THE MOTOR.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1431, 4 May 1912, Page 13

THE MOTOR.

(Br Ami>hiub.) ADVENT OF THE CHEAP CAR. TIPS FOE MOTORISTS.. American and English. Perhaps (ho most burning question at present engaging the attention of tho motor-importers concerns tho relative value- of tho American car and the English car as a .selling proposition. Cheap Aine"rican cars have been in great demand lately, and may bo seen in numbers on tho road. Their cardinal merit from the buyer's point of view is their cheapness us compared to tho English car. jMany of our leading car-importers have been forced by tho demands of tho public for a*cheap car to acquire tho agency of at least ono make of American car. As a wholo it appears lhat tho importers have done this only when Ihey found that the American car sold better than the English. Tho question of tho moment is: "Will the demand for cheap American cars continue?" In other words, will the Now Zealand motor-buying public continue to prefer cheapness to stability? To givo a better idea it might bo well to compare two cars, ono American, one English. As an example of tho former, let us take a two-seated 30 h.p. American at a cost of .£325. Choosing more or less at random from tho English makers, let us take a two-seater 20 h.p. car at ,£SOO. Tho prospective buyer of moderate means inspects tho two cars and listens to the lengthy oration delivered by the seller. "Cheapness" argues that it v is waste ol money paying for the elaborate brassfmisked English car when he can supply a car of greater horse-power and just at useful for half the price. On tho other hand "Stability" with equal loquacity impresses tho bewildered buyer that it would be a shame to throw awaj money on a car that will fall to pieces m six months. Then the weary 'buyer takes a tram homo and ponders over the advice be has had drilled into him. Ho has forgotten all the good things he has ljeert told about the "camshaft" and "carburetter,' and centres his attention on the horse-power of the two cars, on the colour and general appearance, and, above all, on tho respective prices. He has been told that tin cheap car won't last long, that it will soon look shabby, and that its chassis is badly put together; but. then he argues that ho will not have much rough work to do, and ho can have it repainted it it lo*es its gloss. Then he thinks of the spick and span English car, resplendent with glittering brass work and spcckless varnish, and ho is on the point of deciding to own it when he thinks of the price, and once more he turns to its rival, bo tho chances are, unless ho is wealthy, he will buv the low-priced car, and take to the road. The car works splendnllj;, and tho owner whistles "lankee Doodle After a year's use things aro not -quito so rosy, and tho cheap .car, having already lost its outward appearance, begins to rattle and givo all sorts of engine trouble, until the owner is forced to get rid of it as best he can. time will tell," and, generally, the truth the test of a-car lies in its capability for resisting tho constant wear and tear ot general everyday use. By this let it not be thought that the Americans are not capablo of turning out a good car. They do; and their highpriced cars are as good as any other. 'But this class of car has not yet been imported into the Dominion. Buyers will soon know that buying cheap cars is a penny wise but pound foolish policy, and it is'to bo hoped that if the demand for American cars continues, the higher grade cars will be imported. "Weather" Clothes. Few motorists are as economical as they might be in the matter of olothing. For wet weather use on' an open car there is nothing to beat the oilskins sold for motor l»at work. Their one fault (says tho "Autocar") is that they do not looksmart, but they will keep out rain hotter than any special proofed stuffs costing fivo or six times as much, Similarly, a threeguinea pair of furred boots are little if any warmer than a half-guinea, pair of ordinary snow overboots. A calico dust coat, a suit of oilskins, a pair of snowboots, and a three and sixpenny pair of coachman's waterproof gloves will pror vido tho motorist of moderate means with an outfit for all weathers if ho is not too sensitivo about appearances. Motor Hoots, Hooter troubles may bo divided into three heads (says tho "Autorcar"). The commonest is the presence of dust on the tongue of the reed. This is instanHy remedied by passing a slip of thin paper under the reed—a cure that seems too simple to record, but many a motorist under these circumstances jumps to the conclusion that tho tongue has lost its set, and begins to bend it about or pass a knife-blade under it, with the result that a new reed is required. The second trouble is a leaky or punctured bulb, generally curable by patching; and the third is a broken flexible connection. Breaks in tho flexible tube are duo to want of support, and it is not the slightest use to mend the break without adding proper support. When sufficiently supported, the flexible may be rendered air-tight temporarily by wrapping it in thin rubber sheeting taken from tho repair outfit, and binding tightly with thread for an inch on each side of the break, after which a piece of canvas should be wrapped over the rubber and tightly bound down. Tho first opportunity should then be taken to shorten the flexible tube, and to solder the union piece on to the cut end. "Ships" in Distress. , Happily, steering gears are not now so prone to give way as they were a few years ago,, but should any of our readers (advises "The Autocar")' be so unfortunate as to have a distanco rod of the steering-gear come adrift, the .following tip may be of. use: Failin" any temporary repairs, tho car should bo turned round by manual aid, and the front wheel which is not connected to the steering wheel should be lashed up to prevent its turning athwart the car. The vehicle may now b8 driven slowly backward, steering by the one wheel, which now becomes a trailer. This method is, of course, bad for the tyre, and should only be resorted to when a repair can be effected within a couple of miles or so.

Acetylene Lamp Tubing. I Several replies were received to a question propounded under the above heading in "The Autocar." Correspondents were l all agreed that whilst there is tho possii biiity of an explosion in tho gas pipes it r is very remote; however, there is a | chemical action on all metals which come 1 in contact with damp acetyleno gas, henco it is not advisable to use more metal connections than are absolutely necessary. Steel tubing is least affected by the gas, and it has been suggested that by enamelling internally any danger might bo overcome, and the piping preserved at the same time. Strong rubber tubing is recommended as being the best method of conveying the gas from the generator to tho burner, though ono writer advocates the use of |iu. gas piping or flexible steel tubing. That there is some danger in the use of copper piping is borne out by the fact that tho Local Government Board prohibits its use in theatres and public buildings, as is the practice in America and on the Continent. The following incident also gives colour to this theory: A correspondent related some time ago how the copper lamp tubes of a car were quite choked up with a. hard, black substance like coal. Upon taking tliein down and applying a blow-lump in order to try and melt the substance out, a<= it was very hard and refractory, small pellets of it flew out to a distance of quite twelvo to fourteen feet, accompanied by little explosions or pops. This substance had accumulated in tho pipe to such an extent that a needle could not be inserted in the end of the pipe, in spite of the fact that it was quite -Jin. bore.