Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-02

II you can't afford to buy a new
car each year keep your old one run
ming right by according it the same
careful, considerable treatment you
would give to a machine just deliver
ed into your hands. bright. shiny
and smooth operating, by the dealer.
That sums up the newer viewpoint
as 1t is being taken by many discern.
ing motorists who are confronted
with problems OF maintenance over
period Of years.
1t Is true that the average owner
is of the opinion that keeping an old
car new IL exclusively a matter Of
replacing, reboring, repainting and
rebuilding. But in reality another
ia ctor enters into the problem, and
that Is treatment Of the old car.
Ordinarily the man with new car
changes the oil in his engine more
frequently than the man with an old
car. Every 500 miles is the rule with
the new car, but for the old car an
oil change Is likely to be postponed
for as high as 1900 miles.
If the owner of an old car Is asked
why he does not continue to change
oil every 500 miles his reply Is about
as follows: "It isn't necessary; the
first 1000 miles are the hardest.
After the engine gets into Its stride
you do not have to pamper 1t.
Later Care Essential.
This neglect Is due partly to the
popular belief that old cars grow older
so much more rapidly than new ones,
and there IL tendency to let the old
car run unrestrained down the hill
of disintegration.
Manufacturers and engineers enl-
phasize the necessity for great care
in breaking in a new car for the rea-
son that, being tight, the new car
will not stand strain and speed. The
matter Of early attention to the car
has been emphasized to such extent
as to blind the average owner to the
fact that late attention is just as es-
sential II full value Is to be received
from a car.
These points are recognized by the
industry as being Of particular value
to the motorist who cannot afford to
keep trading in for new cars con-
stantly and who becomes a constant
knocker of the automobile because he
is obliged to spend his money period.
cally at the repair shops. He can get
many thousands Of miles Of additional
use from his car by putting into prac-
tice the rules which he so roligiously
followed when the car was brand-new.
The owner of a new car always Is
careful to see that the front wheels
are in proper alignment, for it has
been the experience Of many people
to have the treads nearly worn off
the tires within g. few hundred miles,
Just because the wheels were not
true. Some owners give a great deal
Of attention to this point. running
back to the service station the mo
ment they suspect any nisalignment
The average owner, however. change
his tactics completely once he is
safely past the brealdng-in period
He 10 likely to neglect the entire
steering assembly. and there have
been numerous instances whore front
tires have suddenly worn down to the
overlooked the fact that nisalign.
ment might develop any time.
An impression is quite prevalent
that when the finish on a car starts
to go 1t goes quickly. This ex-
plains why SO many cars that look
new and sparkling for a year sud
denly take on a dull, drab finish. The
owner thinks 1t is the natural order
Of things, but 1t is rather the nat
ural result of reversing the natural
order Of car care. He cleans and
polishes the body regularly when the
car Is new. but does not notice that
as 1t grows older he begins to neglect
it. With new car attention through
out the entire life of any car. the
finish may be made to hold up as
long as the car IL in use.
Another important factor in car
preservation Ia that new cars receive