The Washington herald., 1917-09-09
Caring for the New Car

The average owner who receives a
new car from the factory assumes
that the vehicle is in the best posi-
bic shape, better than it will ever be
again and that he need not bother to
give it the slightest attention until
it has, so to speak, earned a little
care. This idea is about as wrong
as any notion could be. Abuse he car
in its first 1000 miles of service and
it is likely to show the effects of the
i'll treatment throughout its career.
In a piece Of intricate and close
fitting machinery like the modern
motor vehicle. there are many NOV
ing surfaces which have clearances
Of less than COOS Of an inch. Until
these surfaces have rubbed together
and worn away just a slight film of
their metal. they are likely to bind
on the slightest occasion. Excessive
speed before the mechanism has been
run in. Will produce undue friction
with its attendant heat and possible
evil consequences.
1t frequently happens that in a fac
tory where many scores of cars are
being shipped each day, the man
charged with the job of attending to
the fabrication of each one. may,
through oversight. skip one unit He
may fail TO ill all the grease cups or
may neglect to Supply certain oil
holes. The agency which receives the
ear may not go over It carefully
enough to discover the omission and
the result is that the new owner takes
his car out on the road for a spin and
injuries something on his trial trip.
The very first thing to do on receiving
new motor car is to go carefully
over the fabrication system to make
sure that it is ready for business. If
the transmission and rear axle hous-
InGs are filed with grease remove it
and substitute a gear oil which should
be of light body for winter use and
heavy for summer
Next on the list comes the bat
terry. In these days when freight
shipments are often DELAYED, the
battery sometimes loses much of
its vitality before it reaches the
owners hands. in spite of the fact
that it left the factory in good
shape. TEST the hattery with a
hydrOmeter to see that it is up to
strength or If you cannot do it. be
sure that the service station does
30. See also that all the cells have
the proper quantity of liquid in
them.
In the haste Of getting the car
to the customer the agent may have
neglected to pump up the tires to
the proper pressure. or one of them
may have a slow leak in its valve,
so that the pressure has been sad
" depleted on the trip to its new
owner. Check up the pressure in
all tires with a gauge.
Having made these inspections,
We may assume that the car is
ready for the road Very well,
drive it carefully. Do not try to
see how fast it can go. for remem-
Der that all through that intricate
mechanism, wherever moving parts
come together. a wearing in process
Is going on and excessive speed may
cause serious damage. Until the
parts have worn in, it is difficult
for the lubricant to get in between
them and reduce friction, therefore
be careful Do not race the en-
zine, nor make il do more work than
is necessary DO not throttle down
to low on high gear. In climbing
hills do not try to see how far
YOU can go on high, change down
TO a lower gear and relieve the
stif engine. Do not do stunts until
the mechanism has loosened up just
a little. II the engine smokes, do