THE MOTORIST

Waipa Post, Volume 49, Issue 3505, 14 August 1934, Page 6

THE MOTORIST

CAR COSTS. ■ - No topic connected with motorists i is bf more -moment to the newcomer c thaii cost' (says’ an expert). He or i she can quickly discover what expen- ; ditute;,"the s purchase ' of a car will inVolv£.::'and tax' and insurance are : khowiJ'factors, but what of the running Charges? ; * >’i'i Is.-'a. .matter of no small diffi- . cuityjjqvgive precise data, for, accord-"to’-the general condition of a car • if' Already second-hand, and, to s somerili|ht . extent, according to luck if dtds a new-one, the annual charges Also, the ownerl wfe#' treats his car sensibly and routine attention necessatyHfcari effect considerable economies. An 8 h.p. car will do about 35 miles to a gallon of petrol, or sometimes more, and it should cover 1000 miles ; at;;least on a gallon of oil, so that on . the basis of the anticipated mileage "a. good idea of actual running costs Oan ; -be formed. A car of 10 h.p. should- cover at least 30 to 32 miles . on a'gallon of petrol, and one of 12 h;p. probably 26 to 30 miles; actual oil' cdrisurrir>tion does not necessarily snow an increase as the size of the . ciir/goes up.' Zi:* Garagihg. charges can range from IOA a c vteek. or more for a private .Jddk’4Ujpto a.. negligible sum if the ..dWher has ■ a garage alongside his house. Possibly repairs and replacements can scarcely be assessed. You rilay well not need any worth speaking'of'fn a whole year’s motoring; on the other hand, you may not be quite so-fortunate. Depreciation is another point. Many owners account it to their cars’ running posts per annum, deducting the resale value of the car at any given tihie: from, the price paid to arrive There is a not altogether rjtistified tendency to consider cars from, a totally different aspect 'in these matters from that applying to household"effects or clothes, for 'instance. Should the expenditure involved on V.caf- r be set down as entirely outgoing?yy y - r : Roughly, as seems to be suggested "byitlaja from many sources on ordinary car of about 8 or 10 h.p. can be kef>t and run for something like £1 1 a %efek;' OAR MASCOTS. • To show some small consideration yand see that the car mascot is a “comfortable” shape is the least .'motorists can do, according to the conference of traffic inspectors held fat Wellington recently, when it was -advocated that mascots with spearlike protuberances be prohibited. Mr. R. Day mentioned the matter in an .address given before the New Plymouth Rotary Club, describing a bird mascot which he had seen on a car , in*Wpilingtoh. “A barbarous thing,” ,he described it, “with a bill about [twoV feet long projecting beyond the radiator. -Imagine the effect on an .unfortunate person struck by a thing .of" that sort!”"' “HANGING-ON IN TOP. ? There is undoubtedly a natural desire on the part of many motorists tto' driyp;Jn top gear for as long as possible; ,;J;tyhether touring in hilly tcofint'ry; Or. driving in city streets. To tatfemjpt to remain in top gear when ■ the par- would obviously run more .;■ smoothly in a lower gear is to ill--treat the engine and will only result in excessive wear. 'When the engine begins 7to labour, it is pounding its bearings and should be eased at once by .changing to a lower gear, so as to allow the engine to run faster and develop mpre power with less strain. The" thrust of the pistons on the cylinder walls is also increased under conditions' of strains, and results in more rapid wear. RESPONSIBILITY OF MOTORISTS. It' may not be generally known that motorists who become involved in collision are liable to prosecution should they fail to clear the highway of broken glass. The customary litter of glass across the road constitutes a danger to the travelling public, as wellas a source of annoyance and possible expense. Nor is the motorist coricerhed in the accident solely re-sponsible;-Should the accident call for. the services of a break-down van, and the van driver fail to remove the I ' glass yfrom the road, he or his firm may be proceeded against. Mr. R. M. . secretary of the Automobile; Association (Hawke’s Bay), told a Napier journalist that apart from the legal aspect of this question, the common sense point of view demanded that ■motorists should honour the rules laid. down. Avoiding punctures. Thete-iS'nd minor trouble more annoying than k puncture, and although motorists are all in the hands of the gods in. this matter, there is a type of -puncture which can often be avoided—that is, the flint puncture. Careful', owner-drivers regularly test tnei'pressure of their tyres. At the f sime tithe the cover should be examined'fpr': small sharp stones which have Become embedded in the tread. Thebe [should be' removed with a scr4w*driVer or a similar tool. Seme 'a penknife for this 'operation;' hiif; this is scarcely advisable, • ; , as thete is a danger of further cutting the. cover and damaging the air tube. -Hcles and cuts of any apprecisize' should be filled with some soft of plastic'stopping compound.

SQUEAKING SPRINGS. After they have oeen on. the road for a time some cars develop squeaks in the springs. This is often due to water and dirt having found thenway in between the blades. If rust has formed it should be removed by opening the leaves and injecting parraffin. The car should be jacked up at the chassis frame —not under the axle, since it is necessary to open the leaves —for then the springs, wheels and axles actually hang by their own weight from the frame, and the blades of the springs tend to separate. A screw-driver or special spring opening tool should be used to open the leaves still farther. Looseness of the spring clips may cause a squeak. Wear between, shackle bolts and their bearings is another cause of spring rattle. Excessive sideplay between the shackle pins and the spring eyes will often result in noise. The latter trouble can be cured by tightening the nut on the shackle bolt, to avoid excessive clamping, for this will restrict the free action of the spring and may result in the upper blades breaking. Shackle pins that have worn must be replaced with new oversized pins, the spring eyes being reamed out to fit. Regular greasing and spraying of the springs with penetrating oil will, however, help to avoid these troubles.