Experts, consumers blame Pertamina for car damage

By A'an Suryana

JAKARTA (JP): Senior observer of consumer matters Zoemrotin K. Soesilo lashed out at state oil and gas company Pertamina for halting its import of Detergent III Plus, an additive used for fuel in motor vehicles, since April without making a public announcement.

The state firm has lied to the public and been unfair to customers by withholding information about the absence of the additive sold in gasoline on the market, the former chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Organization (YLKI) told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday evening.

According to many auto mechanics and experts, the absence of the additive used to help cleanse the engines and avoid corrosion had already damaged the engines of vehicles, particularly expensive cars that use the injection system.

Zoemrotin urged vehicle owners to teach Pertamina a good lesson for its unprofessional conduct.

"If there is sufficient evidence found, consumers should sue Pertamina for unfair business practice," she said.

Sharing Zoemrotin's idea, Donny Poerbosanyoto, service manager of BMW's country distributor PT Tjahja Sakti Motor, expressed his disappointment toward Pertamina, which he said was not transparent in revealing the current substances of the fuel to customers.

Donny said at least 20 BMW owners have brought their cars to his company's auto repair shop in Sunter, North Jakarta, since last April, and all with a similar complaint: engine noise.

"From our experience, the cars' damage was allegedly caused by, among other things, the lack of Detergent III Plus in gasoline," he told the Post on Tuesday by showing samples of broken valves from the cars.

According to Donny, he would bring all of the six broken valve samples to laboratories to double-check the real cause of the damage.

Sensitive engines

The absence of Detergent III Plus "mostly affects luxury cars since their engines are quite sensitive," he said.

Jakarta alone has some 3.5 million cars and public transportation plus several million motorcycles.

Adnan Nafie, an owner of a 318i BMW sedan, told the Post last month he had to take his car to the auto repair shop shortly after he heard strange loud sounds from the engine.

"After it was repaired, I drove the car again. But three weeks later the same noises forced me to take it to the Sunter repair shop again," Adnan, an executive of the insurance company PT Asuransi Prima Perkasa, said.

He said he always bought gasoline for his car at a gas station near his residence in Cipinang Muara, East Jakarta.

"But I have no idea how the fuel damaged my car," he said. He strongly urged Pertamina to carry out a thorough examination of gasoline before distributing it to the public.

Kontan business weekly reported in early June that Pertamina stopped the import of Detergent III Plus since April in a bid to reduce the company's fuel subsidy.

Out of the Rp 9 trillion total allocated to subsidize gasoline across the country this year, around Rp 320 billion was allotted to the additive.

Not final

"By reducing the subsidy allocated to Detergent III Plus, the company's burden to give a grant to people has been slightly lowered," Pertamina's director Samto Utomo told the tabloid-size weekly.

When asked for further confirmation about Samto's remarks, Toto Suparto of the company's public relations department said on Wednesday that Samto's statement "has not yet been made final".

Toto told the Post that Samto was talking about the "possibility of the termination of the import of Detergent III Plus in April".

The spokesperson, however, refused to further clarify the case, saying that he had to check the matter with "the right man in charge".

According to Zoemrotin, Pertamina sacrificed consumers for its own interest.

"The company should lessen its burden by not sacrificing people's interest, but by making the company efficient in operation, for example," she said, referring to the redundant number of Pertamina staff and workers.

Anton L. Wartawan, a local expert on fuel, said gasoline used for motor vehicles basically needs at least three additives, including Detergent III Plus.

The two other additives are used to help increase octane levels in gasoline and maintain its stability while the engine is turned off, he said.

"The absence of Detergent III Plus will clog up the car's engine, which in turn will damage it," he said.