HANDLING THE CAR.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 7 May 1927, Page 14

HANDLING THE CAR.

HINTS TOR THE NOVICE.

COMMON ERRORS

With so many new' car owners taking the road the novice who is ever with us should be advised on certain aspects oi motoring, which, although gained by experience, can be noted from the beginning. Thus a good deal of the little faults which are due to ignorance can be overcome. With every new' car the owner is generally presented with a booklet, which is instructive enough if read carefully. Often though the things which you are particularly asked to note are overlooked in the excitement occasioned by the first drive. The man. who starts off from scratch has a lot to learn, though with the application of common sense the job is not difficult The main thing is to think quickly and to keep cool. With a determination to master the car, one has to think from the outset, until with practice the handling of the car becomes purely mechanical. Apart from the driving of the car, there are certain points which should be noted carefully if the car is to get the correct treatment, which will obviate expensive repair trouble later on. Forgetfulness often results in running with the spark retarded. Forgetfulness often results in starting the car with the spark advanced. A mistake in this direction can cause very great damage to the car, and the first you generally know' of the fact that you are running with a retarded spark is that the engine has heated up and you have to let it cool off. This is a mistake which you will often find beginners make, just as you will find a novice driving with his hand brake on. In time a succession of moves in operating the car will become mechanical, and vou will never start to move unless you 'first adjust your spark and take the hand-brake off. Many beginners often have trouble with lubrication, simply because they think that the car must be keot well oiled. So it must, but the novice, not knowing of the car’s oil consumption, often keeps putting oil in the sump after a run and gradually the sump is filled to the limit. In a run of 200 miles little oil is used in some cars, but the novice, thinking that a big quantity of the oil has been used, inamediate'ly puts in another quart, which nearly doubles the quantity of the sump. Over-feeding with oil results in the oil getting up on to the plugs and “missing” commences. For the novice the job of finding the trouble is a difficult one, and may cause lots of inconvenience.

Often the over-generous novice causes more trouble on this account through reading instructions given him. He may attend to the essentials, but lie forgets to strike the happy medium. Often batteries are ruined because the owner insists on keeping the cells filled with distilled water. He knows he has to keep water in the battery, and again, not knowing how long a supply of water will keep the battery working to full strength, he keeps on the safe side and puts water in twice a. week. Consequently the cells are filled to the brim, whereas the correct level should just cover the plates. The mistakes made by novices are too numerous to mention, and it is surprising what damage is done to the car through the inexperience of the new owner. Many drivers will advise you to buy a cheap car first, and secure all your experience in the cheapest possible way, No doubt novices will continue to make mistakes, and will only learn through experience Why there are not more accidents in traffic is because the majority of novices remain away from traffic until they feel confident enough to tackle anything. Motoring to the novice is a particularly strenuous business, until the mechanical understanding between the driver and the car is attained. Only practice will achieve this. The saddest part of motoring is to see a novice performing some careless operation with a new car which cannot respond to a wrong move any more than a horse can stand on its head. The grinding of gears' which are forced in and ai’e not meant to be treated that way is the result of a pitiful lack of knowledge on the part of the driver. To make a novice understand the damage which he can do to his car by careless use of the gears, it would be as well to take the top off the gear box and explain to the novice the exact operation. He will then understand what a crash means. Too much confidence on the part of the novice is dangerous. It is far better to take the car carefully, allowing yourself time to think, and thus avoid many of the mistakes which everybody is apt to make.