Subic's killer gasoline

**RedHorse** · July 18th, 2003 05:19 AM

From Cocktales/Victor Agustin PDI 18 July 2003

BMW Philippines sent a statement denying that its fleet of Bimmers suffered engine knocks when they gassed up in the Subic Freeport zone, as was reported in this column July 9.

"Of the 13 BMW vehicles we used during that time (Feb. 24-28 clinic), not a single one suffered from any 'knocks and pings' due to contaminated fuel or otherwise," the BMW statement said. "Furthermore, we have not had any report of a BMW user in the Subic area whose car had 'conked out' after filling up his tank in a Subic gasoline station."

Strange denial, since even BMW dealer Prestige Cars of Makati has acknowledged the Subic gas problem.

"The roughness in the engine could be caused by the quality of the fuel at Subic as observed by BMW Philippines when doing a car clinic there a few months ago," a concerned Prestige Cars president Jose Alvarez Jr. wrote to a BMW owner. The BMW owner sent his car to Prestige for service after the 318 developed a "groaning sound" after filling its tank, apparently from the same gas station.

"All cars returned with a knocking sound after having used fuel from Subic," Alvarez added.

The good news is that the knocking sound stopped altogether after the car's fuel tank was emptied and replaced with non-Subic gasoline.

**yebo** · July 18th, 2003 07:02 AM

tama yan, kaya ako pag nasa sbma i never fill up dun sa gas station inside the base. i go out to olongapo and hanap ako ng caltex station. kasi when i filled up at the sbma gas station hirap humatak engine ko (it does not knock kasi lancer 2002, may knock sensor so it automatically adjusts the spark advance) saka mababa pa mileage, so then pa lang i concluded na mababa ang octane rating ng sbma gasoline. i never filled up there again.

**Auto_Xer** · July 18th, 2003 07:23 AM

Uhm,
Does that mean that BMW's DO NOT have a knock sensor? :D

**RedHorse** · July 18th, 2003 09:06 AM

yong diesel kaya nila?

**ghosthunter** · July 18th, 2003 09:21 AM

so what's the name of the gas station?

**OiC65** · July 18th, 2003 09:38 AM

i'm from olongapo and in fairness, wala naman ako na-experience na bad effect from the gas ng SBMA. Though haven't tried to fill up from Subic Gas, sa PTT lang near Royal Duty Free. Ano ba daw gas station ito?

**OTEP** · July 18th, 2003 11:17 AM

Nagkarga na din ako dun dati. Diesel nga lang. Wala naman naging problema.

FrankDrebin · July 18th, 2003 11:24 AM

Originally posted by OTEP
Nagkarga na din ako dun dati. Diesel nga lang. Wala naman naging problema.

Ako rin.

Naubos lang nga. :D

**vinj** · July 18th, 2003 03:17 PM

Baka pang RHD lang yung gasoline nila... Di pa converted.

I havent tried that PTT there yet but the peeps i heard who gas up there never experienced any problems, some even like the PTT (if this is teh gas station that they're referring to). Maybe the Beemers are just finicky when it comes to fuel. I vaguely remember an issue before on some Beemers not digesting BLaze well enough as well.