MOTORING NOTES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 5 January 1931, Page 2

MOTORING NOTES

CAR RUNNING COSTS IS MOTORING TOO DEAR? FALLACY OF FIGURES (By Gerald Ely, London, for “The Mail”) While the majority of us do not run our cars on an actuarial basis—we simply pay up and look pleasant and economise in other directions if necel* sary—it is always interesting to come across authentic figures as to the actual cost per mile of motoring. Mr H. L. Kennard, of the Institute of the Motor Trade, has just given us such an estimate and it is worth discussing. Taking a medium-powered car of between 14 h.p. and 16 h.p., and basing his estimate over a period of ownership of four years, he arrives at a figure of fourpence per mile in which is included every item that can be legitimately connected with motoring such as petrol, oil, tax, insurance, depreciation, garag* ing and even repairs. Mr Kennard asserts that fourpence a mile is too high a price to pay for one’s motoring and that it ou'glit to be and can be reduced by more efficient repair work, for, in his view, inefficient repairs swallow up a considerable proportion of the fourpence per mile. I am, of course, prepared to support any suggestion that has cheaper motoring as its object, hut I cannot agree with the contention that fourpence a mile is too much to pay for the kind of motoring implied in the possession of a medium-powered car. If this estimate is compared with railway travel which works out at about three-half-pence a mile, it looks rather high, but on the other hand, one does have certain advantages from the possession of a car which the train cannot give. FREEDOM OF CHOICE To begin with, one can go on paying three-halfpence a mile all one’s life without for a single moment experiencing the pleasures of ownership, for it is given to very few individuals to own a train. Moreover, a locomotive has a casl-iron way with it that will not brook interference. If it sets ..out to go to a certain town nothing short of an accident will stop it. The car-owner, oil the other hand, can indulge himself in the luxury of changing his destination without having to change trains. He merely turns down another road. But these are obvious points of difference, and it is in any event too late in the day to require to convince people of the advantages that car ownership brings. Car mileages per season differ with different owners. Some motorists think nothing of piling up 10,000 miles in a year; others only keep their car in commission during the summer and keep their mileage down to about 3000. I think, however, that a fair average mileage for the year is 5000, and calculating such a mileage on the basis of fourpence per mile, the total cost of car ownership for a medium-powered car works out at about £BS for the season. Personally I do not consider such a figure high, for it must be emphasised that this is the all-in cost, and includes even depreciation and garaging. In the case of a lower-powered car or the Smallest types of car, the all-in cost per annum is, of course, much smaller, but if an average is struck it' will probably be found that for most of us, car-ownership works out at a cost of about 30s per week. Now I think that is. a very reasonable figure, and .1 for one certaihlyiecetfve full 'value for it. THE SEMI-EFFICIENTS At the same time, there is considerable point in the suggestion that more efficient repair work must tend to reduce the cost per mile. It is notorious that after the war many ex-officers and others went into the garage business. They brought great enthusiasm and a small bounty to their task, hut they lacked in many cases the necessary knowledge and skill. They opened the way for other semi-skilled men, and there is little doubt that in a great many garages all over the country the standard of technical efficiency is not sufficiently, high. It is probably too late to do much as regards the “old timers,” who, if they do not know by this time how to repair a car properly, will never acquire the necessary knowledge, but some attempt ought to be made to save the young from the fate of the semiskilled. In this connection I am all at one with the Institute oi the Motor Trade which aims at inducing all garage apprentices to pass proper examinations under the asupices of the Institute and attaining the status of qualified motor engineers. The complaint is sometimes made against hospitals that they cure patients of one illness and make them catch another. The same criticism can be levelled with greater justice against many garages. ' Your car goes in with brake trouble and comes out with ignition trouble. , . I am told that the examinations of the Institute are really stiff, and that as many as -50 per cent, of the candidates fail. I have not seen the examination papers set to the candidates, but hope that when they are “ploughed it is on purely technical subjects. It would be sad to think that a promising mechanic, who really did know how to diagnose engine trouble and put it right, failed to pass because he could not 'give accurate figures as to the incidence of infant mortality in the Solomon Islands.

about ethyl Since tlie report of. the Government Committee on Ethyl petrol was published, acquitting that fuel of all the charges made against it, the number ot Ethyl stations in various parts of the country has considerably increased, which suggests that motorists are again taking to it after the initial and quite unmerited setback it received. In such matters I always believe in trying things out for myself, and I must say that in the case of an engine that is inclined to knock, I have certainly found that Ethyl brings about an immediate improvement. Those who desire to see this anti-knock quality demonstrated will have an opportunity of witnessing a convincing test m the near future, for the Anglo-American Oil Company are sending round a cleverly contrived demonstration engine which proves by specially fitted instruments that the claims made for this petrol are well-founded. I had the engine demonstrated to me the other day with ordinary and Ethyl petrol in turn, and had to admit myself considerably impressed by the results. Ethyl petrol costs a penny more than ordinary petrol, but as the price of petrol was reduced only a few weeks avo, many car-owners who have not yet tried out the new fuel, may decide to do so now, having regard to the fact that it is at the moment actually a penny cheaper than No. 1 petrol was two months ago.