Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-07-13
CARE OF AUTO IS
IMPORTANT POINT

Everyone remembers seeing, IN
days not so long ago, a coachman,
stripped to shirt and pants, with
water pail beside him and "chammy''
in hand. cleaning a carriage. He
went about it first by gradually
loosening the mud by continuous
slushIng of water, then drying with
a moist channels, and finally polish
ing with one perfectly dry. The oper-
alton occupied from one to two
hours of considerable hard labor.
Why all this labor and care? Simply
because soaps, oils and in fact any
thing except cold water, had been
found injurious to the varnish. and
the coachman found using them
would have to hunt another job.
With the advent of the automobile
a different set of conditions prevails
1t is a question If any carriage ever
built underwent the wear and tear
and rough usage given the automo-
bile. In exceptionally bad weather
the carriage often was kept home,
not on it's account, but because OF
the horses; whereas the auto is
taken out in all weather: it gathers
mud, dust, oil from the roads. and.
on account of the speed at which it
Is driven, these all stick much closer,
and are therefore harder to remove.
1t is because of these conditions 1T
has been found necessary to use
soap. ii a good soap is used and
thoroughly rinsed off, little damage
is lone to the varnish. but as the
washing is mostly done at night and
hurriedly, some is almost sure to re-
main.
Soon the car puts on a gray APP
pearance and loses its lustre, and
about this time the owner or garage
man begins to think of a body pol
ish, it being found impossible to get
any lustre with the ordinary polish
ing and washing.
OF polishers and cleaners there are
any numbeC but nine-tenths of them
are simply a refined oil, some also
having a ~coloring or ~fiavoring matter
added. Does oil clean the car? In
some cases, yes, but the trouble is, it
seems impossible to rub alb the oil
off, so when the car has been driven
a mile or so the dust has adhered to
it, and it is worse off than before it
was cleaned.
Few owners. whether they look
after their vehicles personally or not.
know how to keep the paint on the
body of the car in proper condition.
with the natural result that frequent
ly a car which has been in S only
a few months acquires a lustreless
ear This does not arise from
hard usage, but comes about general
ly from a lack of knowledge on the
part of those responsible for the cars
care.
A really fine piece of carriage paint
ing, says the Motor Age. cannot be
accomplished under several weeks, as
it requires that from twelve to six
teen coats of filters, colors, surfaces
and varnishes be put on and rubbed
down by hand With the most palms.
taking care, especially in applying the
last coats of varnish, when perfect
atmospheric conditions and a perfect
temperature are absolutely essential.
One of the most important points to
be observed in cleaning a ear is that
no water be allowed to remain on the
varnish for any length of time. When
ever water has rested too long upon
the varnish it will be found dull and
cloudy, and a scattering of water, if
not removed. will leave a spotted APP
pearance. Be careful to keep all water
from the bearing cases. Avoid the
use of warm water, for it will soon
- L. +Lo lif1 o.t - tlo .r,-.il Te
still water is used. keep the water
clean and the sponge constantly
rinsed. to avoid rubbing particles of
grit over the smooth surface of the
body's finish.
When the mud has been removed
the body and all vanished parts
should be thoroughly dried with a
soft rag, or, better still a channels.
Perhaps n of the greatest boons
to a~utobohilists has been the inven-
ton of a cleaner that not only re
stores the lustre on the body. but
cleans and restores leather, and if
applied to the windshield sheds rain.
thus enabling the driver to see the
road clearly in the worst storm. This
cleaner has withstood two United
States government tests, and is now
used in the United States army and
navy-suficient evidence hat it will
injure anything to which it is
applied. The name Of this prepara-
ton is Star Clean. 1t has been on
the market three years. and Is now
used by nearly all the manufacture
ers' agents in the country. 1t re-
moves dirt, oil. cloudiness .and mud
spots without leaving any oil or
grease behind. This means that the
auto is always bright and in good
condition, body. cushions and leather
parts. This motorist uses his best