Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30667, 5 February 1965, Page 9

Auto Gossip

Booked. A taxi was cruising down a suburban street, the driver engrossed in a paperback which he held against the steering wheel. At each intersection, and at other odd times, he would glance up at the road, then return to the book. I followed him for about half a mile while he did this. There is no excuse for this sort of thing. What would have happened in an emergency, for instance if a child had run out from the side of the road? Loose Load Then there was the fellow driving down Marshland road with a bed on top of his small car. the rather ragged single rope was not doing much good, and so he was steadying the precarious load with one hand. On the same road, and after the dangers of driving with an arm out the window had been well canvassed in the newspapers, there was a Transport Department officer driving with his elbow protruding well out the window. A fine example to other drivers. Tightening Wheels When you are replacing the wheels on the car after mend-

by

A.J.P.

■ ing a puncture, or tightening ■ the nuts during a routine I check, always, tighten each ■ nut a little at a time in a : sequence, rather than doing i each one up tight. A good i idea is to tighten opposing i nuts half a turn or so at a time. This will ensure the wheel sits centrally on the hub. Millionth The British Motor Corpora- : tion expected to make its : millionth Mini this week, and ; it will be given to the worker i in their factories who wins a I special ballot. Removing Bugs i A fast drive in the country . often results in the front of . the car being plastered with the remains of insects, and ; these can prove remarkably hard to remove. A good way of shifting them is by rubbing gently with a plastic pot scourer, which will not i damage chrome or paintwork. ■ Metal pot scourers should nou

be used, u these will scratch the finish. Starting It is an excellent idea to get into the habit of always depressing the clutch when operating the starter of the car, rather than relying on the gearshift being in neutral. This is for two reasons. The engine will start more easily if the starter motor does not have to cope with the additional drag imposed by the gears and the cold gearboxoil as well as the engine itself. particularly on a cold morning. If the car has accidentally been left in gear, it will not jump forwards or backwards, striking another car or the garage wall. If you make a habit of pressing the clutch in each time you start, it will soon become an automatic action. Quote of the Week “Police seem to take no action about the big percentage of irresponsible drivers who run about with one side, tail, head or stop-lamp out of action, and the dim ones who just won't switch on when visibility is bad.”—From an editorial in the “Motor.”