Collecting oil in Los Angeles

 . . . When importing machinery into the U.S. as shipping, one is not allowed to have fuel, coolant or oils in the engine which means all of these commodities need to be sourced locally on arrival,   which one would not think was much of a problem,   but it can be,   it has been for me.
  The simplest way of going about things is to have a local contact which I organised through a friend who will accept deliveries on your behalf and then order what you need online from one-stop suppliers like amazon who will deliver direct to the contact's address.

 . . . Except one of my oil requirements has been for Castrol R40 vegetable engine oil which is not to be found anywhere in the U.S. because it is now very old-fashioned and not considered 'environmentally friendly' and as a result I have had to find a supplier in Canada who would ship down to California.

The good news is that my oil has arrived safely,  and the bad news is that five litres of Castrol R40 which normally costs around £40 has cost $200 (£155).

It's OK though, because it's all part of the journey to Bonneville.

Castrol R40 'cos I need it !