Pride In The Car

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 320, 3 April 1928, Page 7

Pride In The Car

TAKING CARE OF IT PROLONGING ITS LIFT. .Almost every motorist takes a pride in the ownership of his new car, especially when it is the first he has had. It is well that this should be so, for it leads him to take care of it, and thus prolong its useful life. His pride in his new possession should not, however, lead him to make premature tests of its utmost speed and power. lhe parts of a new car, and especially the engine parts, are inclined to be a little tight at first, but as the car becomes “run in” these parts begin to bed correctly upon one another and move with freedom. The car then improves with every mile of its running, until it is in the pink of condition. I his may mean 1200 to 300 miles on the road at a gentle pace say, abont 25 miles an hour on the level or 30 miles an hour on a down grade. But it is not much use being moderate on the level if one opens the throttle fully on a hill in the endeasour to maintain the same speed. Some expensive cars are fully “run in” by being driven a considerable mileage in road tests before being delivered to the purchaser, but in the case of mode rate-priced cars this is not usual, owing to the fact that expense invol\ed would immediately send up the prict. It is therefore necessary to resist the temptation to drive the car all out for the first few hundred miles; othewise the engine will be likely to suffer. Advice to this effect is often printed on strips of paper and stuck to the windscreen as a gentle reminder. On some cars, instead of leaving this to the judgment of the purchaser, a washer is placed in the induction pipe which restricts its available diameter, so that if the accelerator pedal be pressed down as far as possible the effect is only that of a half-open throttle. This, of course, keeps down the possible speed, even when t lie driver is forgetful. It also limits the hill-climbing powers of the car and makes an early change necessary, and if the driver learns in consequence to change down early when climbing hills, it does good in this way al'o. After a certain number of mile* the washer can be removed and the car will be in first-rate condition. In the early periods of a car’s life tl»c lubrication should also be carefully watched. It is desirable to go gently when first taking the car oat. so that the engine may have time to warm and the oil to flow nicely before any hard work is attempted, lhe pinions in the gearbox also move with more freedom after the car has run a mile or two. Every adjustment on a new car mu«t be checked more frequently than wilt applies especially to the brakes, and upon these the safety of the car ma> he necessary a little later on. Thiii denencL