San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-02-25
Many Owners Give Too
Little Attention to
Their Cars.
SPRING BAD TIME
Why Not Have Repairs
Made in Dull Months
and Avoid Rush?
BY w. j. BRACE. N
President National Automobile Deal.
a,-S' Association

ers' Association.
One of the peculiarities of large
number of motor car owners is the
lack of attention given to the car.
The average owner is usually careful
Of mis- general hoLse equipment. The
pho nograph is kept wound aud oiled.
The piano is kept tuned and protect
ed from temperature changes; the
telephone trouble man is called ut
the slightest pretext. The sewing ma
chine man is called for many ADJUST
ments. Plumbers, electricians, roof
ers, floor pOlishers, painters and pa
perhangers are kept busy all the year
round keeping the home in condition.
The motor vehicle, on the other hand,
frequently stands out all night in any
weather in the sideyard, waiting pa
tiently and without protest to be shell
tered.
Within the automobile are mech
anisms as delicate in mechanical con-
struction as any musical instrument.
Rust and dampnsss will affect tex
tiles, seels, coppefs. Motor car own
ers for many years have had the habit
of using the vehicle through the warm
and open months; then, when bad
weather starts, shut it away. Some
times the water is drained. Some
times it is lacked up to save the tires.
Through several months it stands
without much attention.
Shops 0vertaxed I'm Spring.
In March, April or May the car
is taken to some repair shop. Dur
ing those three months nearly every
shop in the country will be found
heavily overloaded with work. 1t is
the peak of the year for shops, large
and small. For the small shop it is
the harvest season after n lean year.
Through these months the operators
Of the one and two-men shops work
night and day. They are much buster
than in any other months of the
year.
In the big shops, even in such we'll
ordered places as are found in the
highest class businesses, this season
of the year is almost nightmare
Operators of big shops make n decid,
ell effort TO handle all work offered
efficiently and economically. But the
motor car owner chafes ut delays. He
| cannot understand why he cannot get
his car into the shop instanter. What
he does not understand is that his
careless use of his motor car also has
caused him to be somewhat careless
| of the mechanical attention for his
individual methods of transportation.
Study Of repair shOp records has
brought out some very interesting fig
| ures. In one city, the three months
Of March. April and May showed
heavy demands on repair shops. In
this city demand for overhaul and
other work to prepare automobiles for
spring and summer reached 140 per
cent Of the capacity in April. In june
and July the demand was 7 per cent
below capacity. In October the de.
mand was 90 prr cent below capacity.
How to Help Repairman.
These figures will be largely du.
nlicated throughout the country. The
figures should give automobile own
ers n definite idea of why they have
trouble in getting work done in the
enring. If the eHcnss OF business in
March. April and May were snrend
out over the wear, several things
would result. The owner would get
quicker attention and quicken deliv-
cry, the shop operator could carry
a uniform number of worfrnen
throughout the year at lcssened
overhead. no could more thoroughly
systcmatizc his large shop with better
results for the car owner.
The bic overhaul Jobs are done 70
prepare vehicle for twrlvc-moath