I knew you guys would run with the thread title
Seriously though, when I started in the wonderful world of automotive repair in 1976 shops stocked very few lubricants.
Motor oil was usually 10w-40 or 10w-30
Sometimes we'd stock straight 30w
Tranny oil was Dexron, Type-F, or GL 80/90 for standards.
Anti-Freeze was green.
Brake fluid was DOT 3
And that pretty much covered it.
These days the amount we need to stock is mind bending.
We service Benz, BMW, VAG group and Volvo, Saab is dead.
Lubricants and coolants have become very specialized.
And if you try to use a "one size fits all" replacement, there'll be problems.
I could fill a page with all the different stuff we deal with now.
It's cool to watch my brilliant young mechanics / technicians pulling wrenches and fixing cars with software.
They call carbs "metered fuel leaks" and just can't get their heads around expansion chamber theory.
Give them a quality DVOM and a factory grade scan tool with access to factory grade data and magic happens.
They look at my old H2 with a mixture of curiosity and wonderment.
Maybe I'll piss off my kid and not let him ride it when it's done
Craig