MOTORING.

Sun (Christchurch), Volume VI, Issue 1623, 28 April 1919, Page 2

MOTORING.

NOTES OF THE DAY.

Motor dealers in Christchurch generally report that there is very little doing in the sale of cars, and this is probably owing to the fact that a large number of people are patiently waiting for the second-hand cars which are so confidently looked forward to by a large number of would-be motorists. A syndicate has been formed in New Zealand to purchase a largo number of secondhand machines which have been used cither directly or indirectly for war purposes.

It may be suggested, however, that prospective buyers should bo very careful indeed when considering the purchase of such machines, in view of the fact that the British Government has decided to give preference to manufacturers in the purchase of machines discarded by the Army, in response to the appeal of manufacturers that the machines should not be put on the market bearing what may be considered as the hall-mark of efficiency, so far as each motor is concerned, without their again passing through the makers' hands. If a large number of war-worn machines were unloaded in this manner, defects which are bound to be consequent upon service during the war might be attributed, by the unthinking section of tho motoring public, to defective workmanship, and thus damage the reputations of machines which have for many years rightly gained the confidence of the public. Correct Lubrication. , One of the most important and, very frequently, the most-neglected aspects of motoring is the matter of proper lubrication. Many motorists fail to get the best out of their machines simply because of their lack of knowledge on the question of lubrication. In this connection a booklet which has been issued by the Vacuum Oil Company should prove of considerable assistance to users of tire motor generally. As the company rightly states in the foreword, lubrication with it is both a business and a profession. Further, in the brochure, some most pertinent questions are asked, which are certainly apt to make the motorist consider the question of lubrication very seriously. That correct lubrication considerably reduces the cost of upkeep is proved in a most interesting manner, easily understood by the veriest novice. It is rightly eontended that repair men have found that over 50 per cent, of all engine troubles is due to incorrect lubrication.' Copies of the booklet, which contains a fund of valuable information that should save motorists a considerable amount of worry as well as money, may be had on application to the Vacuum Oil Company Proprietary, Ltd., at any of its branches. Aero Engines in Autos.

The Americans are undoubtedly prolific in ideas. One of the latest is j suggested by Mr Frank F. Tenney, principal of the West Side Y.M.C.A. School for Airplane Mechanics. According to the "New York Times," it is that airplane engines which have outlived their usefulness in the air should be used in autos. It is urged that as the average life of an aero engine is 100 flying hours, the discarded engine should be put into an auto afterwards. The averago number of flying hours stated by Mr Tenney certainly does not apply to English engines, for no less an average than 250 hours is obtained at the Canterbury Aviation Company's School at Sockburn. It should also be remembered that the engines are not>, discarded, as a number of working parts are as good as ever, and by replacement of the worn parts the engine can be made as perfect as when new. It is also interesting to note that aero engines

were put into cars in England before the war with splendid results. Beliability Trials.

The executive of the Pioneer Sports Club is to be. congratulated in having postponed the reliability side car trial (to Akaroa and back) which was to have been held on May 3, until June 3 (King's Birthday), in order to allow as many private owners as possible to compete. Many owners would experience considerable difficulty in undertaking the run on other than holidays, and the decision to alter the date is indicative of a desire on the part of the committee to encourage private owners to enter such contests. From the point of view of the average side car owner, a test of a machine driven by a private owner is much more satisfactory than tests by trade riders, for the results obtained by the former indicate more clearly what the amateur may be able to do. Trials in which it is desired to demonstrate the capabilities of various makes of machines should be made with standard models from stock. Both English and American publications urge that such tests should certainly not be made with machines specially prepared for trial purposes, and a movement is on foot among manufacturers who produce machines that arc worthy of trial to insist that any machine from stock models should be taken when the question of a test is considered. D.W.M.