Feeding a highly combustible gas, hydrogen, into the air intake of a car’s engine might arouse some suspicion – but the people at Izouco Moto, and their loyal customers swear by the process; vouching that it will reduce emissions, improve perfromance and make your vehicle more fuel efficient.
It’s a huge claim. But owner of the establishment, Hairoman Omar, has been doing so since 2014.
The 35-year-old explains that the hydrogen gas is used to clean carbon built up in a car’s engine and unspent fuel that lines and cake the engine of a car after a certain amount of mileage.
“Left alone, the car would eventually feel heavier and heavier (as you drive) which eventually can cause major problems to your car engine and you’ll have to bring it in for a general overhaul (earlier than you would need if you cleaned it) which would cost you $4k to $5k,” said Hairoman.
He points to the machine that he uses to produce the hydrogen gas, which is hooked up to a car for the process called engine decarbonisation.
The machine takes water and uses electrolysers to separate it into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen then penetrates into the carbon build up and oil sludge in the engine and dissolves it.
“The result is the car’s engine would be cleaner, its fuel efficiency will increase, and its performance would return to almost when you just bought your car,” says Hairoman confidently. Recommendations on how regular you should carry out the process vary, from six months to every other year.
The 35-year-old began Izouco looking to address the carbonisation problem – which has a number of cleaning solutions, the most efficient, Hairoman learned and later claims, to be utilising hydrogen.
He traveled to Kuala Lumpur to learn about the process and returned convinced, and proceeded to procure a machine from the US, debuting Izouco as the first in Brunei company to use hydrogen to decarbonize.
It’s Hairoman’s third small business – he also owns a tailorshop, provides vending machines and runs a marine logistics company. He admits some aren’t as active as others due to the economic downturn, but he remains determined to make decarbonization a staple of the auto care industry here.
Today, Izouco runs with three young locals, who also run routine engine oil servicing – an unusal trade for a Bruneian, but Hairoman vouches for their desire to self-improve, perhaps seeing his past self within them.
“I left school with just Form 3 (qualifications),” says the 35-year-old, whose first formal job was working on an offshore oil rig at 18.
“What I learned from the oil and gas industry was that they valued what you could do (technically) more than just what university degree you had. As someone who hasn’t done so well (academically) I’ve always carried that belief with me: that the quality of your work is what must come first.
“My staff, they aren’t formally trained mechanics, but I’ve taught them all I know, and now they are better than me in certain things. They are always thinking of better ways to run.”
Three years and 5000 cars or so later, Izouco is slowly expanding to become a one-stop car clinic with the aim of providing services to help car owners own their cars for longer and cheaper.
Chances are if you stop by the workshop, you’ll also find Hairoman donning coveralls. He isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty either.
Izouco Moto can be found at Unit A11, Ground Floor, Simpang 145 at JalanPasirBerakas. Contact +6738762052 if there are any inquiries or to schedule an appointment. Follow them on Facebook or Instagram at @BCARBON.BN for the latest updates and information.
