SUKARDI, a 35-year-old employee in the private sector, hurriedly alighted from his Kijang van and headed straight to a workshop in Jalan Pramuka, East Jakarta. "Please change the engine oil. And, as usual, use Mesran," he instructed the manager. Sukardi's request on that hot Friday afternoon was immediately taken care of.

Like Sukardi, car owners who value the importance of servicing their vehicles are doing likewise: patronizing workshops th