Auto Gossip

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30762, 28 May 1965, Page 9

Auto Gossip

by

A. J.P.

scratched on the inside, too, so never let a person wearing a ring wipe the screen with her hand. This can cause very bad scratches. There is nothing that can be done to get rid of a bad scratch, apart from replacing the screen. Ice And Mist In winter, windscreen and rear windows become quickly misted or iced if the car is left outside. Misting is best wiped off with a chamois leather, but an old (but clean) wiper blade is also very effective. Ice can be removed either with one of the aerosol preparations on the market, or with a scraper. Scrapers. however, should always be of wood or plastic, and not of any harder material that may scratch the glass. One of the best ways to prevent an iced windscreen is to put a sheet of newspaper under the wipers. Lamp Washers It is surprising how a thin film of muddy water or dust can reduce the amount of light produced by a headlamp. Works rally teams overseas have adopted a fixture that might be useful to those who frequently drive at night in bad conditions: headlamp washers. An additional windscreen washer, costing from £2 to £5 depending on type, is installed, with the jets placed in the headlamp surrounds, or the bodywork near the lamps. The water is directed on to the lens of each headlamp. Grilled Rock Are radiator grilles any use, or merely another decoration plastered on the car by the stylists? I have been convinced they are very necessary. Recently, either a rock or a very, hard-headed bird hit my radiator grille, twisted one bar almost completely back on itself, and carried

on to leave a considerable dent in the radiator core. Had the grille not absorbed most of the impact, the radiator would undoubtedly have been holed. Moral: radiator grilles have their uses, and stones thrown up by other cars can travel very fast indeed. Easier Winding If your car windows are difficult to wind up and down, never use oil or grease on the felt channels in the door. Oil or grease should be applied to the winding mechanism inside the door after the interior trim panel has been removed. The felt channels may be lubricated either by the application of a small amount of graphite powder, or by rubbing the lead of a soft pencil against the felt.

Boots and Shorts

Many cars have the electrical connexions for the tail-lights and stop lamps protruding into the boot. If your car is of this type, make sure the connexions are well insulated, or there is danger of a short circuit when luggage or metal containers are stowed in the boot. In cars with no fuses in the circuits this is particularly dangerous, and could easily result in a wiring fire, with consequent expensive repairs. If your car has no fuses, it may well be cheapest in the long run to have fuses fitted. Short circuiting can happen in cars of any age, although it is most likely in older models where wiring insulation often has deteriorated. Slide Stopper Rattles in a car always annoy, and a major drawback of parcel shelves under the dash is that everything placed on them tends to slide about. In addition, the shelves are often flimsy, and vibrate badly on rough surfaces, causing more rattles. These can be cured by obtaining a sheet of thin plastic foam, and gluing it to the surface of the shelf. It stops things from sliding, and deadens any rattles. The same treatment can be given the rear parcel shelf, although heavy items should never be carried there as they tend to fly forward during a sudden stop.

Quote of the Week “Like all other sportsmen, rallyists love their sport, and will go to a great deal of trouble to ensure that they can continue to enjoy it. It would be a great pity if irresponsibility of any kind, whether from rallyists themselves, extremist members of the public, or distorted reporting in the press were to lead to the disappearance of a sport which gives so much pleasure to so many and which in the field of international rallying does so much for Britain in prestige and greater exports of the motor industry.”—from the “Guardian,” Manchester.