European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 25, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 16 the stars and stripes Friday. October 25. 1985 consumer watch German Lead free Gat is called Weihe i. Tanking Lead free overseas by Mary Neth consumer editor a americans in search of Lead free Gascon find the going Tough in  Germany particularly in the North i the Gas indicator is moving Loward empty you could be in trouble. Cafes. Europe now offers series-1 ?. Coupons for tanking up on unleaded Gas in Germany. Services members who have chosen to keep catalytic conveners on their cars or who have newer models thai can use unleaded Gas without converters Are laced with the fact however that Only 1,800 of the country s Gas stations have Bleil Rei unleaded tanks. Most of them do not accept the cafes coupons. Esso. Which does Sells unleaded at Only 500 stations. Cafes does t sell it at All. We re watching closely to see if the demand warrants putting it in our  reports John Mazzarino. Head of the cafes automotive Branch. That s been the Basic problem when it comes to unleaded Gas sales in Germany. There ust has t been great customer demand. Up to now despite the fact that almost All new cars that use regular Gas can be tanked with unleaded Little has been sold. In the first five months of this year it added up to barely 1 percent of total Gas sales. German motorists have been sticking to leaded because it costs two pfennig a liter less. In an attempt to boost Lead tree sales the German government hiked the Mineral Oil tax two pfennig on leaded Gas in april while lowering it the same amount on Lead free. That was t enough though to bring the prices in me at the nation s pumps. The Low unleaded sales picture May change however it Germany joins Switzerland and Austria in Banning the Sale of Normal leaded Gas. The move to do so is getting big backing. A coalition of Oil executives environmentalists truck Driver unionists and members of government Ore involved. The goal of the unlikely Alliance is to see the country s service stations sell Only leaded and unleaded super plus unleaded Normal. A ban of the leaded Gas. With its poisonous anti Knock chemicals would make sense economically and ecologically reports Der Spiegel Germany s weekly news Magazine. With Ess Lead pouring out of exhaust pipes life would be healthier for the nation s traffic policemen Street workers and the like. It also would reduce Lead contamination of the human food Supply. A High concentration of Lead can Lead to colitis muscle pain and lameness plus liver and brain damage. Lead also is being named As a reason for the country s dying forests. After a two year study a professor at the Max Planck Institute for medical research in Heidelberg has made it known that Lead is possibly a leading cause Lor the death of the German forests. According to Der Spiegel until his statement environmentalists main concern had been with other chemicals released by exhaust fumes. The coalition lobbying for the Banning of Normal leaded Gas believes the move would hasten the wider use of catalytic converters. They reason that if the nation s stations were forbidden to sell Normal leaded they would have one tank free to use for unleaded super which at present is practically unavailable. Accordingly Auto manufacturers have been holding Back in equipping cars that use super so they can use Lead free Gas. Economically eliminating leaded Normal would relieve station owners of a financial Burden. Without new Esso Gas station Esso. Which accepts cafes Europe Gas coupons will open a new autobahn freeway station in Germany on nov. 1, while closing another. The new station will be at Ehrenbach on the West Side of the a-7 Wurzburg Ulm autobahn. The station being closed is at Grunfeld of Der Tauber on the East Side of the Wurzburg Heilbronn autobahn. More than 2,500 Gas stations in Germany accept cafes coupons. They Are valid at All Esso stations both on and Oil the autobahn at 12 by and eight final autobahn stations and 57 cafes. Europe stations. Three of the latter Are on the autobahn network. Such a ban stations now operating with three tanks one each for leaded Normal unleaded super and unleaded Normal would have to invest in a fourth. They would have to have two tanks Tor unleaded Normal and super and two Lor leaded Normal and super. Unfortunately. The people who will be hit in the pocketbook in the ban goes into elect will be those least Able to afford it. The owners of older cars that can Only use leaded with such a United front against Normal loaded Gas. The Bonn government is presenting no protest. There is however n stumbling Block. Germany As a member of the common Market is in a different position from Switzerland and Austria. The Brussels commission and the common Market partners can denounce the German government for hindering the free flow of goods from country to country. Because of past bitter quarrels about minimum chemical allowances for Auto exhaust emission the German minister of the Interior is hesitant about getting into a fight with the italians. British and French about leaded Gas. Reports Der Spiegel. It has been promised however that the theme will be brought up at the next meeting in Brussels. In the meantime cafes is reminding patrons who Are using the new series-12 Gas coupons to be sure to look for tanks displaying ble itrel signs when purchasing unleaded Gas at Esso stations the cafes coupons also can be used at Bleil Rei tanks at by and final stations on the German freeways or autobahn Mazzarino reports that customers have been attempting to buy leaded Gas with the coupons. The filling station manager s hands Are tied in such a situation. If he does t have an unleaded pump he can t get credit from  German customs officials closely Monitor was Coupon usage and cafes officials Are concerned that misuse May jeopardize the whole program the filling station attendant has the right to refuse unleaded coupons for leaded Gas that s been pumped and demand Cash payment says Mazzarino As to cafes offering Lead free at its own pumps it is in the same dilemma As the German stations in order to Oiler unleaded Well have to eliminate one of the fuels we presently  explains Mazzarino i hat s Why we re moving cautiously "