MOTORING & MOTORISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21009, 25 January 1932, Page 13

MOTORING & MOTORISTS

SHIPPING CARS

A GREAT ORGANISATION

[BY RADIATOR.]

LIGHTING UP TIMES. To-day 8.50 Tuesday 8.49 Wednesday 8.48 Thursday 8.47 Friday 8.4(5 Saturday 8.45 Sunday 8.43

DISTINCTION IS MADE BETWEEN DIFFERENT SIZES. Waterside workers find no more difficulty in loading a horse on to a ship than a car, but shipping companies make a very sharp distinction in the freight they charge (states the Christchurch ‘Star’). The charge for taking a horse from Lyttelton to Wellington is a fixed one of £2 ss, but the charge on a car runs from £2 2s for a baby Austin up to £6 or £7 for a very big car, the average being about £4TOs. On cars which are returning by the ferry steamer, a reduction to £3 7s 6d is made. The charges from Picton to Wellington by the Tamahine are 10s less than those from Lyttelton to Wellington, the same scale of duties being used as the basis. There is no reduction in the return fare for horses. Most horses, according to the men who handle them, are easy to load, and are very seldom refractory. The men in charge of them have an ingenious method of getting them from the railway trucks into the boxes in which they are swung on board. Two men stand behind the horse with their arms locked in such a position that the horse cannot kick. A heave from the men and the horse is into or out of his box before he has had time to make much protest. Horses very soon become used to this treatment, and few require handling.. DISC WHEELS. In the old days cars were loaded by the simple method of putting ropes through the wheels, and lifting them on to the deck in this manner. With the rise in the popularity of disc wheels, and also under increased protests from owners whose mudguards had been damaged by this somewhat primitive method, it was found necessary to use trays for slinging. Now the driver simply stops his car on the tray, the ropes are attached to the four corners of the tray, and the machine is hoisted on deck with no trouble. Before a car is allowed to travel its petrol tank must be drained of all but “ a reasonable amount of petrol, sufficient to get the car on to the Hup and off again.” In practice, up to half a gallon may be retained in the tank. Cars are accommodated on the deck of the steamer, where they are securely lashed down, but they may be put into the hold at no extra charge. On the Bangatira special provision has been made for horses, special stalls having been built in the hold. Up to fifty can bo carried in warmth and comfort The cost of transport of cars is based on certain definite measurements, and naturally varies with the make of car, arid even sometimes with the types within a make. Space is computed by measuring the height of the car from the top of the steering wheel, regardless of whether it is a tourer,.saloon, or coupe, and taking as the base of the imaginary oblong box the space covered bv the length and breadth of the car. Bumper bars will make a few shillings difference. Horses are all charged at the one price, regardless of their size. FUEL TESTS, FRENCH NATIONAL FIXTURE. About twenty-five vehicles took part in the annual French national fuel demonstration last year. The test started from Paris on July 5, and among the vehicles were two Saurers, one burning gas oil and "the other arachide (commonly ‘ termed “ monkey nut ”) oil. This oil is produced cheaply in the French colonies, and is suitable lor compression ignition _ engines _ after treatment. The Society Lilloise des Moteurs, a branch of the Peugeot Company, holding the French rights for the Junkers engine, was represented by two lorries running on fuel oil, while the Nabil Company ran a lorry on a fuel composed of benzol, petrol, and an oil distilled from coal. The Carbaux Company entered four lorries using fuel oil, and a Rochet Schneider bus used compressed illuminating gas. Two lorries ran on a mixture of alcohol and petrol, and there’ were two others using alcohol fuel. Four Wav Department lorries took part; one was fitted with a charcoal prducer gas plant, another a wood producer gas plant, and the other two ran on mixtures of alcohol and petrol. It was arranged to hold an important demonstration of compressed illuminating gas in the neighbourhood or Lyons, and the Automobile Club or France sent^ a mobile compressor plant to assist. THE COST OF EXPERIENCE. Wo sometimes hear complaints of excessive charges by garage proprietors for what appear to be trivial ]obs (states the ‘Radiator’). It may be that the complaining owner is unable to locate the cause of some trouble in his car, and takes it to an expert whoso knowledge enables him to put liis finger on the trouble and remedy it without any great expense. It does not always happen in this way, and a good deal of time may bo spent, even by an expert, in finding out the cause of the trouble, and making sure there is nothing else wrong. After the fault has been located a conscientious mechanic will not be satisfied unless ho has assured himself that the defect was not due to some other cause than that suspected, which would cause a repetition of the trouble if not corrected. That is part of the job of a good mechanic, and is in the interest of the owner, and should be well paid for. , When the job is finished, and the work done set out in the account, it may look small for the charge made to cover the time the expert has spent in satisfying himself. The owner does not always although the matter is explained to him, and thinks he is charged too much for what appears to bo a trivial job. He makes a complaint, and sooner than offend a valued client the garage proprietor reduces his charge, instead of patiently explaining the reason of it. The effect of such complaints is to dull the inclination of the mechanic to do a thorough job and satisfy himself that the cause of the trouble is removed, and merely to do what is I ordered and nothing beyond that.

Brief accounts of holiday trips, roads, and places of interest are invited for this column.

This makes trouble for the owner, and damages the reputation of the garage proprietor, who will be blamed for a repetition of the trouble. What is required is greater confidence between the owner and the man to whom lie entrusts the care of his car. There are many capable “and conscientious garage proprietors worthy of the confidence of their clients, and it will be to the benefit of all if this confidence is established and retained. A skilled mechanic is in much the same position as a skilled physician, and it ivould be well if this were more generally recognised. His responsibility is great, for tho lives of many depend on his skill and honesty in his work. Our advice to motor owners is to tie up with a garage man in whom they have confidence, and rely on his advice in respect of what is required for their cars. The recognition of an adequate charge for an honest job ivould, in the long run, prove itself, and save the money of the owner and the reputation of the garage proprietor. Unfortunately the immediate cost dominates tho matter in the eyes of many motorists, and the owner mechanic and the kerbstone mechanic flourish at the expense of motor transport. BONNETS AND TOOLS. A DRAMA OF. FASHION. A man a new car—this is rather heady stuff for a salesman to read nowadays—but he did, and when ho was driving it home a clok-clok noise started in the back part, and, as he was an old hand, he said to himself: “Ho! The wheel nuts aren’t screwed up quite tight.” So he looked for the tools, and eventually discovered that they were in a locker under the long, long bonnet, and ho undid one side of this fashionable bonnet after some trouble, because it was new. But when he had forced the locked catch back with his knife and broken tho blade, he found that the tools were all packed in a conglomerate mess so tightly to stop them rattling that he could not get them out, so ho shut that sido of the long and fashionable bonnet and set about undoing tho other side, but when he got it free and opened it, one point caught in the license-holder so that he dropped the bonnet side, and ft removed a largo piece of the paint on the scuttle. So he said “ Bother!” and propped up the bonnet side again, while he broke his fingernail undoing the other catch of the tool locker. At last he prised the tool-roll out, and, taking the only screwdriver, found that the mingy little blade in the common little handle was not wide enough to undo the dear little screw which held in its place the chromium disc, which covered up the wheel bolts inside the fat and fashionable hollow hub body. So he said ‘‘Bother!’ again, and went away in quite a huff to a garage, where he left instructions for this herculean task to be carried out regardless of expense. _ And this is a true story, however sad it sounds; it is all due" to tho fashionable habit of keeping up appearances. ‘ The Motor.’ TRAILERS IN DEMAND. Motor touring and camping has been a favourite method of spending the holidays this Christmas season (states tho ‘Radiator’)-. The baby car and the ordinary closed car are not altogether suitable for carrying camping equipment, but this difficulty has been overcome by the use of trailers. In _ New Zealand a trailer requires a special license, and the records show that 181 of these were registered during December last for nso during the holiday season. These were registered in every postal district excepting Blenheim, Greymouth, and Westport. Christchurch led with 37 registrations, Auckland had 35, Dunedin 20, and Wellington 23. There are now moro than 2,100 trailers on the New Zealand register, an increase of over 500 for tho year 1031. Many of these arc constructed by the owners, but there is evidently a market for a light, inexpensive trailer suitable for carrying camping equipment, etc. WEAR AND TEAR. LENGTHENING ENGINE LIFE. • A great deal of wear and tear on pistons and cylinders is caused by the admission to tho cylinders of dust and other abrasive matter with the fuel mixture. When a number of manufacturers standardised air cleaners as fittings connected to their carburettors they did much to reduce this trouble, while the adoption of liners for cylinder bores made of exceptionally hard materials is also claimed to be a great palliative of tho trouble. Cylinder wear, in fact, has attained an importance from many points _of view. The increase in compression ratios in engines daring tho past fifteen veads led to a more efficient engine "of the light type being made available for owners, but stresses and strains were higher, and wear and tear was consequently accelerated in many parts which hitherto bad been considered long-lived. Alloy pistons demanded to make the higher engine speeds possible brought such problems as a different co-efficient of expansion between tho pistru ami the cylinder, and they had therefore be made a looser fit than the cast-iron type. This meant frequently that piston Hap became noticeable, and the research departments of the great motor factories devoted a groat deal of attention to overcoming unexpected difficulties which arose. One unexpected difficulty was tho fact that the soft aluminium alloy piston was found to wear the hard iron cylinder _ more rapidly than tho iron type. This was traced to the fact that particles of carbon or grit partially embedded themselves in the soft piston, which then acted as a “ lap,” grinding away the iron. The adoption of a harder alloy for tho piston overcame this trouble. Hardening the pistons meant increasing their weights* and altering expansion co-efficients, but these difficulties were gradually overcome. A better design of tho combustion chamber has assisted iu making possible an increased compression ratio, while cooling arrangements have aiso been made more perfect, and Mio hot snots which had a tendency to cause “pinking” have been avoided. I lien it was found that the finish of tho cylinder walls was insufficiently perfect, and that oil collected in tho minute scratches and indentations, where it was burned rapidly, and the constant

recurrence of this trouble adversely ■affected oil consumption, and as a consequence a means was developed of making an absolutely perfect surface. All the time, in fact, the research departments in the factories are being kept busy investigating new troubles which crop up, and also finding out why old ones reappear, and eliminating both.

THE ROYAL AUTOMOBILE CLUB. After thiry-four years of existence, the R.A.C. (England) has grown into a tremendous organisation with no less than sixty-two foreign offices and agencies all over, and even out of Europe. That such a service is possible at all shows both the power of the club and the important part that motor travel plays in tho life of most people. In Britain, officers in blue uniforms are stationed on the roads and each one has an intimate knowledge of his own district which enables him to give sound advice and accurate directions. The 11.A.C. has appointed thousands of garages in every part of the country which can be relied upon to give members rapid, cheap, and efficient service. Guides, however, carry out minor repairs. TRAFFIC CONTROL.

lu addition to the R.A.C. guides who act as patrols on Jong and lonely stretches of road, a large number are stationed at dangerous corners and cross-roads in various parts of the country. Their function is not only to give advice or assistance where it is required, but also to control and direct traffic. Guides for traffic control arc also provided in large towns. The R.A.C. has nearly 500 roadside telephone boxes available, for the use of members in emergency. Every box is fitted with a standard lock and members may obtain a master-key, which will open any box, for ls._ A “ get-you-home ” service is maintained for the relief of motorists whoso cars have broken down, and last year 11,000 members availed themselves of it. The R.A.C. defrays the cost of driving the passengers to their destination (within twenty miles) or of towing the car, with the passengers, for a distance of ten miles. On the legal side, the R.A.C. will defend an associate member, or his chauffeur, in any court in Great Britain free of charge, sending an experienced solicitor and paying his expenses. The R.A.C. solicitor is always available to give free legal advice on all matters relating to motoring. The legal department will also arbitrate where parties become involved in a dispute and do not wish to go to court. FIGHTING TEST CASES. Should a member be involved in legal proceedings in which he has suffered undue hardship, or when it is beyond question that he has been wrongly convicted, the R.A.C. will, in approved cases, grant financial assistance or make a grant towards the cost of appeal. If, again, a member is involved in a case where some principle new to the whole motoring community is involved, or in which it is desirable to obtain a ruling of the High Court, the R.A.C. will undertake the appeal if it is desirable in the interests of automobilisra generally that this should be done. The R.A.C. has, at its own expense, fought many test cases, and resisted unnecessary and vexatious regulations. The touring department has a wealth of information for travellers. It will plan itineraries for any set time, advise as to routes, camp sites, etc. Great assistance is also rendered in foreign touring, in the way of travelling passes, preparation of Customs papers, etc. It has agents at Continental ports who meet travellers and see them on to the road after having attended to all Customs formalities. For a moderate charge, owners may have their cars periodically inspected. Again, each member has his number, and small tickets with the number may be attached to luggage, spare parts, etc. Thus, if any marked article becomes lost, the tracing of the owner is simple. An insurance department gives members all possible advice on this point. A “ model ” policy for an insurance has been evolved by the R.A.C. and a number of leading companies issue this policy to members on the most favourable terms possible. The R.A.C. conducts trials to test cars and parts, and promotes races and reliability trials. It awards driving and mechanical proficiency certificates, recognised by the police. It conducts a register of drivers and mechanics requiring situations and examines the applicants. A 700 page handbook and guide is also printed. CARE OF THE CAR. RESPONSIBILITY ON OWNER. “ The full responsibility of keeping a car in proper running order rests on the owner and it is a duty not lightly to l>e regarded,” writes the Canterbury Automobile Association in its safetyfirst message. “ Now wo are getting into the summer and the days are lengthening so appreciably there is a need to stress the great necessity of the fullest care in looking after the equipment of motor vehicles. For instance, defective headIjghts, parking lights, or a useless taillight are not to be excused. The careful driver will carry a spare bulb or two in a car pocket. At this time of the year the cyclists become ’ less careful than in the winter time, and the motorists must take no chances. He must never gamble on safety.

“ With the summer, too, comes the crowded highway. Driving a car safely and expertly along congested roads depends a great deal on the driver’s ability to see sharply, and to control his vehicle in split-second emergencies. The importance of having efficient lights and thoroughly efficient brakes cannot 1)0 stressed too strongly. At all times the driver depends chiefly on his brakes

to_ stop the car, yet a great many drivers give little or no attention to brake adjustment. A surprisingly largo proportion of cars have brakes which will not stop a car under the best roadsurface conditions within the limits of safety, and what happens when the road conditions arc bad or there is a sudden emergency may well be imagined. “ It is the correct thing for all owners to submit their car equipment to a thorough examination before starting summer touring. It is a safety precaution.”