Finding the correct engine oil for your car sounds simple enough, but anyone who’s stood in an auto store aisle staring at a wall of bottles knows it’s anything but. OilHub is a New Zealand platform built to solve exactly that problem — enter your licence plate, get matched to the right oil and filter for your specific vehicle, and have it delivered free to your door. We sat down with Pat Hickmott, general manager and co-owner of Aktron — the NZ oil distribution company behind the platform — to find out how it works, what’s in the range, and where it’s headed.
Pat Hickmott has been in the oil distribution business long enough to know that getting the right lubricant into the right engine matters — and that the buying experience for most Kiwis has never really reflected that. Aktron imports and distributes quality oil brands around New Zealand, and OilHub grew out of a straightforward ambition: make home vehicle servicing easier and give enthusiasts direct access to the brands and grades they actually need.
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself and the background behind OilHub — where did the idea come from?
OilHub was born out of the idea of being able to cater for easy and efficient home vehicle servicing for New Zealanders, and providing direct access to quality oil and filter brands.
Q: What sets OilHub apart from just heading to your local auto parts store?
The core difference is precision. At a conventional retailer, you’re buying whatever volume is on the shelf — which usually means leftover oil you don’t need and aren’t sure what to do with. OilHub supplies exactly the quantity your vehicle requires, nothing more.
Add free nationwide delivery and competitive pricing on quality brands, and the value case becomes straightforward. Order online with free delivery NZ-wide, for complete efficiency and value.
Q: Walk us through how the registration lookup works — someone punches in their plate, and then what?
This is where the tech does the heavy lifting. Enter your licence plate number and OilHub’s system searches its catalogue, identifies your vehicle’s make, model, and engine, and returns the correct oil grade and filter match for that specific application. No cross-referencing owner’s manuals, no guesswork on viscosity grades.
By entering your number plate, our system searches our catalogue, recognising your vehicle and matching the correct oil and filter for you.
It’s a clean solution for daily drivers who just want the job done right, and a useful double-check for enthusiasts who already know what they’re running.
Q: You also offer top-up quantities between full oil changes — when would you recommend that, and who is it most useful for?
High-performance and modified engines — particularly those running tight tolerances, forced induction, or hard track use — can consume oil between services. OilHub allows customers to upsize their initial order, so the correct-spec oil is already on hand when the level drops.
It’s a logical extension of the zero-waste model: you’re still buying the right product for your vehicle, just with a contingency built in.
Q: Not everyone services their own car — how does the service agent network work?
For those who’d rather hand the job to a professional, OilHub’s service agent finder connects customers with qualified workshops in their area. The process is straightforward: find an agent on the site, order your oil and filter through OilHub, then arrange for the agent to carry out the service.
It keeps the supply chain clean and ensures the oil going into your car is the spec you chose — not whatever the workshop happens to have on the shelf.
Q: Free nationwide delivery is a big part of the offer — how quickly can someone expect their order?
Three to four working days is the safe estimate, though in practice orders often arrive within two. For a Saturday morning service, placing your order mid-week should see you covered.
Q: Petronas is your primary lubricant brand — what makes it the right fit for OilHub?
Petronas needs little introduction in motorsport circles. The brand’s technical partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team is well documented, and the lubricants developed through that programme feed directly into the consumer range. Petronas is now the fifth-largest oil company in the world, and its product line covers virtually the full range of modern engine applications — turbocharged, direct-injection, hybrid, and naturally aspirated.
Petronas is a modern and innovative brand, and with its close association with the Mercedes Formula 1 team and its complete range of products, it made the obvious choice for OilHub and its customers.
OilHub carries two ranges from the Petronas lineup: the Syntium range, which covers most light-vehicle applications, and a single product from the Urania range. Between them, they cover 98 per cent of New Zealand’s light-vehicle fleet.
Q: Where does Axsyn sit in the range?
Axsyn is Aktron’s own house brand — manufactured to OEM approval standards and positioned as a quality product without the price premium that comes with a globally marketed name. The range covers passenger, heavy transport, agricultural, and machinery applications, and includes fully synthetic, semi-synthetic, and speciality grades.
For a budget-conscious enthusiast who still wants a competent lubricant, it’s a practical option. Axsyn is a quality range sourced from reputable blenders without the additional cost of being a global brand.
Q: Who are these products genuinely suited to — daily drivers, modified cars, track use?
The OilHub range was initially built around light automotive applications, but has since expanded to include industrial and agricultural products — gear oils, transmission oils, hydraulic oils, and chain bar oils. For performance car owners running heavily modified engines, Petronas is the go-to. Petronas lubricants are of the highest quality, therefore perfect products to use in your heavily invested vehicle.
Q: Where does OilHub go from here?
Engine oil is the foundation, not the ceiling. Look out for more, such as additives, aerosols, cleaning products, merchandise and even tyres in the future.
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For now, OilHub is live at oilhub.co.nz — enter your plate, get your match, and have it at your door before the weekend.
