium chevron for the IS, RX and even the toyota Sienna. The thought there is that i dont like mixing brands. mixing additives doesnt sound too good to me, and chevron seems to be the "best" gas on the west coast, besides maybe shell and 76. as for using premium, i figure if its more expensive, it has to be better for the car. so in the long run, i might save on some kind of repair work when the cars get old by using better octane gas.

iono if it really makes a difference, but i feel better if i gave it my best. plus the sienna is my company car, so i really dont pay for the gas

current gas prices in San Francisco (chevron): $3.50 avg

 

This is getting a little off track, but the Costco Amex True Cash Back pays as follows - 3% for eating out, 2% for traveling, 1% everywhere else including at Costco. Costco does take debit, however, most but not all bank cards are honored. In Canada, it's different...

Basic Rebate:
Annual Net Eligible Purchases
On the first $2,000: 0.25%
On the next $3,000: 0.50%
On any amount over $5,000: 1.50%

The annual maximum Basic Rebate amount is $500.

Bonus Rebate:
0.5% on all net eligible new purchases when you carry a balance.
The annual maximum Bonus Rebate amount is $125.

 

Costco gas, at least in the State of Washington, comes from Tesoro Petroleum, 92 octane for premium, but I'm not sure about the additives package.

 

Don't get too sold on the additives. It is essentially the driver pouring in a small bottle of additives (if he remembers or is not too lazy to). I believe that this is more of a marketing thing than anything else.

 

Smoke and mirrors.., works every time.

 

Also if you use low octane gas eventually you might need to get fuel injector cleaning done either by added fluid or at a dealership. Egads! A local Toyota dealership here is now trying to do that 'automatically' as part of the service routine...beware and opt out if you can! Having used high octane gas that is.

 

Which ever you use please do not buy your gas from Citco. Thanks!

http://archives.zinester.com/93982/127558.html

 

It could be worse.

I met an LS430 owner at gas station just outside of San Luis Potosi in central Mexico he commented to me that even after just driving with the premium (higher in sulfur than in the U.S. and in my opinion doesn't burn as well and more expensive than in the U.S.) we sell down here after filling up for the first time outside of Monterrey, he coudn't wait to get back to U.S. gas.

I'd take low octane U.S. gas any day over the Pemex Premium I have to fill up with every week. However, since you have the luxury of some of the best quality gasoline in the world, take advantage of it.

 

Also if you use low octane gas eventually you might need to get fuel injector cleaning done either by added fluid or at a dealership.

Sorry, but that must be some kind of urban myth. Lower octane gas will, obviously, have a lower octane, but it most certainly is not dirtier than a higher octane gas.

I do absolutely agree with ALWAYS opting out of any fuel injector cleaning service.

 

isn't the point of higher octane to prevent knocking (which translates to lower engine output)?

 

You guys all get too **** about the gas thing!! I had a '05 LS 430 that got 27 mpg at interstate speeds, (75-80 MPH), now have a '07 LS460 that gets 30 mpg at same speeds, both running on 87 Octane regular ONLY, mostly from Sam's Club. Rule #1--don't believe anything the sales people tell you!! Talk to the guys in the shop for the real info! Engine has sensors to compensate for lower octane gas. If your gonna run it at the Dragstrip put Premium in it, otherwise you're just wasting your money!!!

 

Then why does it say premium fuel only on the fuel door? Lexus doesn't make any money telling us to only use premium. The car has a 380 HP engine.

Craig

 

Premium fuel will give you maximum engine performance and gas mileage. However, in today's modern engines you can easily burn regular gas with no adverse effects on the engine itself, but performance and mileage will suffer.

 

You can get away with regular gas if you're a flatlander or drive like a Sunday school teacher. However, if you go up and down hills a lot or demand performance from your engine (read "lead-footed"), you'll eventually have switch to mid-grade or premium to eliminate pinging or knocking. Your engine just won't respond as well otherwise. Lexus assumes we are a mixed breed and errs on the safe side.