Is Your Car Ready for Winter?

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23061, 11 June 1938, Page 12 (Supplement)

Is Your Car Ready for Winter?

PREPARING FOR SEASONAL DIFFICULTIES

motorists have already made their ears ready for winter, but there are thousands who have not and who are running risks by reason of thoir neglect. Already the more careless owners are paying the penalty for inattention to details and many a driver, caught by the recent cold spell, has had the doubtful pleasure of trying to start a cold motor with a crankinghandle that seems bent on doing him an injury.

Attention to the battery, tyres, screen-wiper, windows and electrical fittings generally are the principal items in preparing for winter. The battery should be tested and re-charged if necessary, as it has a long period of extremely hard work ahead of it. It has to turn a stone-cold motor, held back by sluggish oil, to provide proper lights, perhaps to drive the screen-wiper and also, and this is often forgotten, to work longer hours because of the earlier darkness. Tyres should be in good order for winter driving. It is not necessary always to go to the expense of a new set, but any that are badly worn should either be replaced or re-treaded, even if the worn covers still have a few hundred miles of useful life. They can always be set aside and finished next summer, when the roads are dry again. A good, biting tread is essential for the winter, when roads are apt to be slipper and when poor visibility may mean more violent braking than usual. The need for the screen-wiper being in condition is obvious. This component receives probably less attention than any other part of the average car, yet a few drops of oil on moving parts, and perhaps a new blade to wipe a nice, clear patch of screen, will work wonders. It is, incidentally, required by law to have an efficient screen-wiper. Windows and floor-boards should fit snugly, unless the driver is anxious to have a draughty car. Attention should be given to the winding mechanism of the windows, and here, too, a drop of oil will always help. Some additional floor-covering, perhaps some packing if the boards are loose, or ill-fitting, will add materially to the comfort of winter motoring.

Lights must be focussed and adjusted properly In winter, when it is dark early and when' the wet roads seem to reflect back every glimmer of light, it is essential that every road-user should have his headlamps so controlled as to give a maximum of light and a minimum of glare. Faulty bulbs should bp replaced without delay and reflectors wiped clean with a damp leather. A smear of vaseline round the inside of the lamp rim before it is replaced will often help to keep out moisture that tends to dim a reflector's high polish. There is much more that the real

enthusiast can do to prepare his car for the winter, but little more is strictly necessary. A general checking of the ignition, to be sure that the distributor is water-tight and that drops of water are not likely to find their way on to the leads, is valuable, and it is also well to give any rust-spots a rub with emery-paper and a coat or two of paint to prevent them from growing to alarming proportions. Winter driving, a big subject, calls for at least a word. Greater care is necessary than in summer, owing to the tact that visibility generally is poorer and also because roads may be slippery, and the car thus more prone to skid. Gentle braking and acceleration will nearly always ensure freedom from skids, which are a horror to the average driver, in spite of the ease with which they can be corrected in the early stages after a little practice. Owners of small cars may find it advisable to give their engines a turn or two with the handle before using the starter first thing in the morning, and drivers of larger machines, which cannot easily be cranked, should be sure that their generators are keeping the battery properly charged.